Two medicines, side by side
Levorphanol vs oxymorphone
Levorphanol and oxymorphone are both labeled for pain. Drugs@FDA records approvals of levorphanol since 1953 and of oxymorphone since 1959.
Check it at the source: the levorphanol FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 13, 2026); the oxymorphone FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 29, 2026).
Highlights of the levorphanol record
Levorphanol (Levo-Dromoran) · label of January 13, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE TABLETS WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF LEVORPHANOL TARTRATE TABLETS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of levorphanol tartrate tablets exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see WARNINGS ].
Used for
From the label: indicationsLevorphanol tartrate tablets are indicated for the management of pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 8, 1953
- Generic labelers
- 7 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $10.65 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the oxymorphone record
Oxymorphone (Opana) · label of June 29, 2026
SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF OXYMORPHONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS WARNING: SERIOUS AND LIFE-THREATENING RISKS FROM USE OF OXYMORPHONE HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse Because the use of oxymorphone hydrochloride tablets exposes patients and other users to the risks of opioid addiction, abuse, and misuse, which can lead to overdose and death, assess each patient’s risk prior to prescribing and reassess all patients regularly for the development of these behaviors and conditions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)].
Used for
From the label: indicationsOxymorphone hydrochloride tablets is indicated for the management of acute pain severe enough to require an opioid analgesic and for which alternative treatments are inadequate. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 2, 1959
- Generic labelers
- 9 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- Not in the survey
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Levorphanol label of January 13, 2026, Oxymorphone label of June 29, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do levorphanol and oxymorphone differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class opioid agonists.
Half-life, in each label's words: Levorphanol, “Following IV administration plasma concentrations of levorphanol decline in a triexponential manner with a terminal …”; Oxymorphone, “Elimination Oxymorphone hydrochloride tablets half-life ranges from approximately 9-11 hours after a single oral dose …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: levorphanol since 2000; oxymorphone since 2010 (Drugs@FDA).
| Levorphanol | Oxymorphone | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Pain | Pain |
| Pharmacologic class | Opioid Agonist | Opioid Agonist |
| How it works (label) | n/a | Oxymorphone is a full opioid agonist and is relatively selective for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of oxymorphone is analgesia. |
| Half-life (label) | Following IV administration plasma concentrations of levorphanol decline in a triexponential manner with a terminal half-life of 11 to 16 hours and a clearance of 0.78 to 1.1 L/kg/hr. | Elimination Oxymorphone hydrochloride tablets half-life ranges from approximately 9-11 hours after a single oral dose (5-40 mg). |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | January 8, 1953 | April 2, 1959 |
| First generic approved | March 31, 2000 | June 14, 2010 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 7 labelers | 9 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $10.65 per tablet (Levorphanol 2 mg tablet) | n/a |
| 12-month price change | -34% | n/a |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 367 | 11,596 |
| DEA schedule | CII | CII |
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?
Levorphanol label, drug interactionsDrug Interactions Benzodiazepines and Other Central Nervous System (CNS) Depressants Due to additive pharmacologic effect, the concomitant use of benzodiazepines and other CNS depressants, such as benzodiazepines, and other sedative hypnotics, anxiolytics, and tranquilizers, muscle relaxants, general anesthetics, antipsychotics, gabapentinoids (gabapentin or pregabalin), and other opioids, including alcohol, can …
Oxymorphone label, warnings and precautionsRisks from Concomitant Use with Benzodiazepines and Other CNS Depressants Patients must not consume alcoholic beverages or prescription or non-prescription products containing alcohol while on oxymorphone hydrochloride tablets therapy.
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA
What next?
- Alternatives to levorphanol
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions