Ranitidine vs Famotidine: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Ranitidine | Famotidine | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | – | Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonist |
| Brand names | – | – |
| FAERS reports | 197,701 | 116,682 |
| Serious | 93% | 64% |
| Death outcome | 15,520 | 10,682 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Ranitidine | Famotidine | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder | 149 · PRR 16.9 | 241 · PRR 51.7 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
Labeled signals distinctive to Ranitidine
- None stood out among the strongest labeled signals.
Labeled signals distinctive to Famotidine
- Acute kidney injury — n=4,727, PRR 5.7 Labeled (related wording)
- Renal failure — n=4,119, PRR 5.7 Labeled (related wording)
- Infusion site pain — n=466, PRR 6.8 Labeled (related wording)
- Infusion site pruritus — n=129, PRR 7.7 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Ranitidine or Famotidine?
Ranitidine has 197,701 FAERS reports and Famotidine 116,682. 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 (93% vs 64%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Ranitidine and Famotidine share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Ranitidine or Famotidine 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.