Prescription medicine
Trihexyphenidyl First approved as Artane
Trihexyphenidyl (Artane) is a prescription medicine with an FDA approval on record since 1949. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 8 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.0884 per trihexyphenidyl 2 mg tablet in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the trihexyphenidyl FDA label on DailyMed (effective October 25, 2019, Natco Pharma Limited); the NDA 6773 record on Drugs@FDA; every trihexyphenidyl label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of October 25, 2019; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usageTrihexyphenidyl HCl is indicated as an adjunct in the treatment of all forms of parkinsonism (postencephalitic, arteriosclerotic, and idiopathic).
Forms and strengths
- 2 mg
- 5 mg
- 2 mg/5ml
Tablet; solution; syrup.
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- May 13, 1949 Artane, Lederle; Drugs@FDA’s file, where older or withdrawn approvals can be missing
- Generic approvals
- 10 first November 26, 1974; 6 with a marketed status in Drugs@FDA
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 8 of which 8 under generic applications, 0 under brand applications, repackagers included
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.0884 per tablet Trihexyphenidyl 2 mg tablet
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- 1 since 2013 0 Class I among all firms' recalls; latest April 26, 2023; 1 more by firms not listed as its makers
- FAERS reports
- 995 through July 30, 2026
What is trihexyphenidyl used for?
From the label: indications and usageTrihexyphenidyl HCl is indicated as an adjunct in the treatment of all forms of parkinsonism (postencephalitic, arteriosclerotic, and idiopathic). It is often useful as adjuvant therapy when treating these forms of parkinsonism with levodopa. Additionally, it is indicated for the control of extrapyramidal disorders caused by central nervous system drugs such as the dibenzoxazepines, phenothiazines, thioxanthenes, and butyrophenones.
Conditions named in the indications of trihexyphenidyl's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other trihexyphenidyl labelsParkinson's disease: INDICATIONS AND USAGE Trihexyphenidyl HCl is indicated as an adjunct in the treatment of all forms of parkinsonism (postencephalitic, arteriosclerotic, and idiopathic).
Source: FDA drug label (Trihexyphenidyl Hydrochloride), Natco Pharma Limited, effective October 25, 2019 (SPL set b7e4200c-feff-4537-aad1-cf9989fd8c14), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for trihexyphenidyl (Artane)?
The FDA approved the first generic trihexyphenidyl on November 26, 1974. 10 generic applications are approved; 6 of them carry 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 trihexyphenidyl from 8 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
- 1974 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 trihexyphenidyl (Artane)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.0884 per Trihexyphenidyl 2 mg tablet, up 17% from $0.0756 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.
- Trihexyphenidyl 2 mg tablet (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trihexyphenidyl 2 mg tablet | Generic | $0.0884 per tablet | $2.65 | +17% |
| Trihexyphenidyl 5 mg tablet | Generic | $0.119 per tablet | $3.57 | -8% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
Has trihexyphenidyl been recalled?
The FDA's Enforcement Report lists 2 recalls naming trihexyphenidyl since 2013: 0 Class I (the most serious), 2 Class II, 0 Class III; 1 still ongoing. 1 of them is by a firm that FDA's NDC Directory does not list as a maker of trihexyphenidyl and that holds 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 2023 | Class II | Akorn, Inc. | CGMP Deviations: Firm went out of business and could no longer continue stability studies. |
| July 2, 2013 | Class II | Aidapak Services, LLC not a listed maker | Labeling: Label Mixup:TRIHEXYPHENIDYL HCL, Tablet, 1 mg (1/2 of 2 mg) may have potentially been mislabeled as the following drug: PERPHENAZINE, Tablet, 16 mg … |
Source: FDA Enforcement Report (drug recalls) via openFDA, through October 8, 2026
What does the trihexyphenidyl label say about other medicines?
The trihexyphenidyl label names 1 other medicine in its interaction, contraindication or warning sections. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
| Medicine named | Section | What the label says |
|---|---|---|
| Levodopa | drug interactions | The usual dose of either trihexyphenidyl or levodopa may need to be reduced during concomitant therapy, since concomitant administration may increase drug-induced involuntary movements ( see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ). |
Source: FDA drug label (Trihexyphenidyl Hydrochloride), Natco Pharma Limited, effective October 25, 2019 (SPL set b7e4200c-feff-4537-aad1-cf9989fd8c14), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for trihexyphenidyl?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 995 reports that list trihexyphenidyl among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 177 are coded as a death and 513 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 trihexyphenidyl?
13 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as trihexyphenidyl or labeled mainly for the same use (parkinson's disease), the same class first. Parkinson's disease lists all 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ropinirole | Parkinson's disease | 27 labelers | $0.046 per tablet 0.25 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Pramipexole | Parkinson's disease | 22 labelers | $0.0452 per tablet 0.25 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Carbidopa and levodopa | Parkinson's disease | 33 labelers | $0.0759 per tablet 25-100 tablet | No current entry |
| Benztropine | Parkinson's disease | 19 labelers | $0.0753 per tablet 1 mg tablet | A presentation being discontinued |
| Rasagiline | Parkinson's disease | 14 labelers | $0.521 per tablet 0.5 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Carbidopa and entacapone and levodopa | Parkinson's disease | 4 labelers | $0.695 per tablet 25-100-200 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Entacapone | Parkinson's disease | 11 labelers | $0.325 per tablet 200 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Selegiline | Parkinson's disease | 11 labelers | $0.756 per capsule 5 mg capsule | No current entry |
Every medicine labeled for the same conditions as trihexyphenidyl
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does trihexyphenidyl compare with medicines for the same use?
1 side-by-side page set trihexyphenidyl beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Alternatives to trihexyphenidyl
- 13 medicines for the same use
- Trihexyphenidyl side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other