Two medicines, side by side

Quetiapine vs risperidone

Quetiapine and risperidone are both labeled for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Drugs@FDA records approvals of quetiapine since 1997 and of risperidone since 1993. Pharmacies paid $0.127 per quetiapine fumarate 300 mg tablet and $0.0368 per risperidone 0.25 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Quetiapine, “The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear.”; Risperidone, “The drug's therapeutic activity in schizophrenia could be mediated through a combination of dopamine Type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin Type 2 (5HT 2 ) receptor antagonism.”

Check it at the source: the quetiapine FDA label on DailyMed (effective April 10, 2026); the risperidone FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 28, 2026).

Highlights of the quetiapine record

Quetiapine (Seroquel) · label of April 10, 2026

Boxed warning

INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS; and SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS 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 [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. SEROQUEL is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].

Used for

From the label: indications
SEROQUEL is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of: • Schizophrenia ( 1.1 ) • Bipolar I disorder manic episodes (1.2) • Bipolar disorder, depressive episodes (1.2) 1.1 Schizophrenia SEROQUEL is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The efficacy of SEROQUEL in schizophrenia was established in three 6-week trials in adults and one 6-week trial in adolescents (13-17 years). […]

On the market

Earliest approval on file: September 26, 1997
Generic labelers: 48 labelers
Pharmacy cost: $0.127 per tablet

Supply and safety

Shortage: No current entry
Recalls: 10

Highlights of the risperidone record

Risperidone (Risperdal) · label of May 28, 2026

Boxed warning

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. RISPERDAL is not approved for the treatment of patients with dementia-related psychosis. [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] WARNING: INCREASED MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA-RELATED PSYCHOSIS See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning.

Used for

From the label: indications
RISPERDAL is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for: Treatment of schizophrenia ( 1.1 ) As monotherapy or adjunctive therapy with lithium or valproate, for the treatment of acute manic or mixed episodes associated with Bipolar I Disorder ( 1.2 ) Treatment of irritability associated with autistic disorder ( 1.3 ) 1.1 Schizophrenia RISPERDAL (risperidone) is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. […]

On the market

Earliest approval on file: December 29, 1993
Generic labelers: 37 labelers
Pharmacy cost: $0.0368 per tablet

Supply and safety

Shortage: No current entry
Recalls: 5

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Quetiapine label of April 10, 2026, Risperidone label of May 28, 2026); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)

How do quetiapine and risperidone differ on the record?

How each works, in its label's words: Quetiapine, “The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear.”; Risperidone, “The drug's therapeutic activity in schizophrenia could be mediated through a combination of dopamine Type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin Type 2 (5HT 2 ) receptor antagonism.”

Both are in FDA's class atypical antipsychotics.

Half-life, in each label's words: Quetiapine, “Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the …”; Risperidone, “The apparent half-life of risperidone was 3 hours (CV=30%) in extensive metabolizers and 20 hours (CV=40%) in poor …”

Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.

Generics: quetiapine since 2012; risperidone since 2008 (Drugs@FDA).

	Quetiapine	Risperidone
Labeled for	Schizophrenia, Bipolar disorder, Depression	Bipolar disorder, Schizophrenia
Pharmacologic class	Atypical Antipsychotic	Atypical Antipsychotic
How it works (label)	The mechanism of action of quetiapine in the listed indications is unclear. However, the efficacy of quetiapine in these indications could be mediated through a combination of dopamine type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin type 2 (5HT 2 ) antagonism.	The mechanism of action of risperidone in schizophrenia is unclear. The drug's therapeutic activity in schizophrenia could be mediated through a combination of dopamine Type 2 (D 2 ) and serotonin Type 2 (5HT 2 ) receptor antagonism.
Half-life (label)	Elimination of quetiapine is mainly via hepatic metabolism with a mean terminal half-life of about 6 hours within the proposed clinical dose range.	The apparent half-life of risperidone was 3 hours (CV=30%) in extensive metabolizers and 20 hours (CV=40%) in poor metabolizers.
Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA)	September 26, 1997	December 29, 1993
First generic approved	March 27, 2012	June 30, 2008
Generic labelers (NDC)	48 labelers	37 labelers
Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ)	$0.127 per tablet (Quetiapine fumarate 300 mg tablet)	$0.0368 per tablet (Risperidone 0.25 mg tablet)
12-month price change	-9%	-13%
Boxed warning	Yes	Yes
Shortage now	No current entry	No current entry
Recalls recorded	10	5
FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used)	191,480	131,095
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)

Do their labels mention each other?

Quetiapine label, warnings and precautions
Patients with Dementia-Related Psychosis In placebo-controlled trials with risperidone, aripiprazole, and olanzapine in elderly subjects with dementia, there was a higher incidence of cerebrovascular adverse reactions (cerebrovascular accidents and transient ischemic attacks) including fatalities compared to placebo-treated subjects.

What both labels say about taking them together

Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA

What next?

Quetiapine: the full record
Risperidone: the full record
Alternatives to quetiapine: every medicine labeled for the same conditions