Two medicines, side by side
Oxcarbazepine vs lamotrigine
Oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of oxcarbazepine since 2000 and of lamotrigine since 1994. Pharmacies paid $0.167 per oxcarbazepine 300 mg tablet and $0.0268 per lamotrigine 25 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, oxcarbazepine is an anti-epileptic agent and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Check it at the source: the oxcarbazepine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 16, 2025); the lamotrigine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2025).
Highlights of the oxcarbazepine record
Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) · label of December 16, 2025
Used for
From the label: indicationsTRILEPTAL is indicated for use as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults and as monotherapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures in pediatric patients aged 4 years and above, and as adjunctive therapy in pediatric patients aged 2 years and above with partial-onset seizures. […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- January 14, 2000
- Generic labelers
- 43 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.167 per tablet
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 6
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
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Oxcarbazepine label of December 16, 2025, Lamotrigine label of October 10, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do oxcarbazepine and lamotrigine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, oxcarbazepine is an anti-epileptic agent and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
How each works, in its label's words: Oxcarbazepine, “The pharmacological activity of TRILEPTAL is primarily exerted through the 10-monohydroxy metabolite (MHD) of oxcarbazepine [ see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].”; Lamotrigine, “The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown.”
Only the lamotrigine label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: oxcarbazepine since 2007; lamotrigine since 2006 (Drugs@FDA).
| Oxcarbazepine | Lamotrigine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Seizures and epilepsy | Seizures and epilepsy, Bipolar disorder |
| Pharmacologic class | Anti-epileptic Agent | Anti-epileptic Agent, Mood Stabilizer |
| How it works (label) | The pharmacological activity of TRILEPTAL is primarily exerted through the 10-monohydroxy metabolite (MHD) of oxcarbazepine [ see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. | The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. |
| Half-life (label) | The half-life of the parent is about 2 hours, while the half-life of MHD is about 9 hours, so that MHD is responsible for most antiepileptic activity. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | January 14, 2000 | December 27, 1994 |
| First generic approved | October 9, 2007 | June 21, 2006 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 43 labelers | 49 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.167 per tablet (Oxcarbazepine 300 mg tablet) | $0.0268 per tablet (Lamotrigine 25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -4% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 6 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 31,342 | 130,994 |
| 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 oxcarbazepine
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions