Loxapine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Loxapine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 4 brand and generic names, for psychotic disorders and schizophrenia. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats (across its forms)
- Psychotic Disorders and Schizophrenia
- Available as
- Capsule · Spray/Inhaler · Injectable
- Sold as
- 4 products — Loxapine Succinate, Adasuve and Loxitane C, and others
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $14 for a 30-count supply — not your price
- Boxed warning
- Boxed warning
How Loxapine Succinate is dosed
From the FDA label for Loxapine Succinate (application ANDA072062). Other loxapine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Loxapine capsules are administered, usually in divided doses, two to four times a day. Daily dosage (in terms of base equivalents) should be adjusted to the individual patient’s needs as assessed by the severity of symptoms and previous history of response to antipsychotic drugs. Oral Administration Initial dosage of 10 mg twice daily is recommended, although in severely disturbed patients initial dosage up to a total of 50 mg daily may be desirable. Dosage should then be increased fairly rapidly over the first seven to ten days until there is effective control of symptoms of schizophrenia. The usual therapeutic and maintenance range is 60 mg to 100 mg daily. However, as with other drugs used to treat schizophrenia, some patients respond to lower dosage and others require higher dosage for optimal benefit. Daily dosage higher than 250 mg is not recommended. Maintenance Therapy For maintenance therapy, dosage should be reduced to the lowest level compatible with symptom control; many patients have been maintained satisfactorily at dosages in the range of 20 mg to 60 mg daily.
Everything below is the FDA label for Loxapine Succinate (capsule). Loxapine is also sold as spray/inhaler and injectable, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Loxapine Succinate side effects
CNS Effects: Manifestations of adverse effects on the central nervous system, other than extrapyramidal effects, have been seen infrequently. Drowsiness, usually mild, may occur at the beginning of therapy or when dosage is increased. It usually subsides with continued loxapine therapy. The incidence of sedation has been less than that of certain aliphatic phenothiazines and slightly more than the piperazine phenothiazines. Dizziness, faintness, staggering gait, shuffling gait, muscle twitching, weakness, insomnia, agitation, tension, seizures, akinesia, slurred speech, numbness, and confusional states have been reported. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) has been reported (see WARNINGS ). Extrapyramidal Symptoms - Neuromuscular (extrapyramidal) reactions during the administration of loxapine have been reported frequently, often during the first few days of treatment. In most patients, these reactions involved parkinsonian-like symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, excessive salivation, and masked facies. Akathisia (motor restlessness) also has been reported relatively frequently. These symptoms are usually not severe and can be controlled by reduction of loxapine dosage or by administration of antiparkinson drugs in usual dosage. Dystonia - Class effect: Symptoms of dystonia, prolonged abnormal contractions of muscle groups, may occur in susceptible individuals during the…
Who shouldn’t take Loxapine Succinate
Loxapine is contraindicated in comatose or severe drug-induced depressed states (alcohol, barbiturates, narcotics, etc.). Loxapine is contraindicated in individuals with known hypersensitivity to dibenzoxazepines.
Loxapine Succinate drug interactions
There have been rare reports of significant respiratory depression, stupor and/or hypotension with the concomitant use of loxapine and lorazepam. The risk of using loxapine in combination with CNS-active drugs has not been systematically evaluated. Therefore, caution is advised if the concomitant administration of loxapine and CNS-active drugs is required.
Every loxapine product we track (4)
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 | 70/100 | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $14 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Spray/Inhaler | Generic | $14 | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Concentrate | Generic | $14 | View → | |
| 4 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $14 | View → |
What loxapine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lannett;1394 | 5 mg | green | oval | — |
| Lannett;1395 | 10 mg | yellow | oval | — |
| lannett;1395 | 25 mg | yellow | oval | — |
| lannett;1397 | 50 mg | blue | oval | — |
| Watson;372;50;mg | 50 mg | white, blue | capsule | — |
| LANNETT;1397 | 50 mg | green, blue | capsule | — |
| LANNETT;1396 | 25 mg | green | capsule | — |
| LANNETT;1395 | 10 mg | green, yellow | capsule | — |
| Watson;369;5;mg | 5 mg | white, white | capsule | — |
How long loxapine keeps
No loxapine 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 loxapine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsLoxapine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for loxapine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadBecause no information is available on the use of loxapine 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 January 18, 2021. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about loxapine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 5,373 reports naming loxapine, and the FDA flagged 96% 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:
- coma424 reports
- somnolence388 reports
- weight increased277 reports
- akathisia203 reports
- neuroleptic malignant syndrome192 reports
- tachycardia185 reports
- hypotension181 reports
- obsessive-compulsive disorder174 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean loxapine 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 August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Loxapine Succinate?
Loxapine Succinate is a medication used to treat Psychotic Disorders, Schizophrenia.
Can you take loxapine 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 loxapine 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 loxapine sold under?
We track 4 loxapine-containing products in the U.S.: Loxapine Succinate, Adasuve, Loxitane C and Loxitane Im. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does loxapine come in?
Across the brands we track, loxapine is currently marketed as capsule, spray/inhaler and injectable, 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 loxapine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic loxapine 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). Loxapine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/loxapine
- MLA
- “Loxapine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/loxapine.
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 loxapine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗ — including its boxed warning in full.