Drug Comparison
For educational purposes only — a decision-support tool, not a substitute for clinical judgment.
Side-by-side rubric across 96 psychiatric medications. Every rating traces to a verbatim primary-source quote — click any cell to see it.
How to read this tool ▾
Rating scale
– Favorable / lower than class baseline
± Minimal / equivocal
+ Low / uncommon
++ Moderate / common
+++ High / very common
++++ Very high / class-outlier
Frequency vs severity
F = frequency, S = severity. Each gets its own pill colored on the same traffic-light scale: green → blue → yellow → orange → red. Click any cell for incidence percentages and NNH.
Evidence tier
A Network meta-analysis / RCT / FDA label
B Cohort / registry / pooled label data
C Expert review / textbook / case series
Sourcing
Click any cell to see the verbatim source quote and citation. Missing data shows n/a.
Data depth
++ Graded — frequency + severity, primary-source traces
+ FDA label — §6 frequency only (dashed border). Click for sub-types.
Blank — not yet checked (not “absent”)
–±++++++++++ABCF = frequency · S = severity · Dashed border = FDA label only · Click cell for details
1 drug selected — Deutetrabenazine(click to collapse)
1/4 selected
Deutetrabenazine
Austedo · Austedo XR
VMAT2 Inhibitor
FDA-approved indications
- Tardive dyskinesia
- Chorea associated with Huntington disease
Off-label uses
- Tourette syndrome (investigational)
MechanismDeuterated form of tetrabenazine — VMAT2 inhibitor with improved pharmacokinetics allowing BID dosing for tardive dyskinesia and Huntington chorea
Half-life9-10 hours (active metabolites alpha- and beta-HTBZ)
Decision GuideWhen to pick each / when to consider an alternative
Deutetrabenazine
Consider when
- Huntington chorea — one of only two FDA-approved VMAT2 inhibitors for HD chorea (dual TD + HD indication)
- Need for granular titration — 6 mg increments allow precise dose optimization from 12–48 mg/day
- Tetrabenazine intolerance — deuterium modification extends half-life, reduces Cmax swings and improves tolerability
- Cost-sensitive TD treatment — generic availability expected sooner than valbenazine; Austedo XR offers QD option
- +1 more
Consider an alternative when
- Any degree of hepatic impairment — contraindicated in hepatic disease (valbenazine allows mild-moderate impairment)
- Active depression or suicidality — boxed warning for depression/suicidality applies to all VMAT2 inhibitors but originated with this class
- Taking strong CYP2D6 inhibitors — requires 50% dose reduction; valbenazine has simpler interaction profile for TD
- Tardive dyskinesia without chorea — valbenazine has cleaner single-isomer pharmacology and was first FDA-approved specifically for TD
- +1 more
| Axis | Deutetrabenazine VMAT2-inhibitor |
|---|---|
| Boxed Warnings | |
Suicidality (boxed warning) | |
| CNS | |
Sedation / somnolence | |
Activation / insomnia | |
Akathisia / EPS | |
Tardive dyskinesia | |
Fatigue / lethargy | |
| Cardiac | |
QTc prolongation | |
| GI | |
Nausea / GI (general) | |
| Safety | |
Falls / elderly risk | |