Two medicines, side by side
Lamotrigine vs olanzapine
Lamotrigine and olanzapine are both labeled for bipolar disorder. Drugs@FDA records approvals of lamotrigine since 1994 and of olanzapine since 1996. Pharmacies paid $0.0268 per lamotrigine 25 mg tablet and $0.147 per olanzapine 20 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Lamotrigine's other strengths are brand-only: $2.86 per mL (Subvenite 10 mg/mL suspension). In FDA's classes, lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer and olanzapine an atypical antipsychotic.
Check it at the source: the lamotrigine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2025); the olanzapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 5, 2026).
Highlights of the lamotrigine record
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) · label of October 10, 2025
SERIOUS SKIN RASHES LAMICTAL can cause serious rashes requiring hospitalization and discontinuation of treatment. The incidence of these rashes, which have included Stevens-Johnson syndrome, is approximately 0.3% to 0.8% in pediatric patients (aged 2 to 17 years) and 0.08% to 0.3% in adults receiving LAMICTAL. One rash-related death was reported in a prospectively followed cohort of 1,983 pediatric patients (aged 2 to 16 years) with epilepsy taking LAMICTAL as adjunctive therapy.
Used for
From the label: indicationsLAMICTAL is indicated for: Epilepsy–adjunctive therapy in patients aged 2 years and older: • partial-onset seizures. • primary generalized tonic-clonic (PGTC) seizures. • generalized seizures of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- December 27, 1994
- Generic labelers
- 49 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.0268 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- A presentation being discontinued
- Recalls
- 10
Highlights of the olanzapine record
Olanzapine (Zyprexa) · label of March 5, 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: indicationsOlanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated: As oral formulation for the: · Treatment of schizophrenia. ( 1.1 ) · Adults: Efficacy was established in three clinical trials in patients with schizophrenia: two 6-week trials and one maintenance trial. ( 14.1 ) · Adolescents (ages 13-17): Efficacy was established in one 6-week trial in patients with schizophrenia ( 14.1 ). […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- September 30, 1996
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.147 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 14
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Lamotrigine label of October 10, 2025, Olanzapine label of March 5, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do lamotrigine and olanzapine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, lamotrigine is a mood stabilizer and olanzapine an atypical antipsychotic.
How each works, in its label's words: Lamotrigine, “The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown.”; Olanzapine, “The mechanism of action of olanzapine, in the listed indications is unclear.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: lamotrigine since 2006; olanzapine since 2011 (Drugs@FDA).
| Lamotrigine | Olanzapine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy, Bipolar disorder | Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Depression |
| Pharmacologic class | Anti-epileptic Agent, Mood Stabilizer | Atypical Antipsychotic |
| How it works (label) | The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. | The mechanism of action of olanzapine, in the listed indications is unclear. However, the efficacy of olanzapine in schizophrenia could be mediated through a combination of dopamine and serotonin type 2 (5HT 2 ) antagonism. |
| Half-life (label) | n/a | Its half-life ranges from 21 to 54 hours (5th to 95th percentile; mean of 30 hr), and apparent plasma clearance ranges from 12 to 47 L/hr (5th to 95th percentile; mean of 25 L/hr). |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | December 27, 1994 | September 30, 1996 |
| First generic approved | June 21, 2006 | October 24, 2011 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 49 labelers | 43 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.0268 per tablet (Lamotrigine 25 mg tablet) | $0.147 per tablet (Olanzapine 20 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -12% | -5% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | A presentation being discontinued | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 10 | 14 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 130,994 | 107,881 |
| 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 lamotrigine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions