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Duloxetine Hydrochloride side effects: what 69,247 FDA adverse event reports show

Duloxetine Hydrochloride · Duloxetine Hydrochloride · 1,168 reaction terms · 831,233 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Not stated in label

Brand names

Duloxetine Hydrochloride

openFDA label

Who reports

69,247 reports · 71% serious · 7,117 with death outcome · 70% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Duloxetine delayed-release capsules are indicated for the treatment of: Major depressive disorder in adults Generalized anxiety disorder in adults and pediatric patients 7 years of age and older Diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain in adults Fibromyalg.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

(S)-duloxetine is a duloxetine. It is an enantiomer of a (R)-duloxetine.

PubChem CID 60835 (ChEBI)

Boxed warning

SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies. These studies did not show an increase in the ris.

FDA 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

Labeled — boxed warning 3Labeled adverse reaction 12Labeled (related wording) 2Likely indication confounding 1Not in label — unassessed 22
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). 1,128 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
Dysphoria2,34696.3
91.1–101.7ROR 97.5 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
51.7 EB05 50.0 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=46 · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Stubbornness17172.8
60.0–88.3ROR 72.8 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
44.0 EB05 38.7 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Neurologic neglect syndrome17350.0
41.8–59.8ROR 50.0 · calibrated p 2e-5 ✓
34.5 EB05 30.4 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Electric shock18631.4
26.7–36.9ROR 31.4 · calibrated p 2e-4 ✓
24.6 EB05 21.7 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious n=63 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%)no trial arm names this drug
Carotid artery thrombosis17528.8
24.4–34.0ROR 28.8 · calibrated p 4e-4 ✓
22.9 EB05 20.2 · IC025 +4.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Hypomania69726.0
23.9–28.2ROR 26.1 · calibrated p 6e-4 ✓
21.2 EB05 19.9 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
exact term
serious n=62no trial arm names this drug
Somatic symptom disorder16920.7
17.5–24.3ROR 20.7 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
17.5 EB05 15.4 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=66 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Adjustment disorder19019.0
16.3–22.2ROR 19.0 · calibrated p 0.003 ✓
16.3 EB05 14.5 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Personality disorder31014.8
13.2–16.7ROR 14.9 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
13.2 EB05 12.0 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=66no trial arm names this drug
Sensory disturbance1,84814.4
13.7–15.1ROR 14.6 · calibrated p 0.008 ✓
12.9 EB05 12.4 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.2 · serious PRR 2.3no trial arm names this drug
Serotonin syndrome2,01513.1
12.5–13.7ROR 13.3 · calibrated p 0.011 ✓
11.8 EB05 11.4 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
exact term
age-adj. PRR 16.3 · serious PRR 14.4no trial arm names this drug
Oesophageal spasm19012.8
11.0–14.9ROR 12.8 · calibrated p 0.014 ✓
11.5 EB05 10.2 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed♀ 100% (drug 70%)no trial arm names this drug
Drug withdrawal syndrome8,15311.3
11.0–11.5ROR 11.7 · calibrated p 0.018 ✓
10.3 EB05 10.1 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 3.2 · serious PRR 1.5no trial arm names this drug
Electric shock sensation23210.5
9.2–12.0ROR 10.5 · calibrated p 0.028 ✓
9.6 EB05 8.6 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious n=121 · 81% consumerno trial arm names this drug
Complex regional pain syndrome12810.5
8.7–12.6ROR 10.5 · calibrated p 0.028 ✓
9.5 EB05 8.2 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Fibromyalgia2,02710.1
9.7–10.6ROR 10.2 · calibrated p 0.030 ✓
9.4 EB05 9.0 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
serious PRR 5.3no trial arm names this drug
Nightmare2,8389.9
9.5–10.3ROR 10.0 · calibrated p 0.032 ✓
9.2 EB05 8.9 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 7.0 · serious PRR 8.2 · ♀ 33% (drug 70%)no trial arm names this drug
Joint noise1499.3
7.8–11.0ROR 9.3 · calibrated p 0.043 ✓
8.5 EB05 7.4 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=82no trial arm names this drug
Intervertebral discitis1439.1
7.7–10.8ROR 9.1 · calibrated p 0.046 ✓
8.3 EB05 7.2 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=70 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Irritability4,5029.0
8.7–9.3ROR 9.2 · calibrated p 0.043 ✓
8.4 EB05 8.2 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.2 · serious PRR 2.4no trial arm names this drug
Gastric bypass1629.0
7.6–10.5ROR 9.0 · calibrated p 0.048 ✓
8.2 EB05 7.2 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Sacroiliitis1338.4
7.0–10.0ROR 8.4 · calibrated p 0.059
7.7 EB05 6.7 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed100% clinicianno trial arm names this drug
Urinary hesitation1688.4
7.2–9.8ROR 8.4 · calibrated p 0.059
7.7 EB05 6.8 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
–no trial arm names this drug
Suicidal ideation (thoughts of suicide)6,3308.3
8.1–8.5ROR 8.5 · calibrated p 0.055
7.7 EB05 7.6 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
synonym match
age-adj. PRR 4.2 · serious PRR 3.4no trial arm names this drug
Pre-existing condition improved4348.2
7.5–9.1ROR 8.2 · calibrated p 0.061
7.7 EB05 7.1 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Vertigo (spinning dizziness)3,9297.7
7.4–7.9ROR 7.8 · calibrated p 0.072
7.2 EB05 7.0 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.1 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Agitation4,7097.6
7.4–7.8ROR 7.8 · calibrated p 0.072
7.2 EB05 7.0 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.2 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Hostility1637.5
6.4–8.8ROR 7.5 · calibrated p 0.081
7.0 EB05 6.1 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
–no trial arm names this drug
Nephrogenic anaemia2857.2
6.4–8.1ROR 7.2 · calibrated p 0.091
6.8 EB05 6.1 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=120no trial arm names this drug
Hyperparathyroidism secondary1537.2
6.1–8.4ROR 7.2 · calibrated p 0.094
6.7 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=77no trial arm names this drug
Mood swings1,9237.1
6.8–7.5ROR 7.2 · calibrated p 0.091
6.8 EB05 6.5 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Crying2,1416.9
6.6–7.3ROR 7.0 · calibrated p 0.098
6.6 EB05 6.4 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 2.6 · serious PRR 2.5 · ♀ 91% (drug 70%) · 78% consumerno trial arm names this drug
Rebound acid hypersecretion1806.9
6.0–8.1ROR 6.9 · calibrated p 0.103
6.5 EB05 5.7 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=82no trial arm names this drug
Post-traumatic stress disorder3926.9
6.2–7.6ROR 6.9 · calibrated p 0.103
6.5 EB05 6.0 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=155no trial arm names this drug
Gastrointestinal tube insertion1396.6
5.5–7.8ROR 6.6 · calibrated p 0.121
6.1 EB05 5.3 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed–no trial arm names this drug
Affective disorder4286.4
5.8–7.1ROR 6.4 · calibrated p 0.125
6.1 EB05 5.6 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=208no trial arm names this drug
Bruxism2936.4
5.7–7.2ROR 6.4 · calibrated p 0.128
6.0 EB05 5.5 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious n=57no trial arm names this drug
Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating)6,9486.3
6.2–6.5ROR 6.5 · calibrated p 0.119
6.0 EB05 5.9 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 3.4 · serious PRR 4.4no 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
Suicidality4,2275.35.1–5.4signal
Hyponatraemia8453.23.0–3.4signal
Depression2,7993.02.9–3.1signal
Extrapyramidal1,0313.02.8–3.2signal
Fall / fracture3,1052.52.4–2.6signal
Rhabdomyolysis / myopathy4491.71.5–1.8raised
Tendon disorder2101.71.5–1.9raised
Serious infection4,0591.61.5–1.6raised
Dependence / withdrawal1,5461.61.5–1.7raised
Arrhythmia / qt9841.51.4–1.6raised
Kidney injury2,3131.51.5–1.6raised
Opportunistic infection6401.41.3–1.5raised
Anaphylaxis / angioedema5651.41.3–1.5raised
Seizure8421.31.2–1.4raised
Liver injury1,2791.31.2–1.4raised
Hypoglycaemia3611.11.0–1.3raised

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

ClinicalTrials.gov returned results-bearing trials mentioning Duloxetine only as a background or rescue medication (NCT01360866, NCT01838681); 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
Nausea17,9242.6
2.6–2.6ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.711
2.6 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Fatigue (tiredness)15,9812.3
2.3–2.4ROR 2.5 · calibrated p 0.829
2.3 EB05 2.3 · IC025 +1.2
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.0no trial arm names this drug
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)14,1301.2
1.2–1.2ROR 1.2 · calibrated p 0.456
1.2 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.2Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 1.4 · serious PRR 1.8no trial arm names this drug
Headache13,6882.5
2.4–2.5ROR 2.6 · calibrated p 0.770
2.5 EB05 2.4 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Dizziness13,3783.1
3.0–3.1ROR 3.2 · calibrated p 0.555
3.0 EB05 3.0 · IC025 +1.6
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.0no trial arm names this drug
Pain12,3762.3
2.2–2.3ROR 2.4 · calibrated p 0.868
2.3 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
age-adj. PRR 1.9 · serious PRR 1.8no trial arm names this drug
Diarrhoea (diarrhea)10,0181.8
1.7–1.8ROR 1.8 · calibrated p 0.832
1.7 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.8Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.4 · serious PRR 1.6no trial arm names this drug
Off label use (used outside approved label)9,9521.3
1.3–1.3ROR 1.3 · calibrated p 0.513
1.3 EB05 1.3 · IC025 +0.3Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 1.5 · serious PRR 1.8no trial arm names this drug
Insomnia (trouble sleeping)9,7974.2
4.2–4.3ROR 4.4 · calibrated p 0.307
4.1 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +2.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.7 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Anxiety9,6763.9
3.8–4.0ROR 4.1 · calibrated p 0.365
3.8 EB05 3.7 · IC025 +1.9
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
term in indications; also in warnings
age-adj. PRR 2.1 · serious PRR 2.0no trial arm names this drug
Vomiting8,5112.1
2.0–2.1ROR 2.1 · calibrated p 0.998
2.0 EB05 2.0 · IC025 +1.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.5 · serious PRR 1.6no trial arm names this drug
Depression8,3444.2
4.1–4.3ROR 4.4 · calibrated p 0.316
4.1 EB05 4.0 · IC025 +2.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
synonym match
age-adj. PRR 2.6 · serious PRR 2.5no trial arm names this drug
Drug withdrawal syndrome8,15311.3
11.0–11.5ROR 11.7 · calibrated p 0.018 ✓
10.3 EB05 10.1 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 3.2 · serious PRR 1.5no trial arm names this drug
Fall7,8872.7
2.6–2.8ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.702
2.7 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.3 · serious PRR 2.2no trial arm names this drug
Paraesthesia (tingling/numbness)7,4115.5
5.4–5.6ROR 5.7 · calibrated p 0.173
5.3 EB05 5.2 · IC025 +2.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 1.6 · serious PRR 2.1no 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.

✓ A hand-written Bradford Hill causality assessment exists for this drug: Duloxetine ↔ Completed suicide.

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 Duloxetine?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Duloxetine are nausea, fatigue, headache, dizziness, pain, diarrhoea. 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 Duloxetine have an FDA boxed warning?

Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: SUICIDAL THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIORS Antidepressants increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children, adolescents, and young adults in short-term studies. These studies did not show an increase in the ris.

Do FAERS signals prove that Duloxetine 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.