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Ibuprofen and Diphenhydramine side effects: what 23,133 FDA adverse event reports show

Ibuprofen And Diphenhydramine Citrate · 1,175 reaction terms · 102,294 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug

FDA label (Established Pharmacologic Class) of the closest related product

Label matched

Ibuprofen (Ibuprofen)

closest FDA label found for this product string; brand list suppressed because the label is a related product, not an exact match

Who reports

23,133 reports · 49% serious · 801 with death outcome · 72% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Carefully consider the potential benefits and risks of ibuprofen tablets and other treatment options before deciding to use ibuprofen. Use the lowest effective dose for the shortest duration consistent with individual patient treatment goals (see WARNINGS ). Ibuprofen tablets are indicated for relief of the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

DESCRIPTION Ibuprofen tablets USP contain the active ingredient ibuprofen, which is (±) - 2 - ( p - isobutylphenyl) propionic acid. Ibuprofen is a white to off-white, crystalline powder with a.

FDA label, Description section

Boxed warning

Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, which can be fatal. This risk may occur early in treatment and may increase with duration of use [see Warnings and Precautions ].

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 (related wording) 3Likely indication confounding 1Reporting / coding artifact 4Lab value / disease marker 4Not in label — unassessed 28
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). 1,135 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
Red blood cell sedimentation rate91434.7
338.5–558.2ROR 436.4 · calibrated p 5e-13 ✓
275.8 EB05 231.4 · IC025 +6.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=91 · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Deafness transitory145184.8
154.6–220.8ROR 185.9 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓
150.3 EB05 130.8 · IC025 +6.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=145 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Granuloma skin96118.8
96.0–146.9ROR 119.3 · calibrated p 4e-8 ✓
102.8 EB05 86.7 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=96 · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Enthesopathy160102.3
86.9–120.4ROR 103.0 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
90.9 EB05 79.7 · IC025 +5.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=160no trial data cached
Blood parathyroid hormone decreased11072.1
59.4–87.6ROR 72.5 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
66.1 EB05 56.4 · IC025 +5.4
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=110 · 94% clinicianno trial data cached
Tenosynovitis16657.9
49.5–67.6ROR 58.3 · calibrated p 6e-6 ✓
54.1 EB05 47.5 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=166no trial data cached
Alanine aminotransferase abnormal11552.5
43.5–63.4ROR 52.8 · calibrated p 1e-5 ✓
49.3 EB05 42.2 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=114 · ♀ 45% (drug 72%) · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Panniculitis11444.9
37.2–54.2ROR 45.2 · calibrated p 3e-5 ✓
42.5 EB05 36.4 · IC025 +4.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=114 · 93% clinicianno trial data cached
Shoulder arthroplasty11641.4
34.4–49.8ROR 41.6 · calibrated p 5e-5 ✓
39.4 EB05 33.7 · IC025 +4.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=116 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Rheumatoid nodule11840.1
33.3–48.2ROR 40.3 · calibrated p 6e-5 ✓
38.2 EB05 32.7 · IC025 +4.7
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=118 · 92% clinicianno trial data cached
Product name confusion4639.7
29.5–53.3ROR 39.7 · calibrated p 8e-5 ✓
37.5 EB05 29.2 · IC025 +4.3
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifact100% consumerno trial data cached
Cholecystitis chronic28439.6
35.1–44.5ROR 40.0 · calibrated p 5e-5 ✓
37.8 EB05 34.3 · IC025 +5.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 44.2 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Gallbladder cholesterolosis1938.9
24.6–61.6ROR 39.0 · calibrated p 1e-4 ✓
36.1 EB05 24.4 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=19no trial data cached
Biliary dyskinesia6535.7
27.8–45.7ROR 35.8 · calibrated p 1e-4 ✓
34.0 EB05 27.6 · IC025 +4.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=65 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Drug effect prolonged1626.7
16.2–43.8ROR 26.7 · calibrated p 1e-3 ✓
25.2 EB05 16.4 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifact–no trial data cached
Gallbladder non-functioning1625.9
15.8–42.6ROR 25.9 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
24.5 EB05 15.9 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=16no trial data cached
Product difficult to swallow2825.3
17.4–36.8ROR 25.3 · calibrated p 9e-4 ✓
24.3 EB05 17.6 · IC025 +3.5
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifact♀ 100% (drug 72%) · 100% consumerno trial data cached
Thrombophlebitis superficial8124.5
19.6–30.5ROR 24.5 · calibrated p 9e-4 ✓
23.7 EB05 19.7 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=79 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Tongue disorder17722.5
19.4–26.1ROR 22.7 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
22.0 EB05 19.4 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=171no trial data cached
C-reactive protein abnormal15322.1
18.9–26.0ROR 22.3 · calibrated p 0.001 ✓
21.6 EB05 18.9 · IC025 +4.1
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=153 · 90% clinicianno trial data cached
Gallbladder injury4521.5
16.0–28.9ROR 21.5 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
20.8 EB05 16.2 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=45 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Superior sagittal sinus thrombosis1820.6
12.9–32.9ROR 20.6 · calibrated p 0.003 ✓
19.7 EB05 13.0 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=18no trial data cached
Functional gastrointestinal disorder7720.6
16.4–25.8ROR 20.6 · calibrated p 0.002 ✓
20.0 EB05 16.5 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=76 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Pharyngitis25518.9
16.7–21.4ROR 19.1 · calibrated p 0.003 ✓
18.5 EB05 16.7 · IC025 +4.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 27.9 · ♀ 95% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Pelvic venous thrombosis2817.9
12.3–26.1ROR 17.9 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓
17.3 EB05 12.5 · IC025 +3.1
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=28 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Drug tolerance decreased5317.5
13.3–22.9ROR 17.5 · calibrated p 0.004 ✓
17.0 EB05 13.5 · IC025 +3.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=52 · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Foreign body in respiratory tract2416.7
11.2–25.0ROR 16.7 · calibrated p 0.006 ✓
16.1 EB05 11.1 · IC025 +3.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed100% consumerno trial data cached
Foot operation8916.7
13.5–20.6ROR 16.7 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
16.3 EB05 13.7 · IC025 +3.6
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactserious n=89 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Uterine perforation15416.6
14.2–19.5ROR 16.7 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
16.3 EB05 14.2 · IC025 +3.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 19.0 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Left atrial dilatation2316.5
10.9–24.9ROR 16.5 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
15.8 EB05 10.8 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=23no trial data cached
Intracranial venous sinus thrombosis1916.1
10.3–25.4ROR 16.1 · calibrated p 0.008 ✓
15.3 EB05 9.9 · IC025 +2.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=19no trial data cached
Pulmonary infarction4115.8
11.6–21.6ROR 15.9 · calibrated p 0.007 ✓
15.4 EB05 11.7 · IC025 +3.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=41 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached
Lumbar radiculopathy1915.0
9.5–23.5ROR 15.0 · calibrated p 0.010 ✓
14.1 EB05 9.1 · IC025 +2.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=19no trial data cached
Hangover4712.2
9.1–16.2ROR 12.2 · calibrated p 0.018 ✓
11.7 EB05 9.0 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessed100% consumerno trial data cached
Granuloma4511.9
8.9–16.0ROR 12.0 · calibrated p 0.019 ✓
11.5 EB05 8.8 · IC025 +2.9
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=44 · 100% clinicianno trial data cached
Tendonitis20211.9
10.4–13.7ROR 12.0 · calibrated p 0.017 ✓
11.7 EB05 10.4 · IC025 +3.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 16.5no trial data cached
Fear of disease2311.7
7.8–17.7ROR 11.7 · calibrated p 0.023 ✓
10.8 EB05 7.2 · IC025 +2.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=23 · ♀ 100% (drug 72%)no trial data cached

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

Trial cross-check not yet run for this drug (ClinicalTrials.gov pull covers the 800 most-reported drugs first).

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
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)2,8131.9
1.9–2.0ROR 2.1 · calibrated p 0.981
1.9 EB05 1.9 · IC025 +0.9Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 1.6 · 81% consumerno trial data cached
Pain1,9552.9
2.8–3.0ROR 3.1 · calibrated p 0.607
2.9 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled — boxed warning
exact term
serious PRR 4.0no trial data cached
Nausea1,7972.1
2.0–2.2ROR 2.2 · calibrated p 0.974
2.1 EB05 2.0 · IC025 +1.0Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.1no trial data cached
Headache1,7312.5
2.4–2.6ROR 2.6 · calibrated p 0.759
2.5 EB05 2.4 · IC025 +1.2
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.8no trial data cached
Fatigue (tiredness)1,4171.7
1.6–1.7ROR 1.7 · calibrated p 0.767
1.7 EB05 1.6 · IC025 +0.6Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 2.1no trial data cached
Dizziness1,2232.2
2.1–2.4ROR 2.3 · calibrated p 0.904
2.2 EB05 2.1 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.9no trial data cached
Vomiting1,0872.1
2.0–2.2ROR 2.2 · calibrated p 0.973
2.1 EB05 2.0 · IC025 +1.0Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 2.7no trial data cached
Anxiety1,0713.4
3.2–3.6ROR 3.5 · calibrated p 0.478
3.4 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 4.9no trial data cached
Diarrhoea (diarrhea)9311.3
1.2–1.4ROR 1.3 · calibrated p 0.525
1.3 EB05 1.2 · IC025 +0.3Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.7no trial data cached
Arthralgia (joint pain)8881.9
1.8–2.1ROR 2.0 · calibrated p 0.934
1.9 EB05 1.8 · IC025 +0.8Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 2.7no trial data cached
Dyspnoea (shortness of breath)8861.4
1.3–1.5ROR 1.4 · calibrated p 0.600
1.4 EB05 1.3 · IC025 +0.4Not in label — unassessedserious PRR 1.8no trial data cached
Insomnia (trouble sleeping)8402.9
2.7–3.1ROR 2.9 · calibrated p 0.650
2.8 EB05 2.7 · IC025 +1.4
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 3.1no trial data cached
Off label use (used outside approved label)8220.9
0.8–0.9ROR 0.9 · calibrated p 0.215
0.9 EB05 0.8 · IC025 -0.3
PRR-only: not supported by EBGM or IC
Reporting / coding artifactserious PRR 1.1no trial data cached
Somnolence (drowsiness)7583.4
3.2–3.7ROR 3.5 · calibrated p 0.483
3.4 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.7
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
serious PRR 1.9 · 85% consumerno trial data cached

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: Ibuprofen (NSAIDs) ↔ Gastrointestinal bleeding.

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 Ibuprofen and Diphenhydramine?

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

Yes. The current FDA label carries a boxed warning: Cardiovascular Thrombotic Events Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) cause an increased risk of serious cardiovascular thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction and stroke, which can be fatal. This risk may occur early in treatment and may increase with duration of use [see Warnings and Precautions ].

Do FAERS signals prove that Ibuprofen and Diphenhydramine 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.