Over-the-counter medicine
Chlorpheniramine First approved as Chlor-Trimeton
Chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton) is an over-the-counter medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1949. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 2 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.0177 per allergy 4 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the chlorpheniramine FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 19, 2018, KVK-Tech, Inc.); the NDA 6921 record on Drugs@FDA; every chlorpheniramine label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of December 19, 2018; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagetemporarily relieves the following symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: sneezing runny nose itchy, watery eyes itching of the nose or throat
Forms and strengths
- 12 mg
Film-coated extended-release tablet.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- July 13, 1949 Chlor-Trimeton, Schering; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 17 first May 9, 1972; 1 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 2 of which 2 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included; 30 more under the over-the-counter monograph, without an application
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0177 per tablet Allergy 4 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 0 since 2016 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; 2 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 6,553 through July 30, 2026
What is chlorpheniramine used for?
From the label: indications and usagetemporarily relieves the following symptoms due to hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: sneezing runny nose itchy, watery eyes itching of the nose or throat
Conditions named in the indications of chlorpheniramine's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other chlorpheniramine labelsAllergies: Uses temporarily relieves these symptoms of hay fever or other upper respiratory allergies: runny nose sneezing itchy nose or throat itchy, watery eyes
FDA pharmacologic class: Histamine-1 Receptor Antagonist.
Source: FDA drug label (Chlorphen-12), ANDA040829 (Avanthi Inc), as published by KVK-Tech, Inc., effective December 19, 2018 (SPL set 84409269-fe9b-469e-9a66-27b1475231a3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton)?
The FDA approved the first generic chlorpheniramine on May 9, 1972. 17 generic applications are approved; 1 of them carries a current (not discontinued) marketing status in Drugs@FDA; that status is not evidence that the generic is on sale.
FDA's NDC Directory lists chlorpheniramine from 2 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
- 1949 earliest approval on file
- 1972 first generic approved
- red ticks recalls
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for chlorpheniramine (Chlor-Trimeton)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0177 per Allergy 4 mg tablet, up 8% from $0.0164 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Allergy 4 mg tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aller-chlor 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Allergy 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Allergy relief 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Allergy-time 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Ft allergy (chlorphen) 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Gnp allergy relief 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
| Qc allergy (chlorphen) 4 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0177 per tablet | $0.532 | +8% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has chlorpheniramine been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 2 recalls naming chlorpheniramine since 2016: 0 Class I (the most serious), 2 Class II, 0 Class III; 0 still ongoing. 2 of them are by firms that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of chlorpheniramine and that hold no application for it in Drugs@FDA, such as compounding pharmacies or bulk-ingredient suppliers; the recall notice names the product recalled. A recall names products and lots, not every product of the medicine.
| Started | Class | Company | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 21, 2024 | Class II | BLI International, Inc. not a listed maker | Superpotent Drug: Stability failure for assay at 6 months test time-point. |
| July 26, 2016 | Class II | Pharmacy Plus, Inc. dba Vital Care Compounder not a listed maker | Lack of Assurance of Sterility |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the chlorpheniramine label say about other medicines?
The chlorpheniramine label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 3 other medicines name chlorpheniramine. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name chlorpheniramine
Source: FDA drug label (Chlorphen-12), ANDA040829 (Avanthi Inc), as published by KVK-Tech, Inc., effective December 19, 2018 (SPL set 84409269-fe9b-469e-9a66-27b1475231a3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for chlorpheniramine?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 6,553 reports that list chlorpheniramine among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,131 are coded as a death and 2,899 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as chlorpheniramine?
9 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as chlorpheniramine or labeled mainly for the same use (allergies), the same class first. Allergies lists all 36 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphenhydramine | Allergies | 4 labelers | $0.0185 per mL 12.5 mg/5 mL | No current entry |
| Cetirizine | Allergies | 164 labelers | $0.0613 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Fexofenadine | Allergies | 110 labelers | $0.230 per tablet 180 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Levocetirizine | Allergies | 53 labelers | $0.0511 per tablet 5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Desloratadine | Allergies | 9 labelers | $0.258 per tablet 5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Carbinoxamine | Allergies | 7 labelers | $0.398 per tablet 4 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Desloratadine and pseudoephedrine | Allergies | none listed | $6.07 per tablet 12 hr 2.5-120 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Clemastine | Allergies | 3 labelers | $3.18 per tablet 2.68 mg tablet | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as chlorpheniramine
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does chlorpheniramine compare with medicines for the same use?
8 side-by-side pages set chlorpheniramine beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to chlorpheniramine
- 9 medicines for the same use
- Other antihistamines
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Chlorpheniramine side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other