Alprazolam
Brand names: Alprazolam Er, Alprazolam Odt, Alprazolam Xr, Xanax, Xanax Xr, Alprazolam, Alprazolam Intensol
Part of: Benzodiazepines
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 10,871,461
- Medicare drug cost
- $64.0M
- Average cost per prescription
- $5.89
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 164,158
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Alprazolam orally disintegrating tablets are a benzodiazepine indicated for: The treatment of generalized anxiety disorder. The efficacy of alprazolam was demonstrated in 5 short-term, placebo-controlled trials. The treatment of panic disorder, with or without agoraphobia. The efficacy of alprazolam in the treatment of panic disorder was established in 2 short-term, placebo-controlled trials. 1.1 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Alprazolam orally disintegrating tablets
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated April 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: RISKS FROM CONCOMITANT USE WITH OPIOIDS; ABUSE, MISUSE, AND ADDICTION; and DEPENDENCE AND WITHDRAWAL REACTIONS Concomitant use of benzodiazepines and opioids may result in profound sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. Reserve concomitant prescribing of these drugs in patients for whom alternative treatment options are inadequate. Limit dosages and durations to the minimum required. Follow patients for signs and symptoms of respiratory depression and sedation. The use of benzodiazepines, including Alprazolam orally disintegrating tablets, exposes users to risks of abuse, misuse, and addiction, which can lead to overdose or death. Abuse and misuse of benzodiazepines commonly involve concomitant use of other medications, alcohol, and/or illicit substances, which is associated with an increased frequency of serious adverse outcomes. Before prescribing Alprazolam…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Family Medicine 30.3%
- Internal Medicine 24.4%
- Nurse Practitioners 14.5%
- Psychiatry 11.1%
- Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners 6.0%
- Physician Assistants 5.4%
- General Practice 1.5%
- Neurology 0.9%
- Geriatric Medicine 0.8%
- Cardiology 0.6%
- Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 0.5%
- Pain Medicine 0.4%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 8% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Utah +4%
- New York +3%
- New Jersey +1%
- New Hampshire +1%
- Hawaii −0%
- Puerto Rico (smallest change) −22%
- Alabama (smallest change) −20%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 4 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
H.j. Harkins Company, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5 mg | white round tablet, 9 mm | X 70 |
Par Health USA, LLC
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | white round tablet, 8 mm, scored to split in 2 | |
| 0.5 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm, scored to split in 2 | |
| 1 mg | white round tablet, 10 mm, scored to split in 2 | |
| 2 mg | white round tablet, 12 mm, scored to split in 2 | |
Pd-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mg | blue round tablet, 7 mm, scored to split in 2 | R 031 |
Unichem Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 0.25 mg | white capsule, 8 mm, scored to split in 2 | U 360 |
| 0.5 mg | green oval tablet, 9 mm, scored to split in 2 | U 361 |
| 1 mg | yellow oval tablet, 9 mm, scored to split in 2 | U 362 |
| 2 mg | blue rectangle tablet, 15 mm, scored to split in 4 | UU 363 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
Drug makers reported $7,724 in payments to clinicians that named this drug in 2025 (meals, speaking, consulting and similar).
- Mylan Inc. $5,000
- Oyster Point Pharma, Inc. $2,724
Source: CMS Open Payments, general payments (not research), program year 2025. A payment is not evidence of wrongdoing. Payments by doctor
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
1 recall since 2020
- Apr 2022 · Viatris Inc · Class II
Failed Dissolution Specifications: low out-of-specification dissolution test results observed.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.