What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Buspirone and lithium
Lithium's FDA label of December 23, 2025 names buspirone in its warnings and precautions section; the buspirone label PlainMeds reads does not name lithium. The lithium label: “The risk is increased with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin, i.e., MAOIs.”
Check it at the source: the buspirone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 22, 2023, Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc.); the lithium FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 23, 2025, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA).
What does the buspirone label say about lithium?
Buspirone's label (effective December 22, 2023) does not name lithium in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Buspirone Hydrochloride), Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc., effective December 22, 2023 (SPL set a6bdf140-075e-445e-a62d-633a4b97f3a8), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the lithium label say about buspirone?
Lithium label, warnings and precautionsThe risk is increased with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, and St. John’s Wort) and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin, i.e., MAOIs [see Drug Interactions ( 7.1 )].
Source: FDA drug label (Lithium Carbonate), Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA, effective December 23, 2025 (SPL set 63b3790f-a9b5-47f4-bae1-ddf8b43c13c1), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Buspirone | Lithium | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | Bipolar disorder |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.043 per tablet 15 mg tablet | $0.104 per capsule 300 mg capsule |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once