Gluconate side effects: what 11,975 FDA adverse event reports show
Drug class
Form of calcium
Label matched
Calcium Gluconate (Calcium Gluconate)
Who reports
11,975 reports · 82% serious · 2,530 with death outcome · 70% female
Used for
Calcium Gluconate Injection is indicated for pediatric and adult patients for the treatment of acute symptomatic hypocalcemia. Calcium Gluconate Injection is a form of calcium indicated for pediatric and adult patients for the treatment of acute symptomatic hypocalcemia. ( 1 ) Limitations of Use: The safety of Calcium Gluconate Injection for long term use has not been established.
What it is
Calcium Gluconate Injection, USP is a sterile, preservative-free, nonpyrogenic, supersaturated solution of calcium gluconate, a form of calcium, for intravenous use. Calcium Gluconate is calcium D-gluconate (1:2) monohydrate.
Boxed warning
None in the current label
Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals
What the badges mean
- Labeled (related wording) The label describes this effect under different wording (e.g. 'neutropenia' for 'neutrophil count decreased'). Treated as known.
- Reporting / coding artifact An administrative, monitoring or exposure term (product issue, off-label use, 'test normal', overdose...). Not a biological reaction; a high PRR here reflects how reports are coded.
- Lab value / disease marker A laboratory result, investigation or disease-activity marker (antibody positive, CRP abnormal, swollen joint count) not described in the label. These usually mirror the monitored disease or testing protocol rather than a drug effect; not screened further.
- Not in label — unassessed Not found in the label text, not an artifact pattern. This is a genuine candidate for a formal causality assessment (Bradford Hill / WHO-UMC); it has NOT had one here.
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). 1,123 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ischaemic contracture of the left ventricle | 12 | 1,726.3 775.7–3,841.8ROR 1,728.0 · calibrated p 9e-16 ✓ | 362.9 EB05 221.2 · IC025 +3.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=12 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Lupus vulgaris | 304 | 602.5 529.4–685.7ROR 618.2 · calibrated p 7e-15 ✓ | 434.6 EB05 395.1 · IC025 +7.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=304 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 93% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Subcutaneous drug absorption impaired | 131 | 555.6 456.7–676.0ROR 561.8 · calibrated p 3e-14 ✓ | 396.2 EB05 342.4 · IC025 +7.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=131 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody | 147 | 495.6 412.9–594.9ROR 501.8 · calibrated p 8e-14 ✓ | 366.9 EB05 319.7 · IC025 +7.1 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=147 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Sleep disorder therapy | 40 | 479.5 338.0–680.4ROR 481.1 · calibrated p 4e-13 ✓ | 318.3 EB05 243.8 · IC025 +5.5 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=40 · ♀ 0% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Grip strength | 47 | 445.8 323.7–614.0ROR 447.5 · calibrated p 7e-13 ✓ | 309.8 EB05 242.3 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=47 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Antacid therapy | 24 | 436.1 278.8–682.2ROR 437.0 · calibrated p 3e-12 ✓ | 272.7 EB05 192.9 · IC025 +4.7 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=24 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Swollen joint count increased | 596 | 414.4 379.6–452.3ROR 436.0 · calibrated p 3e-13 ✓ | 330.8 EB05 309.1 · IC025 +7.9 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=596 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Deep vein thrombosis postoperative | 359 | 393.0 350.9–440.1ROR 405.1 · calibrated p 6e-13 ✓ | 314.9 EB05 288.5 · IC025 +7.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=359 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Appendicolith | 68 | 382.4 294.2–496.9ROR 384.5 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓ | 287.9 EB05 234.9 · IC025 +6.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=68 · ♀ 0% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Adjustment disorder with depressed mood | 355 | 374.8 334.6–419.8ROR 386.2 · calibrated p 9e-13 ✓ | 303.1 EB05 277.5 · IC025 +7.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=355 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Dislocation of vertebra | 370 | 349.8 313.3–390.6ROR 360.9 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓ | 286.7 EB05 263.0 · IC025 +7.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=370 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 91% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Polyglandular disorder | 11 | 339.1 177.7–647.0ROR 339.4 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 190.4 EB05 113.5 · IC025 +3.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=11 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rheumatic fever | 706 | 338.0 312.4–365.6ROR 359.1 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓ | 280.7 EB05 263.7 · IC025 +7.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=706 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hepatic enzyme | 22 | 327.4 207.6–516.3ROR 328.0 · calibrated p 4e-11 ✓ | 222.4 EB05 154.8 · IC025 +4.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=22 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Central nervous system mass | 14 | 309.8 175.5–547.1ROR 310.2 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 193.8 EB05 122.7 · IC025 +3.8 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious n=14 | no trial arm names this drug |
| X-ray abnormal | 268 | 309.7 272.2–352.2ROR 316.7 · calibrated p 7e-12 ✓ | 257.9 EB05 233.0 · IC025 +7.3 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=268 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| C-reactive protein | 132 | 298.3 248.2–358.5ROR 301.6 · calibrated p 1e-11 ✓ | 245.4 EB05 212.3 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=132 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Vaginal flatulence | 43 | 286.6 207.6–395.6ROR 287.6 · calibrated p 4e-11 ✓ | 221.8 EB05 171.5 · IC025 +5.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=43 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Analgesic therapy | 43 | 285.5 206.9–394.0ROR 286.5 · calibrated p 4e-11 ✓ | 221.1 EB05 171.0 · IC025 +5.5 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=43 · ♀ 0% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Wall motion score index abnormal | 15 | 275.5 159.8–474.9ROR 275.8 · calibrated p 4e-10 ✓ | 182.8 EB05 117.6 · IC025 +3.9 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=15 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rheumatoid factor positive | 780 | 274.0 254.6–294.8ROR 293.0 · calibrated p 1e-11 ✓ | 235.2 EB05 221.7 · IC025 +7.6 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=780 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug therapy | 39 | 243.0 173.9–339.7ROR 243.8 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 193.1 EB05 147.4 · IC025 +5.3 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=39 · ♀ 0% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive | 850 | 238.0 222.0–255.1ROR 256.1 · calibrated p 4e-11 ✓ | 208.3 EB05 196.8 · IC025 +7.4 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious PRR 147.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Musculoskeletal deformity | 28 | 235.8 158.9–349.8ROR 236.3 · calibrated p 4e-10 ✓ | 182.0 EB05 132.1 · IC025 +4.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=28 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Airway remodelling | 14 | 221.7 127.1–386.7ROR 222.0 · calibrated p 2e-9 ✓ | 155.4 EB05 98.4 · IC025 +3.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=14 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Retinitis | 184 | 217.0 186.3–252.6ROR 220.3 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 189.1 EB05 167.2 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=184 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Swollen joint count | 27 | 215.8 144.7–321.8ROR 216.3 · calibrated p 9e-10 ✓ | 169.1 EB05 122.1 · IC025 +4.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=27 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pemphigus | 1,273 | 199.8 189.1–211.2ROR 223.5 · calibrated p 1e-10 ✓ | 178.7 EB05 170.6 · IC025 +7.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 125.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Duodenal ulcer perforation | 751 | 199.6 185.5–214.8ROR 212.9 · calibrated p 2e-10 ✓ | 178.2 EB05 167.8 · IC025 +7.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 125.3 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 93% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Facet joint syndrome | 316 | 195.1 173.9–218.9ROR 200.4 · calibrated p 4e-10 ✓ | 173.6 EB05 158.1 · IC025 +6.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=316 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Red blood cell sedimentation rate | 28 | 193.3 130.9–285.6ROR 193.8 · calibrated p 2e-9 ✓ | 155.7 EB05 113.0 · IC025 +4.8 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=28 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Joint destruction | 142 | 174.8 147.3–207.6ROR 176.9 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓ | 155.6 EB05 135.2 · IC025 +6.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=142 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anticoagulant therapy | 24 | 165.7 109.1–251.8ROR 166.1 · calibrated p 8e-9 ✓ | 135.2 EB05 95.6 · IC025 +4.5 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious n=24 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Peripheral venous disease | 332 | 158.8 142.1–177.4ROR 163.3 · calibrated p 2e-9 ✓ | 144.3 EB05 131.7 · IC025 +6.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=332 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 95% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Burkholderia test positive | 10 | 152.8 80.0–291.6ROR 152.9 · calibrated p 8e-8 ✓ | 111.2 EB05 64.6 · IC025 +3.1 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious n=10 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Porphyria acute | 107 | 147.1 120.8–179.0ROR 148.4 · calibrated p 7e-9 ✓ | 132.4 EB05 112.7 · IC025 +6.1 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=107 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hand deformity | 1,004 | 145.5 136.8–154.8ROR 158.8 · calibrated p 3e-9 ✓ | 134.0 EB05 127.1 · IC025 +6.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 102.1 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Muscle injury | 624 | 144.1 133.0–156.0ROR 151.9 · calibrated p 4e-9 ✓ | 132.5 EB05 124.0 · IC025 +6.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 100.8 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 96% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hypocholesterolaemia | 23 | 141.3 92.4–216.1ROR 141.6 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓ | 118.1 EB05 82.9 · IC025 +4.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious n=23 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)
Most frequently reported reactions
By raw co-report count, regardless of disproportionality. Common terms here are often the illness itself or generic outcomes.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug ineffective (drug did not work) | 2,175 | 2.9 2.8–3.0ROR 3.3 · calibrated p 0.533 | 2.9 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 5.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pain | 1,717 | 4.9 4.7–5.1ROR 5.5 · calibrated p 0.183 | 4.9 EB05 4.7 · IC025 +2.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 5.2 · ♀ 93% (drug 70%) · 91% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fatigue (tiredness) | 1,699 | 3.8 3.7–4.0ROR 4.3 · calibrated p 0.326 | 3.8 EB05 3.7 · IC025 +1.9 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 4.6 · ♀ 91% (drug 70%) | no trial arm names this drug |
| Off label use (used outside approved label) | 1,622 | 3.3 3.1–3.4ROR 3.6 · calibrated p 0.454 | 3.3 EB05 3.1 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 4.2 · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 1,410 | 22.1 21.0–23.2ROR 24.9 · calibrated p 7e-4 ✓ | 21.8 EB05 20.9 · IC025 +4.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 18.5 · ♀ 99% (drug 70%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Nausea | 1,386 | 3.1 2.9–3.2ROR 3.4 · calibrated p 0.523 | 3.1 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.5 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Alopecia (hair loss) | 1,345 | 12.0 11.4–12.7ROR 13.4 · calibrated p 0.011 ✓ | 12.0 EB05 11.4 · IC025 +3.5 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 17.5 · ♀ 99% (drug 70%) · 91% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Vomiting | 1,290 | 4.8 4.6–5.1ROR 5.3 · calibrated p 0.206 | 4.8 EB05 4.6 · IC025 +2.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 4.8 · 90% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pemphigus | 1,273 | 199.8 189.1–211.2ROR 223.5 · calibrated p 1e-10 ✓ | 178.7 EB05 170.6 · IC025 +7.3 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 125.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Arthropathy | 1,271 | 40.8 38.7–43.0ROR 45.5 · calibrated p 2e-5 ✓ | 39.9 EB05 38.1 · IC025 +5.2 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 33.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Psoriatic arthropathy | 1,261 | 56.6 53.7–59.7ROR 63.2 · calibrated p 3e-6 ✓ | 54.8 EB05 52.3 · IC025 +5.7 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 48.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 93% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Abdominal discomfort | 1,256 | 13.2 12.6–14.0ROR 14.7 · calibrated p 0.008 ✓ | 13.1 EB05 12.5 · IC025 +3.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 20.5 · ♀ 98% (drug 70%) · 92% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | 1,251 | 64.2 60.8–67.7ROR 71.5 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓ | 61.8 EB05 59.0 · IC025 +5.8 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 44.4 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 94% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Diarrhoea (diarrhea) | 1,211 | 3.3 3.1–3.5ROR 3.6 · calibrated p 0.471 | 3.3 EB05 3.1 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 3.7 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Glossodynia (burning tongue/mouth pain) | 1,204 | 99.6 94.3–105.3ROR 110.7 · calibrated p 5e-8 ✓ | 94.1 EB05 89.7 · IC025 +6.4 3/3 methods agree | Not in label — unassessed | serious PRR 94.9 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 93% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
Unlabeled candidate signals
These flagged terms were not found in the FDA label text and do not match an artifact pattern. They are the pairs that would merit a structured assessment (temporality, dose-response, biological plausibility, consistency across databases, trial or cohort evidence). The screen has not done that; string-matching misses label wording, and a strong PRR can still be stimulated reporting, co-medication, or the disease itself.
- Lupus vulgaris — n=304, PRR 602.5
- Subcutaneous drug absorption impaired — n=131, PRR 555.6
- Grip strength — n=47, PRR 445.8
- Deep vein thrombosis postoperative — n=359, PRR 393.0
- Appendicolith — n=68, PRR 382.4
- Adjustment disorder with depressed mood — n=355, PRR 374.8
- Dislocation of vertebra — n=370, PRR 349.8
- Rheumatic fever — n=706, PRR 338.0
- Hepatic enzyme — n=22, PRR 327.4
- Vaginal flatulence — n=43, PRR 286.6
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 Gluconate?
In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Gluconate are pain, fatigue, rheumatoid arthritis, nausea, alopecia, vomiting. 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 Gluconate have an FDA boxed warning?
No. The FDA label retrieved for Gluconate has no boxed warning; see the label's Warnings and Precautions for the recognised risks.
Do FAERS signals prove that Gluconate 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
- FDA label via openFDA (set ID 1aaf5c76-e526-4d8b-887e-cc3c4f39cc8b, effective 20240821; matched on
openfda.generic_name.exact:"CALCIUM GLUCONATE") - Bayesian shrinkage measures computed offline over all 1,317,300 cached pairs: BCPNN information component (IC, with Norén closed-form IC025) and MGPS empirical-Bayes geometric mean (EBGM, EB05) with a two-component gamma prior fitted by maximum marginal likelihood (α₁=0.57, β₁=0.02, α₂=1.42, β₂=0.70, w=0.17); unstratified
- FAERS pair statistics from the OpenPV build of 2026-09-14 (openFDA
count=aggregation, fieldpatient.drug.openfda.generic_name.exact, 1,163 reaction terms, min 3 co-reports); PRR/ROR with 95% CI, chi-square with Yates correction - Serious-only and stratified counts (serious:1, patient.patientsex, primarysource.qualification) from openFDA count queries; serious-only PRR uses the drug serious report total and the term global serious total (N_serious=11,882,979); strata shown only when n ≥ 20
- Seriousness and sex counts from openFDA
count=serious,patient.patientsex,seriousnessdeath - ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 (query
GLUCONATE, results-bearing studies sorted by enrollment)
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.