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Acetaminophen 500Mg side effects: what 253,706 FDA adverse event reports show

Acetaminophen 500Mg · 1,202 reaction terms · 1,538,720 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Not stated in label

Who reports

253,706 reports · 87% serious · 49,999 with death outcome · 62% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

temporary relief of minor aches and pains associated with common cold headache toothache muscular aches backache arthritis menstrual cramps temporarily reduces fever

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Paracetamol is a member of the class of phenols that is 4-aminophenol in which one of the hydrogens attached to the amino group has been replaced by an acetyl group.

PubChem CID 1983 (ChEBI)

Boxed warning

None in the current label

How to read this page. FAERS is a spontaneous-reporting system: counts are not incidence rates and a signal is not proof of causation. Each reaction below is run through an automated screen — is the term in the FDA label (known), in the indications (the disease being treated), an administrative/coding term, or none of these (unlabeled)? That screen is mechanical text matching, not a causality assessment. The 30 hand-written Bradford Hill assessments are on the causality assessment page. Not medical advice.

Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals

Reporting / coding artifact 1Lab value / disease marker 10No label text to screen 29
What the badges mean

Strongest disproportionality signals

Flagged terms (PRR ≥ 2, χ² ≥ 4, n ≥ 10), ranked by PRR; infinite PRRs (no comparator reports) excluded. The EBGM column is a second, shrinkage-based estimate (MGPS) with its 5th percentile EB05 and the BCPNN IC025; a pair flagged by PRR alone is marked PRR-only and should be read as fragile. The strata column recomputes the PRR on serious reports only (and, for the 300 most-reported drugs, adjusted for age band), and flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers. Each row also shows the PRR against the other drugs of the same FDA class, which removes most confounding by the condition being treated, and a calibrated p-value: on validation, known non-causes average an ROR of about 2, so significance is judged against that empirical null (✓ = p < 0.05 after calibration). 1,162 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.

Show:
ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Pyroglutamic acidosis287262.6
206.8–333.5ROR 262.9 · calibrated p 6e-11 ✓
62.1 EB05 56.3 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=286 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Vaginal flatulence223227.3
175.9–293.8ROR 227.5 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓
59.9 EB05 53.6 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=223 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Appendicolith276224.5
178.4–282.4ROR 224.7 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓
59.8 EB05 54.1 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=276 · ♀ 0% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody416137.9
117.7–161.5ROR 138.1 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓
51.3 EB05 47.3 · IC025 +5.4
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=416 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive4,399135.4
129.0–142.1ROR 137.8 · calibrated p 9e-9 ✓
51.1 EB05 49.9 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 33.8 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 94% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Rheumatic fever2,684132.8
124.8–141.2ROR 134.2 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓
50.7 EB05 49.1 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=2,683 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 94% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Deep vein thrombosis postoperative1,180125.7
114.7–137.7ROR 126.3 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓
49.7 EB05 47.3 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=1,180 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Swollen joint count increased1,875125.4
116.7–134.8ROR 126.3 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓
49.6 EB05 47.8 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=1,873 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 96% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Duodenal ulcer perforation4,404124.8
119.1–130.8ROR 127.0 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓
49.5 EB05 48.3 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 32.6 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 94% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
C-reactive protein532117.7
103.0–134.5ROR 117.9 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓
48.3 EB05 45.0 · IC025 +5.4
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=532 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Lupus vulgaris689114.2
101.7–128.2ROR 114.5 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓
47.7 EB05 44.8 · IC025 +5.4
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=689 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Exposure to toxic agent1,69692.0
85.8–98.7ROR 92.6 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓
43.5 EB05 41.8 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=1,690 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Facet joint syndrome1,63288.8
82.8–95.3ROR 89.4 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓
42.7 EB05 41.0 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=1,631 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 95% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Blood pressure diastolic abnormal1,29283.6
77.3–90.3ROR 84.0 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓
41.5 EB05 39.6 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=1,259 · 90% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Blood pressure systolic abnormal1,19175.7
69.9–81.9ROR 76.0 · calibrated p 9e-7 ✓
39.5 EB05 37.6 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=1,156 · 91% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Rheumatoid factor positive2,74875.1
71.3–79.1ROR 75.9 · calibrated p 8e-7 ✓
39.3 EB05 38.1 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=2,747 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 95% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Muscle injury3,74269.1
66.2–72.2ROR 70.1 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
37.7 EB05 36.6 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 26.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Helicobacter infection4,47064.4
61.9–66.9ROR 65.5 · calibrated p 2e-6 ✓
36.2 EB05 35.3 · IC025 +5.1
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 25.2 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Sleep disorder due to general medical condition, insomnia type2,77462.4
59.4–65.5ROR 63.1 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓
35.6 EB05 34.5 · IC025 +5.1
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=2,769 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood85760.9
55.7–66.6ROR 61.1 · calibrated p 4e-6 ✓
35.1 EB05 33.2 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=856 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Folliculitis4,25857.8
55.5–60.1ROR 58.7 · calibrated p 5e-6 ✓
34.0 EB05 33.2 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 26.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Pemphigus4,97154.8
52.9–56.8ROR 55.9 · calibrated p 7e-6 ✓
33.0 EB05 32.3 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 21.8 · ♀ 99% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
X-ray abnormal70553.7
48.8–59.1ROR 53.9 · calibrated p 9e-6 ✓
32.6 EB05 30.6 · IC025 +4.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=705 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Hand deformity5,08052.2
50.4–54.1ROR 53.3 · calibrated p 9e-6 ✓
32.1 EB05 31.3 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 23.0 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 92% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Subcutaneous drug absorption impaired21152.0
43.7–61.8ROR 52.0 · calibrated p 1e-5 ✓
31.9 EB05 28.4 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=204 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Dislocation of vertebra85351.1
46.9–55.7ROR 51.3 · calibrated p 1e-5 ✓
31.6 EB05 29.9 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=853 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 94% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Suspected suicide attempt20646.9
39.5–55.6ROR 46.9 · calibrated p 2e-5 ✓
29.9 EB05 26.6 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=206 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Analgesic drug level increased58546.6
42.1–51.6ROR 46.7 · calibrated p 2e-5 ✓
29.9 EB05 27.9 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=585 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Anion gap21340.9
34.7–48.3ROR 41.0 · calibrated p 5e-5 ✓
27.4 EB05 24.5 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=212 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Peripheral venous disease1,26638.1
35.6–40.7ROR 38.3 · calibrated p 7e-5 ✓
26.2 EB05 25.0 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=1,265 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 92% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Retinitis51736.8
33.2–40.8ROR 36.9 · calibrated p 9e-5 ✓
25.6 EB05 23.8 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=517 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Synovitis5,57336.7
35.5–37.8ROR 37.5 · calibrated p 8e-5 ✓
25.5 EB05 24.9 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 17.6 · ♀ 98% (drug 62%) · 91% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Pericarditis5,04135.6
34.4–36.8ROR 36.3 · calibrated p 9e-5 ✓
25.0 EB05 24.4 · IC025 +4.6
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 16.6 · ♀ 98% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
C-reactive protein abnormal1,83933.0
31.3–34.9ROR 33.3 · calibrated p 2e-4 ✓
23.7 EB05 22.8 · IC025 +4.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=1,836 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 93% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Sedation complication58825.2
23.0–27.6ROR 25.2 · calibrated p 7e-4 ✓
19.4 EB05 18.1 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=585 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%)no trial arm names this drug
Amaurosis fugax25025.0
21.7–28.8ROR 25.0 · calibrated p 7e-4 ✓
19.3 EB05 17.4 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=250 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Seronegative arthritis25724.3
21.2–28.0ROR 24.3 · calibrated p 8e-4 ✓
18.9 EB05 17.0 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=257 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Infusion site discharge38523.8
21.2–26.7ROR 23.8 · calibrated p 9e-4 ✓
18.6 EB05 17.1 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=312 · 100% consumerno trial arm names this drug
Glossodynia (burning tongue/mouth pain)4,97823.5
22.7–24.2ROR 23.9 · calibrated p 8e-4 ✓
18.4 EB05 18.0 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious PRR 17.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 92% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Porphyria acute28821.6
18.9–24.6ROR 21.6 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
17.2 EB05 15.6 · IC025 +3.9
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
serious n=287 · ♀ 100% (drug 62%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug

Clinical concept groups

MedDRA splits one clinical problem across several terms (e.g. "neutropenia", "neutrophil count decreased", "agranulocytosis"), which dilutes term-level signals. These rows count reports with any term in a concept group (an exact union, not a sum), compared with all other drugs. Groups are hand-built and listed in the methods.

ConceptReportsPRR 95% CIReading
Liver injury20,3995.95.8–6.0signal
Suicidality13,6104.84.7–4.9signal
Severe cutaneous reaction2,8653.33.1–3.4signal
Interstitial lung disease3,3222.92.8–3.0signal
Serious infection26,1332.92.8–2.9signal
Neutropenia / agranulocytosis8,0782.82.7–2.8signal
Hyponatraemia2,6232.72.6–2.9signal
Kidney injury14,0742.62.6–2.6signal
Anaphylaxis / angioedema3,7352.52.4–2.6signal
Anaemia8,1732.32.2–2.3signal
Gi bleeding4,7832.22.1–2.3signal
Thrombocytopenia5,6682.22.1–2.2signal
Rhabdomyolysis / myopathy2,0612.12.0–2.2signal
Pancreatitis2,0002.12.0–2.2raised
Fall / fracture9,2752.02.0–2.1raised
Opportunistic infection3,1731.91.9–2.0raised

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

ClinicalTrials.gov returned results-bearing trials mentioning Acetaminophen 500Mg only as a background or rescue medication (NCT03472469, NCT01402375); no trial listing it as the tested intervention was cached, so no trial cross-check is shown.

Most frequently reported reactions

By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.

ReactionReportsPRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/pEBGM EB05 · IC025Label screenSerious-only & strataTrial cross-check
Off label use (used outside approved label)23,0282.2
2.2–2.3ROR 2.3 · calibrated p 0.881
2.2 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 1.9 · serious PRR 2.5no trial arm names this drug
Fatigue (tiredness)20,9112.3
2.2–2.3ROR 2.4 · calibrated p 0.870
2.2 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 1.9 · serious PRR 2.5no trial arm names this drug
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)18,5841.2
1.2–1.2ROR 1.2 · calibrated p 0.428
1.2 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.2Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 1.3 · serious PRR 2.0no trial arm names this drug
Pain18,4742.5
2.5–2.6ROR 2.6 · calibrated p 0.753
2.5 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.5 · serious PRR 2.4no trial arm names this drug
Nausea18,1851.9
1.9–2.0ROR 2.0 · calibrated p 0.943
1.9 EB05 1.9 · IC025 +0.9No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.1no trial arm names this drug
Headache17,1432.3
2.3–2.3ROR 2.4 · calibrated p 0.860
2.3 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.2
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 1.9 · serious PRR 2.6no trial arm names this drug
Toxicity to various agents15,8448.5
8.4–8.7ROR 9.0 · calibrated p 0.045 ✓
7.8 EB05 7.7 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 6.6 · serious PRR 5.1 · 96% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Dyspnoea (shortness of breath)15,0272.2
2.2–2.3ROR 2.3 · calibrated p 0.900
2.2 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 1.8 · serious PRR 1.9no trial arm names this drug
Pyrexia (fever)14,5803.6
3.5–3.6ROR 3.7 · calibrated p 0.428
3.5 EB05 3.4 · IC025 +1.8
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.8 · serious PRR 2.7no trial arm names this drug
Arthralgia (joint pain)14,5723.0
2.9–3.0ROR 3.1 · calibrated p 0.596
2.9 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.3 · serious PRR 3.3 · ♀ 85% (drug 62%)no trial arm names this drug
Vomiting14,4842.6
2.6–2.6ROR 2.7 · calibrated p 0.732
2.6 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.3 · serious PRR 2.4no trial arm names this drug
Diarrhoea (diarrhea)13,7291.8
1.8–1.8ROR 1.8 · calibrated p 0.845
1.8 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.8No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 1.6 · serious PRR 1.8no trial arm names this drug
Rash12,7022.5
2.4–2.5ROR 2.5 · calibrated p 0.796
2.4 EB05 2.4 · IC025 +1.2
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.2 · serious PRR 3.2 · ♀ 82% (drug 62%)no trial arm names this drug
Pneumonia (lung infection)11,2753.0
2.9–3.0ROR 3.0 · calibrated p 0.613
2.9 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.5
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 2.5 · serious PRR 2.0no trial arm names this drug
Infusion related reaction (reaction during infusion)11,20916.7
16.4–17.1ROR 17.4 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓
14.0 EB05 13.8 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
No label text to screen
label has no adverse-reaction text
age-adj. PRR 12.8 · serious PRR 10.9 · ♀ 84% (drug 62%)no trial arm names this drug

Unlabeled candidate signals

Every screened signal with n ≥ 20 was either labeled, an indication term, or an artifact pattern — no unlabeled candidate stood out in the top signals.

✓ A hand-written Bradford Hill causality assessment exists for this drug: Acetaminophen (paracetamol) ↔ Liver injury / hepatotoxicity.

Want to assess one of these properly? The runbook describes the Bradford Hill / trial-evidence workflow used on the assessment page, and handoff_top1000_signals.csv lists the strongest unassessed pairs across all drugs.

Common questions

What are the most reported side effects of Acetaminophen 500Mg?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Acetaminophen 500Mg are fatigue, pain, nausea, headache, toxicity to various agents, dyspnoea. These are report counts, not rates: FAERS has no denominator, reporting is voluntary and uneven, and a term can be reported because of the illness being treated rather than the drug.

Does Acetaminophen 500Mg have an FDA boxed warning?

No. The FDA label retrieved for Acetaminophen 500Mg has no boxed warning; see the label's Warnings and Precautions for the recognised risks.

Do FAERS signals prove that Acetaminophen 500Mg causes these side effects?

No. A disproportionality signal (PRR, ROR) means a reaction is reported more often with this drug than with others in the database. That can reflect a real effect, but also the disease being treated, stimulated reporting after news or litigation, co-medications, or how reports are coded. Causality needs temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across data sources and, ideally, trial or cohort evidence. This page screens each term against the FDA label and ClinicalTrials.gov results; it does not establish causation.

Sources & methods

Page generated 2026-10-14. Label and PubChem text are retrieved automatically and may lag the current label; always check the current prescribing information. OpenPV is a beta research tool of the Open Source Medicine Foundation.