Calcium vs Vitamin C: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Calcium | Vitamin C | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | Calcium | Vitamin C |
| Brand names | Ag-X | Vitamin C Serum |
| FAERS reports | 147,677 | 91,280 |
| Serious | 61% | 59% |
| Death outcome | 10,254 | 7,889 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Calcium | Vitamin C | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pemphigus | 1,406 · PRR 18.0 | 1,934 · PRR 42.2 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Hand deformity | 1,308 · PRR 15.7 | 1,795 · PRR 36.4 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Helicobacter infection | 1,112 · PRR 17.3 | 1,717 · PRR 46.4 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Duodenal ulcer perforation | 1,049 · PRR 23.5 | 1,697 · PRR 69.0 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Folliculitis | 882 · PRR 13.2 | 1,625 · PRR 42.8 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Rheumatic fever | 919 · PRR 37.7 | 1,519 · PRR 122.7 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Muscle injury | 844 · PRR 16.2 | 1,455 · PRR 49.4 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Lip dry | 661 · PRR 11.2 | 1,182 · PRR 34.8 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Sleep disorder due to general medical condition, insomnia type | 635 · PRR 15.4 | 1,086 · PRR 46.5 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Facet joint syndrome | 503 · PRR 26.8 | 1,046 · PRR 114.2 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Deep vein thrombosis postoperative | 647 · PRR 69.8 | 807 · PRR 161.2 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Peripheral venous disease | 462 · PRR 18.5 | 955 · PRR 72.1 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Breast cancer stage iii | 483 · PRR 11.4 | 728 · PRR 29.2 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Adjustment disorder with depressed mood | 451 · PRR 40.8 | 475 · PRR 70.7 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Dislocation of vertebra | 443 · PRR 35.1 | 474 · PRR 62.1 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Lupus vulgaris | 385 · PRR 67.8 | 482 · PRR 156.9 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Retinitis | 282 · PRR 28.7 | 359 · PRR 62.8 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
| Porphyria acute | 118 · PRR 13.2 | 166 · PRR 31.3 | No label text to screen / No label text to screen |
Labeled signals distinctive to Calcium
- None stood out among the strongest labeled signals.
Labeled signals distinctive to Vitamin C
- None stood out among the strongest labeled signals.
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Calcium or Vitamin C?
Calcium has 147,677 FAERS reports and Vitamin C 91,280. 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 (61% vs 59%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Calcium and Vitamin C share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for pemphigus, hand deformity, helicobacter infection, duodenal ulcer perforation, folliculitis. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Calcium or Vitamin C 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.