Two medicines, side by side
Zonisamide vs lamotrigine
Zonisamide and lamotrigine are both labeled for seizures and epilepsy. Drugs@FDA records approvals of zonisamide since 2000 and of lamotrigine since 1994. Pharmacies paid $0.106 per zonisamide 100 mg capsule and $0.0268 per lamotrigine 25 mg tablet (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. Zonisamide's other strengths are brand-only: $2.75 per mL (Zonisade 100 mg/5 mL oral suspension). Lamotrigine's other strengths are brand-only: $2.86 per mL (Subvenite 10 mg/mL suspension). In FDA's classes, zonisamide is an anti-epileptic agent and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Check it at the source: the zonisamide FDA label on DailyMed (effective June 4, 2026); the lamotrigine FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 10, 2025).
Highlights of the zonisamide record
Zonisamide (Zonegran) · label of June 4, 2026
Used for
From the label: indicationsZonisamide is indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial seizures in adults with epilepsy.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- March 27, 2000
- Generic labelers
- 20 labelers
- Pharmacy cost
- $0.106 per capsule
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 11
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 (Zonisamide label of June 4, 2026, Lamotrigine label of October 10, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do zonisamide and lamotrigine differ on the record?
In FDA's classes, zonisamide is an anti-epileptic agent and lamotrigine a mood stabilizer.
Only the lamotrigine label carries a boxed warning.
Generics: zonisamide since 2005; lamotrigine since 2006 (Drugs@FDA).
| Zonisamide | 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) | n/a | The precise mechanism(s) by which lamotrigine exerts its anticonvulsant action are unknown. |
| Half-life (label) | The elimination half-life of zonisamide in plasma is approximately 63 hours. | n/a |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | March 27, 2000 | December 27, 1994 |
| First generic approved | December 22, 2005 | June 21, 2006 |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | 20 labelers | 49 labelers |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $0.106 per capsule (Zonisamide 100 mg capsule) | $0.0268 per tablet (Lamotrigine 25 mg tablet) |
| 12-month price change | -1% | -12% |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | A presentation being discontinued |
| Recalls recorded | 11 | 10 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 10,560 | 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 zonisamide
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions