Two medicines, side by side
Clonazepam vs lorazepam
Clonazepam and lorazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of clonazepam since 1975 and of lorazepam since 1977. Pharmacies paid $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 mg tablet and $0.0344 per lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025); the lorazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 9, 2025).
Highlights of the clonazepam record
Clonazepam (Klonopin) · label of December 1, 2025
RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs for patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsSeizure Disorders Klonopin is useful alone or as an adjunct in the treatment of the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (petit mal variant), akinetic, and myoclonic seizures. In patients with absence seizures (petit mal) who have failed to respond to succinimides, Klonopin may be useful. Some loss of effect may occur during the course of clonazepam treatment (see PRECAUTIONS: Loss of Effect ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 4, 1975
- Generic labelers
- 31 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0244 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 7
Highlights of the lorazepam record
Lorazepam (Ativan) · label of July 9, 2025
RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS
Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs for patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsAtivan (lorazepam) is indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety or anxiety associated with depressive symptoms. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 30, 1977
- Generic labelers
- 36 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0344 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- In shortage
- Recalls
- 8
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025, Lorazepam label of July 9, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do clonazepam and lorazepam differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class benzodiazepines.
Half-life, in each label's words: Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”; Lorazepam, “The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: clonazepam since 1996; lorazepam since 1985 (Drugs@FDA).
| Clonazepam | Lorazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety | Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | Benzodiazepine | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. | The mean half-life of unconjugated lorazepam in human plasma is about 12 hours and for its major metabolite, lorazepam glucuronide, about 18 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 4, 1975 | September 30, 1977 |
| First generic approved | September 10, 1996 | December 10, 1985 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 31 labelers | 36 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) | $0.0344 per tablet (Lorazepam 0.5 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -14% | -18% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | In shortage | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 7 | 8 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 159,283 | 178,731 |
| DEA schedule | CIV | CIV |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What do the labels say about using others of their kind?
Lorazepam label, warningsUse of benzodiazepines, including lorazepam, both used alone and in combination with other CNS depressants, may lead to potentially fatal respiratory depression (see PRECAUTIONS:
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to clonazepam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions