Albuterol vs Ipratropium: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Albuterol | Ipratropium | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | – |
| Brand names | – | Atrovent Hfa |
| FAERS reports | 291,833 | 35,447 |
| Serious | 57% | 76% |
| Death outcome | 18,583 | 4,692 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Albuterol | Ipratropium | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obstructive airways disorder | 3,896 · PRR 37.8 | 1,348 · PRR 81.2 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis allergic | 456 · PRR 70.2 | 167 · PRR 131.8 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome | 296 · PRR 93.9 | 277 · PRR 680.7 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Total lung capacity decreased | 387 · PRR 22.4 | 164 · PRR 67.4 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Appendicolith | 262 · PRR 160.3 | 273 · PRR 1,558.9 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome | 330 · PRR 21.8 | 137 · PRR 64.3 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Reversible airways obstruction | 292 · PRR 93.4 | 73 · PRR 97.7 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Lung hyperinflation | 221 · PRR 24.2 | 69 · PRR 51.3 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Forced vital capacity decreased | 212 · PRR 34.2 | 51 · PRR 50.4 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
Labeled signals distinctive to Albuterol
- Asthma — n=24,781, PRR 20.0 Labeled adverse reaction
Labeled signals distinctive to Ipratropium
- Hyper ige syndrome — n=53, PRR 514.5 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Albuterol or Ipratropium?
Albuterol has 291,833 FAERS reports and Ipratropium 35,447. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (57% vs 76%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Albuterol and Ipratropium share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for obstructive airways disorder, bronchopulmonary aspergillosis allergic, asthma-chronic obstructive pulmonary disease overlap syndrome, total lung capacity decreased, appendicolith. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Albuterol or Ipratropium safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.