What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Buspirone and nortriptyline
Buspirone's FDA label of December 22, 2023 names nortriptyline in its drug interactions section, and nortriptyline's label names buspirone too. The buspirone label: “… pharmacokinetic parameters (C max, AUC, and C min ) of amitriptyline or its metabolite nortriptyline were observed.”
Check it at the source: the buspirone FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 22, 2023, Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc.); the nortriptyline FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 4, 2024).
What does the buspirone label say about nortriptyline?
Buspirone label, drug interactionsAmitriptyline After addition of buspirone to the amitriptyline dose regimen, no statistically significant differences in the steady-state pharmacokinetic parameters (C max, AUC, and C min ) of amitriptyline or its metabolite nortriptyline were observed.
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 nortriptyline label say about buspirone?
Nortriptyline label, warningsSerotonin Syndrome The development of a potentially life-threatening serotonin syndrome has been reported with SNRIs and SSRIs, including Pamelor, alone but particularly with concomitant use of other serotonergic drugs (including triptans, tricyclic antidepressants, fentanyl, lithium, tramadol, tryptophan, buspirone, and St. John’s Wort) and with drugs that impair metabolism of serotonin (in particular, MAOIs, both those intended to treat psychiatric disorders and also others, such as linezolid and intravenous methylene blue).
Source: FDA drug label (PAMELOR), SpecGx LLC, effective December 4, 2024 (SPL set e17dc299-f52d-414d-ab6e-e809bd6f8acb), 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 | Nortriptyline | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Anxiety | Depression |
| Boxed warning | No | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.043 per tablet 15 mg tablet | $0.113 per capsule 10 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