Two medicines, side by side
Dimenhydrinate vs prochlorperazine
Dimenhydrinate and prochlorperazine are both labeled for nausea and vomiting. Pharmacies paid $0.0575 per driminate 50 mg tablet and $0.162 per prochlorperazine 10 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Only the prochlorperazine label carries a boxed warning.
Check it at the source: the dimenhydrinate FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 17, 2026); the prochlorperazine FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 27, 2026).
Highlights of the dimenhydrinate record
Dimenhydrinate · label of August 17, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsfor prevention and treatment of these symptoms associated with motion sickness: nausea vomiting dizziness
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- n/a
- Generic labelers
- 1 labeler
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0575 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the prochlorperazine record
Prochlorperazine (Compro) · label of January 27, 2026
Increased Mortality in Elderly Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis treated with antipsychotic drugs are at an increased risk of death. Analyses of seventeen placebo-controlled trials (modal duration of 10 weeks), largely in patients taking atypical antipsychotic drugs, revealed a risk of death in drug-treated patients of between 1.6 to 1.7 times the risk of death in placebo-treated patients.
Used for
From the label: indicationsFor control of severe nausea and vomiting. For the treatment of schizophrenia. Prochlorperazine is effective for the short-term treatment of generalized non-psychotic anxiety. However, prochlorperazine is not the first drug to be used in therapy for most patients with non-psychotic anxiety, because certain risks associated with its use are not shared by common alternative treatments (e.g., benzodiazepines). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- October 23, 1956
- Generic labelers
- 45 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.162 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 3
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Dimenhydrinate label of August 17, 2026, Prochlorperazine label of January 27, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do dimenhydrinate and prochlorperazine differ on the record?
Only the prochlorperazine label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: dimenhydrinate since 1972; prochlorperazine since 1979 (Drugs@FDA).
| Dimenhydrinate | Prochlorperazine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Nausea and vomiting | Nausea and vomiting, Schizophrenia, Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | n/a | Phenothiazine |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | n/a | October 23, 1956 |
| First generic approved | May 31, 1972 | July 5, 1979 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 1 labeler | 45 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0575 per tablet (Driminate 50 mg tablet) | $0.162 per tablet (Prochlorperazine 10 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -16% | -20% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 3 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,594 | 37,667 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
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 next?
- Alternatives to dimenhydrinate
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions