Two medicines, side by side
Oxazepam vs clonazepam
Oxazepam and clonazepam are both labeled for anxiety. Drugs@FDA records approvals of oxazepam since 1965 and of clonazepam since 1975. Pharmacies paid $0.725 per oxazepam 10 mg capsule and $0.0244 per clonazepam 1 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like.
Check it at the source: the oxazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective July 11, 2025); the clonazepam FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 1, 2025).
Highlights of the oxazepam record
Oxazepam (Serax) · label of July 11, 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 use in patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required.
Used for
From the label: indicationsOxazepam capsules are indicated for the management of anxiety disorders or for the short-term relief of the symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety or tension associated with the stress of everyday life usually does not require treatment with an anxiolytic. Anxiety associated with depression is also responsive to oxazepam therapy. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- June 4, 1965
- Generic labelers
- 6 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.725 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
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
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Oxazepam label of July 11, 2025, Clonazepam label of December 1, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do oxazepam and clonazepam differ on the record?
Both are in FDA's class benzodiazepines.
Half-life, in each label's words: Oxazepam, “The mean elimination half-life for oxazepam was approximately 8.2 hours (range 5.7 to 10.9 hours).”; Clonazepam, “The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours.”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
Generics: oxazepam since 1987; clonazepam since 1996 (Drugs@FDA).
| Oxazepam | Clonazepam | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | Seizures and epilepsy, Anxiety |
| Pharmacologic class | Benzodiazepine | Benzodiazepine |
| How it works (label) | n/a | n/a |
| Half-life (label) | The mean elimination half-life for oxazepam was approximately 8.2 hours (range 5.7 to 10.9 hours). | The elimination half-life of clonazepam is typically 30 to 40 hours. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | June 4, 1965 | June 4, 1975 |
| First generic approved | January 16, 1987 | September 10, 1996 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 6 labelers | 31 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.725 per capsule (Oxazepam 10 mg capsule) | $0.0244 per tablet (Clonazepam 1 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -14% | -14% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | In shortage |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 7 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 21,381 | 159,283 |
| 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 next?
- Alternatives to oxazepam
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions