Dalfampridine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Dalfampridine is a potassium channel blocker sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for multiple sclerosis and neurologic gait disorders. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Potassium Channel Blocker
- Treats
- Multiple Sclerosis and Neurologic Gait Disorders
- Available as
- Tablet, extended release
- Sold as
- 2 products — Ampyra and Dalfampridine
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $12 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How dalfampridine is dosed
From the FDA label for Ampyra (application NDA022250). Other dalfampridine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
The maximum recommended dosage is 10 mg twice daily (approximately 12 hours apart). There is no evidence of additional benefit with doses greater than 10 mg twice daily. Adverse reactions, including seizures, were more frequent at higher doses. ( 2.1 ) Take with or without food. Administer tablets whole; do not divide, crush, chew, or dissolve ( 2.2 ) Patients should not take double or extra doses if they miss a dose. ( 2.2 ) Estimated creatinine clearance (CrCl) should be known before initiating treatment with AMPYRA. In patients with mild renal impairment (CrCl 51–80 mL/min), AMPYRA may reach plasma levels associated with a greater risk of seizures, and the potential benefits of AMPYRA should be carefully considered against the risk of seizures in these patients ( 2.3 , 5.2 , 8.6 ) 2.1 Dosage Information The maximum recommended dosage of AMPYRA is one 10 mg tablet twice daily and should not be exceeded. Take doses approximately 12 hours apart. There is no evidence of additional benefit at doses greater than 10 mg twice daily. Adverse reactions, including seizures, and discontinuations because of adverse reactions were more frequent at higher doses. 2.2 Administration Instructions AMPYRA can be taken with or without food. Administer tablets whole; do not divide, crush, chew, or dissolve AMPYRA tablets. If a dose is missed, patients should not take double or extra doses. 2.3…
Dalfampridine side effects
The following serious adverse reactions are described in more detail elsewhere in the labeling: Seizures [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Anaphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] The most common adverse events (incidence ≥2% and at a rate greater than the placebo rate) for AMPYRA were urinary tract infection, insomnia, dizziness, headache, nausea, asthenia, back pain, balance disorder, multiple sclerosis relapse, paresthesia, nasopharyngitis, constipation, dyspepsia, and pharyngolaryngeal pain ( 6.1 ). To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Acorda Therapeutics at 1-800-367-5109 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In three placebo-controlled clinical trials of up to 14 weeks duration, 4% (15/400) of patients treated with AMPYRA 10 mg twice daily experienced one or more adverse reactions leading to discontinuation, compared to 2% (5/238) of placebo-treated patients. The adverse reactions leading to discontinuation of at least 2 patients treated with AMPYRA and that led to discontinuation more frequently compared to placebo were headache (AMPYRA 0.5%,…
Who shouldn’t take dalfampridine
The use of AMPYRA is contraindicated in the following conditions: History of seizure [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Moderate or severe renal impairment (CrCl≤50 mL/min) [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] History of hypersensitivity to AMPYRA or 4-aminopyridine; reactions have included anaphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] History of seizure ( 4 ) Moderate or severe renal impairment (CrCl≤50 mL/min) ( 4 ) History of hypersensitivity to AMPYRA or 4-aminopyridine ( 4 )
Dalfampridine drug interactions
OCT2 Inhibitors: Concomitant use may cause an increased exposure and potential risk of seizures ( 7.1 ) 7.1 OCT2 Inhibitors Concurrent treatment with OCT2 inhibitors, such as cimetidine, may cause increased exposure to dalfampridine [ see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. Elevated levels of dalfampridine increase the risk of seizures [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.1 , 5.2) ]. The potential benefits of taking OCT2 inhibitors concurrently with AMPYRA should be considered against the risk of seizures in these patients. 7.2 Baclofen No interaction was identified between dalfampridine and baclofen [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ].
Every dalfampridine product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $12 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $12 | View → |
What dalfampridine pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Can you crush or split dalfampridine?
At least one dalfampridineproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each dalfampridine label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long dalfampridine keeps
No dalfampridine label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does dalfampridine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about dalfampridine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 9,311 reports naming dalfampridine, and the FDA flagged 56% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fall1,253 reports
- gait disturbance1,121 reports
- fatigue860 reports
- multiple sclerosis relapse628 reports
- balance disorder609 reports
- covid-19588 reports
- multiple sclerosis552 reports
- asthenia503 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean dalfampridine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is dalfampridine?
AMPYRA (dalfampridine) is a potassium channel blocker, available in a 10 mg tablet strength. Each tablet contains 10 mg dalfampridine, formulated as an extended-release tablet for twice-daily oral administration.
What kind of drug is dalfampridine?
The FDA classifies dalfampridine as a potassium channel blocker. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take dalfampridine with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run dalfampridine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is dalfampridine sold under?
We track 2 dalfampridine-containing products in the U.S.: Ampyra and Dalfampridine. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does dalfampridine come in?
Across the brands we track, dalfampridine is currently marketed as tablet, extended release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic dalfampridine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic dalfampridine product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Dalfampridine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dalfampridine
- MLA
- “Dalfampridine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/dalfampridine.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for dalfampridine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.