What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Lithium and tramadol
Lithium's FDA label of December 23, 2025 names tramadol in its warnings and precautions section; the tramadol labels PlainMeds reads (3) do 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 lithium FDA label on DailyMed (effective December 23, 2025, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA); the tramadol FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 5, 2026, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.).
What does the lithium label say about tramadol?
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
What does the tramadol label say about lithium?
Tramadol's label (effective March 5, 2026) and its 2 other brand-application labels do 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 (TRAMADOL HYDROCHLORIDE), Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective March 5, 2026 (SPL set 46bb9ae6-3ee8-463c-badb-c7a45a89b84b), 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
| Lithium | Tramadol | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Bipolar disorder | Pain |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $0.104 per capsule 300 mg capsule | $0.0248 per tablet 50 mg tablet |
| 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