Etodolac: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Etodolac is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Available as
- Capsule · Tablet · Tablet, extended release
- Sold as
- 3 products — Etodolac, Lodine and Lodine XL
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- Half-life
- about 6.4 hours (roughly 6 to 8 hours; label reports a mean terminal half-life of 6.4 hours with 22% coefficient of variation)
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $22 for a 30-count supply — not your price
Every etodolac product we track (3)
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 | Capsule | Generic | $22 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $22 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Tablet | Generic | $22 | View → |
What etodolac pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
| Imprint | Strength | Colour | Shape | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APO;102;500 | 500 mg | white | oval | — |
| APO;041;400 | 400 mg | white | oval | — |
| 272 | 500 mg | gray | oval | — |
| APO;102;500 | 500 mg | white | oval | — |
| APO;041;400 | 400 mg | white | oval | — |
How long etodolac keeps
No etodolac 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.
Etodolac and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for etodolac: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadBecause no information is available on the use of etodolac during breastfeeding, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2025. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about etodolac
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 6,232 reports naming etodolac, and the FDA flagged 65% 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:
- nausea311 reports
- arthralgia297 reports
- fatigue290 reports
- headache254 reports
- diarrhoea253 reports
- dyspnoea232 reports
- dizziness217 reports
- rash211 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean etodolac 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.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
How long etodolac stays in your system
The elimination half-life of etodolac is about 6.4 hours (roughly 6 to 8 hours; label reports a mean terminal half-life of 6.4 hours with 22% coefficient of variation). This is the terminal (elimination) half-life, distinct from any distribution phase. Etodolac is a racemic NSAID; the [+]S-enantiomer is the active form, and there is no active metabolite that outlasts the parent (the main metabolites are inactive hydroxylated forms and etodolac glucuronide) — so the parent half-life is the relevant one, and it is not a prodrug. Population effects per the label: essentially unchanged in older adults (mean 6.5 h) and no dose adjustment recommended by age alone; modestly longer in females (mean 7.9 h); in hepatic impairment the terminal half-life was similar (mean 5.7 h); in renal impairment / hemodialysis it ranged about 5.1 to 7.5 h and dose adjustment is not generally necessary. Note the label reports total etodolac pharmacokinetics — free (unbound) drug clearance can rise in these populations even when total half-life looks stable. Not a drug-test detection window and not dosing guidance.
Etodolac tablet — DailyMed label, Clinical Pharmacology / Pharmacokinetics ↗Half-life is how long the body takes to clear half a dose. It is not the same as how long a drug test can detect it, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
How long does etodolac stay in your system?
The elimination half-life of etodolac is about 6.4 hours (roughly 6 to 8 hours; label reports a mean terminal half-life of 6.4 hours with 22% coefficient of variation) — that is how long the body takes to clear half of a dose. This is the terminal (elimination) half-life, distinct from any distribution phase. Etodolac is a racemic NSAID; the [+]S-enantiomer is the active form, and there is no active metabolite that outlasts the parent (the main metabolites are inactive hydroxylated forms and etodolac glucuronide) — so the parent half-life is the relevant one, and it is not a prodrug. Population effects per the label: essentially unchanged in older adults (mean 6.5 h) and no dose adjustment recommended by age alone; modestly longer in females (mean 7.9 h); in hepatic impairment the terminal half-life was similar (mean 5.7 h); in renal impairment / hemodialysis it ranged about 5.1 to 7.5 h and dose adjustment is not generally necessary. Note the label reports total etodolac pharmacokinetics — free (unbound) drug clearance can rise in these populations even when total half-life looks stable. Not a drug-test detection window and not dosing guidance. Half-life is not the same as how long a drug test can detect the drug, and it varies with age, kidney and liver function.
Can you take etodolac 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 etodolac 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 etodolac sold under?
We track 3 etodolac-containing products in the U.S.: Etodolac, Lodine and Lodine XL. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does etodolac come in?
Across the brands we track, etodolac is currently marketed as capsule, tablet and 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 etodolac?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic etodolac 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). Etodolac: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/etodolac
- MLA
- “Etodolac: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/etodolac.
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 etodolac on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.