Trientine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Trientine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under one brand. 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
- Sold as
- Trientine Hydrochloride
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $101 for a 30-count supply — not your price
Every trientine product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Trientine Hydrochloride.
What trientine 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 trientine?
At least one trientineproduct 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 trientine label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long trientine keeps
No trientine 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 trientine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsTrientine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for trientine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadLimited information indicates that trientine is not detectable in breastmilk, and no adverse effects have been reported among breastfed infants whose mothers were taking the drug. The effect of trientine on breastmilk copper and zinc concentrations in milk is somewhat conflicting,but breastfed infants appear to have normal serum copper and zinc plasma levels. Based on available data, it appears that trientine is acceptable to use during breastfeeding.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised August 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about trientine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 43 reports naming trientine, and the FDA flagged 79% 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:
- enteritis8 reports
- tremor4 reports
- anxiety3 reports
- cognitive disorder3 reports
- dyskinesia3 reports
- fatigue3 reports
- abdominal pain2 reports
- acute kidney injury2 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean trientine 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.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
Can you take trientine 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 trientine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does trientine come in?
Across the brands we track, trientine is currently marketed as capsule, 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 trientine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic trientine 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). Trientine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/trientine
- MLA
- “Trientine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/trientine.
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 trientine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.