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Riluzole: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Riluzole is a benzothiazole sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class
Benzothiazole
Treats (across its forms)
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Available as
Tablet · Film · Liquid
Sold as
3 products — Rilutek, Exservan and Tiglutik Kit
Prescription?
Prescription only
Generic available?
Not in our catalog
What the pharmacy pays
about $9 for a 30-count supply — not your price

How Tiglutik Kit is dosed

From the FDA label for Tiglutik Kit (application NDA209080). Other riluzole products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Recommended dosage: 50 mg (10 mL), twice daily, taken orally or via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes (PEG-tubes), every 12 hours ( 2.1 ) Measure serum aminotransferases before and during treatment ( 2.2 , 5.1 ) Take at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal ( 2.3 ) 2.1 Dosage Information The recommended dosage for TIGLUTIK is 50 mg (10 mL) taken orally or via Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy tubes (PEG-tubes) twice daily, every 12 hours. TIGLUTIK should be taken at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after a meal [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. 2.2 Monitoring to Assess Safety Measure serum aminotransferases before and during treatment with TIGLUTIK [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ]. 2.3 Important Administration Instructions Gently shake the TIGLUTIK bottle for at least 30 seconds before administration.Gently shake the TIGLUTIK bottle for at least 30 seconds before administration. TIGLUTIK can be administered by mouth or via percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy tubes (PEG-tubes). Both silicone and polyurethane PEG tubes can be used. See the Instructions for Use for further administration details.See the Instructions for Use for further administration details.

Everything below is the FDA label for Tiglutik Kit (liquid). Riluzole is also sold as tablet and film, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Tiglutik Kit side effects

The following adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling: Hepatic Injury [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Neutropenia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Interstitial Lung Disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Pancreatitis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] Most common adverse reactions (incidence greater than or equal to 5% and greater than placebo) were oral hypoesthesia, asthenia, nausea, decreased lung function, hypertension, and abdominal pain ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact EDW Pharma, at 1-800-664-1490 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Controlled Clinical Trials of Riluzole Tablets In the placebo-controlled clinical trials in patients with ALS (Study 1 and 2), a total of 313 patients received riluzole 50 mg twice daily [see Clinical Studies (14) ]. The most common adverse reactions in riluzole-treated patients (in at least 5% of patients and more frequently than on placebo) were asthenia, nausea, decreased lung function, hypertension, and abdominal pain. The most common adverse…

Who shouldn’t take Tiglutik Kit

TIGLUTIK is contraindicated in patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reactions to riluzole or to any of its components (anaphylaxis has occurred) [see Adverse Reactions (6.1) ]. Patients with a history of severe hypersensitivity reactions to riluzole or to any of its components ( 4 )

Tiglutik Kit drug interactions

Strong to moderate CYP1A2 inhibitors: Co-administration may increase TIGLUTIK-associated adverse reactions ( 7.1 ) Strong to moderate CYP1A2 inducers: Co-administration may result in decreased efficacy ( 7.2 ) Hepatotoxic drugs: TIGLUTIK-treated patients that take other hepatotoxic drugs may be at increased risk for hepatotoxicity ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Agents that may Increase Riluzole Blood Concentrations CYP1A2 Inhibitors Co-administration of riluzole (a CYP1A substrate) with CYP1A2 inhibitors was not evaluated in a clinical trial; however, in vitro findings suggest an increase in riluzole exposure is likely. The concomitant use of strong or moderate CYP1A2 inhibitors (e.g., ciprofloxacin, enoxacin, fluvoxamine, methoxsalen, mexiletine, oral contraceptives, thiabendazole, vemurafenib, zileuton) with TIGLUTIK may increase the risk of TIGLUTIK - associated adverse reactions [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ]. 7.2 Agents that may Decrease Riluzole Plasma Concentrations CYP1A2 Inducers Co-administration of riluzole (a CYP1A substrate) with CYP1A2 inducers was not evaluated in a clinical trial; however, in vitro findings suggest a decrease in riluzole exposure is likely. Lower exposures may result in decreased efficacy [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . 7.3 Hepatotoxic Drugs Clinical trials in ALS patients excluded patients on concomitant medications which were potentially hepatotoxic (e.g., allopurinol, methyldopa, sulfasalazine). TIGLUTIK-treated patients who take other hepatotoxic drugs may be at an increased risk for hepatotoxicity [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ].

Every riluzole product we track (3)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Riluzole products
#DrugRatingPharmacy pays
170/100$9View →
2Not yet rated$9View →
3Not yet rated$9View →

What riluzole pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Riluzole pill imprints
ImprintStrengthColourShape
79550 mgwhiteoval
79550 mgwhiteoval

Riluzole and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Limited information indicates that maternal doses of riluzole up to 100 mg daily produce low levels in milk and would not be expected to cause any adverse effects in breastfed infants, especially if the infant is older than 2 months. Until more data are available, use riluzole with caution, particularly when breastfeeding a newborn.

Full LactMed record for riluzole: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised September 21, 2020. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about riluzole

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,766 reports naming riluzole, and the FDA flagged 72% 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:

  • nausea109 reports
  • diarrhoea98 reports
  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis86 reports
  • dyspnoea75 reports
  • fatigue73 reports
  • muscular weakness68 reports
  • asthenia63 reports
  • fall48 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean riluzole 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 26, 2026.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Tiglutik Kit?

Tiglutik Kit (Riluzole) is a benzothiazole used to treat Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

What kind of drug is riluzole?

The FDA classifies riluzole as a benzothiazole. 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 riluzole 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 riluzole 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 riluzole sold under?

We track 3 riluzole-containing products in the U.S.: Rilutek, Exservan and Tiglutik Kit. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does riluzole come in?

Across the brands we track, riluzole is currently marketed as tablet, film and liquid, 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 riluzole?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled riluzole product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Cite this page
APA
pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Riluzole: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/riluzole
MLA
“Riluzole: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/riluzole.

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 riluzole on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.