Duloxetine Hydrochloride side effects: what 69,247 FDA adverse event reports show
Drug class
Not stated in label
Brand names
Duloxetine Hydrochloride
Who reports
69,247 reports · 71% serious · 7,117 with death outcome · 70% female
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.
What it is
(S)-duloxetine is a duloxetine. It is an enantiomer of a (R)-duloxetine.
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.
Causality screen of the 40 strongest signals
What the badges mean
- Labeled — boxed warning The term (or its clinical synonym) appears in the FDA boxed warning: causality is regulator-recognised and considered serious.
- Labeled adverse reaction The exact term appears in the label's warnings or adverse-reactions sections: a known, expected effect. The FAERS signal confirms the label rather than discovering anything.
- Labeled (related wording) The label describes this effect under different wording (e.g. 'neutropenia' for 'neutrophil count decreased'). Treated as known.
- Likely indication confounding The term appears in the label's indications: reports probably describe the disease being treated (or its progression), not a drug effect. Classic confounding by indication.
- 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). 1,128 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dysphoria | 2,346 | 96.3 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 — unassessed | serious n=46 · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Stubbornness | 171 | 72.8 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 syndrome | 173 | 50.0 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 |
| Affect lability | 2,801 | 45.6 43.7–47.7ROR 46.3 · calibrated p 2e-5 ✓ | 32.5 EB05 31.5 · IC025 +5.0 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | serious PRR 3.0 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Electric shock | 186 | 31.4 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 thrombosis | 175 | 28.8 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 |
| Hypomania | 697 | 26.0 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=62 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Somatic symptom disorder | 169 | 20.7 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 — unassessed | serious n=66 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Adjustment disorder | 190 | 19.0 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 disorder | 310 | 14.8 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 — unassessed | serious n=66 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Sensory disturbance | 1,848 | 14.4 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 2.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Serotonin syndrome | 2,015 | 13.1 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 14.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Oesophageal spasm | 190 | 12.8 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 syndrome | 8,153 | 11.3 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 — unassessed | age-adj. PRR 3.2 · serious PRR 1.5 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Electric shock sensation | 232 | 10.5 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% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Complex regional pain syndrome | 128 | 10.5 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% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fibromyalgia | 2,027 | 10.1 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 5.3 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Nightmare | 2,838 | 9.9 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 noise | 149 | 9.3 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 — unassessed | serious n=82 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Intervertebral discitis | 143 | 9.1 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 — unassessed | serious n=70 · ♀ 100% (drug 70%) · 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Irritability | 4,502 | 9.0 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 2.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Gastric bypass | 162 | 9.0 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 |
| Sacroiliitis | 133 | 8.4 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 — unassessed | 100% clinician | no trial arm names this drug |
| Urinary hesitation | 168 | 8.4 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) | 6,330 | 8.3 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 3.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pre-existing condition improved | 434 | 8.2 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) | 3,929 | 7.7 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Agitation | 4,709 | 7.6 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hostility | 163 | 7.5 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 anaemia | 285 | 7.2 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 — unassessed | serious n=120 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hyperparathyroidism secondary | 153 | 7.2 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 — unassessed | serious n=77 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Mood swings | 1,923 | 7.1 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Crying | 2,141 | 6.9 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 — unassessed | age-adj. PRR 2.6 · serious PRR 2.5 · ♀ 91% (drug 70%) · 78% consumer | no trial arm names this drug |
| Rebound acid hypersecretion | 180 | 6.9 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 — unassessed | serious n=82 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Post-traumatic stress disorder | 392 | 6.9 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 — unassessed | serious n=155 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Gastrointestinal tube insertion | 139 | 6.6 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 disorder | 428 | 6.4 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 — unassessed | serious n=208 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Bruxism | 293 | 6.4 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=57 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) | 6,948 | 6.3 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 4.4 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Flat affect | 122 | 6.3 5.3–7.6ROR 6.3 · calibrated p 0.134 | 5.9 EB05 5.1 · IC025 +2.3 3/3 methods agree | Labeled (related wording) related wording | – | no 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.
| Concept | Reports | PRR 95% CI | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suicidality | 4,227 | 5.35.1–5.4 | signal |
| Hyponatraemia | 845 | 3.23.0–3.4 | signal |
| Depression | 2,799 | 3.02.9–3.1 | signal |
| Extrapyramidal | 1,031 | 3.02.8–3.2 | signal |
| Fall / fracture | 3,105 | 2.52.4–2.6 | signal |
| Rhabdomyolysis / myopathy | 449 | 1.71.5–1.8 | raised |
| Tendon disorder | 210 | 1.71.5–1.9 | raised |
| Serious infection | 4,059 | 1.61.5–1.6 | raised |
| Dependence / withdrawal | 1,546 | 1.61.5–1.7 | raised |
| Arrhythmia / qt | 984 | 1.51.4–1.6 | raised |
| Kidney injury | 2,313 | 1.51.5–1.6 | raised |
| Opportunistic infection | 640 | 1.41.3–1.5 | raised |
| Anaphylaxis / angioedema | 565 | 1.41.3–1.5 | raised |
| Seizure | 842 | 1.31.2–1.4 | raised |
| Liver injury | 1,279 | 1.31.2–1.4 | raised |
| Hypoglycaemia | 361 | 1.11.0–1.3 | raised |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 17,924 | 2.6 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fatigue (tiredness) | 15,981 | 2.3 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 2.0 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug ineffective (drug did not work) | 14,130 | 1.2 1.2–1.2ROR 1.2 · calibrated p 0.456 | 1.2 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.2 | Reporting / coding artifact | age-adj. PRR 1.4 · serious PRR 1.8 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Headache | 13,688 | 2.5 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Dizziness | 13,378 | 3.1 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 2.0 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Pain | 12,376 | 2.3 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 1.8 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Diarrhoea (diarrhea) | 10,018 | 1.8 1.7–1.8ROR 1.8 · calibrated p 0.832 | 1.7 EB05 1.7 · IC025 +0.8 | Labeled adverse reaction exact term | age-adj. PRR 1.4 · serious PRR 1.6 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Off label use (used outside approved label) | 9,952 | 1.3 1.3–1.3ROR 1.3 · calibrated p 0.513 | 1.3 EB05 1.3 · IC025 +0.3 | Reporting / coding artifact | age-adj. PRR 1.5 · serious PRR 1.8 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Insomnia (trouble sleeping) | 9,797 | 4.2 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Anxiety | 9,676 | 3.9 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 2.0 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Vomiting | 8,511 | 2.1 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 1.6 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Depression | 8,344 | 4.2 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 2.5 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Drug withdrawal syndrome | 8,153 | 11.3 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 — unassessed | age-adj. PRR 3.2 · serious PRR 1.5 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Fall | 7,887 | 2.7 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 2.2 | no trial arm names this drug |
| Paraesthesia (tingling/numbness) | 7,411 | 5.5 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 2.1 | 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.
- Dysphoria — n=2,346, PRR 96.3
- Stubbornness — n=171, PRR 72.8
- Neurologic neglect syndrome — n=173, PRR 50.0
- Carotid artery thrombosis — n=175, PRR 28.8
- Somatic symptom disorder — n=169, PRR 20.7
- Adjustment disorder — n=190, PRR 19.0
- Personality disorder — n=310, PRR 14.8
- Oesophageal spasm — n=190, PRR 12.8
- Drug withdrawal syndrome — n=8,153, PRR 11.3
- Complex regional pain syndrome — n=128, PRR 10.5
✓ 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
- FDA label via openFDA (set ID 05a744a5-64ef-42d7-a19c-568be5a272d4, effective 20260422; matched on
openfda.generic_name.exact:"DULOXETINE" AND openfda.product_type:"HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG") - PubChem CID 60835 description (ChEBI)
- 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, 1,168 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
DULOXETINE, 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.