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Drug · FAERS side-effect profile with label screen

Risedronate side effects: what 30,905 FDA adverse event reports show

Risedronate Sodium · 1,255 reaction terms · 290,166 drug–reaction co-reports · data 2026-09-14
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Drug class

Not stated in label

Label matched

Risedronate Sodium (Risedronate Sodium)

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

Who reports

30,905 reports · 83% serious · 2,904 with death outcome · 86% female

openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied

Used for

Risedronate sodium tablets, USP are a bisphosphonate indicated for: Treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis ( 1.1 ) Treatment to increase bone mass in men with osteoporosis ( 1.2 ) • Treatment and prevention of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis ( 1.3 ) • Treatment of Paget's disease ( 1.4 ) Limitations of Use Optimal duration of use has not been determined.

FDA label, Indications and Usage

What it is

Risedronate sodium tablets, USP are pyridinyl bisphosphonates that inhibit osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and modulate bone metabolism. Each risedronate sodium tablet, USP for oral administration contains the equivalent of 35, 75, or 150 mg of anhydrous risedronate sodium in the form of the hemi-pentahydrate.

FDA label, Description section

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

Labeled (related wording) 3Likely indication confounding 4Lab value / disease marker 13Not in label — unassessed 20
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). 1,215 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
Hepatic enzyme59499.4
356.5–699.5ROR 500.3 · calibrated p 3e-13 ✓
262.0 EB05 210.5 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=59 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Eosinophilic bronchitis80445.7
336.0–591.4ROR 446.9 · calibrated p 5e-13 ✓
251.8 EB05 208.8 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=80not reported in cached trials
Presbyacusis119423.2
336.5–532.3ROR 424.9 · calibrated p 6e-13 ✓
249.2 EB05 213.8 · IC025 +6.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=119not reported in cached trials
Salpingo-oophorectomy unilateral42419.1
285.0–616.3ROR 419.7 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓
231.0 EB05 178.1 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=42not reported in cached trials
Fracture displacement153368.0
302.2–448.1ROR 369.8 · calibrated p 2e-12 ✓
230.9 EB05 201.8 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=153not reported in cached trials
Hypocholesterolaemia93294.7
231.0–376.0ROR 295.6 · calibrated p 2e-11 ✓
196.6 EB05 165.3 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=93 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
C-reactive protein256267.4
231.5–309.0ROR 269.7 · calibrated p 3e-11 ✓
188.6 EB05 170.0 · IC025 +6.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=256 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Red blood cell sedimentation rate76251.6
193.3–327.4ROR 252.2 · calibrated p 1e-10 ✓
175.1 EB05 144.5 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=76 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Deep vein thrombosis postoperative489226.0
204.1–250.2ROR 229.6 · calibrated p 1e-10 ✓
168.0 EB05 155.9 · IC025 +7.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=489 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Lupus vulgaris248178.9
155.6–205.7ROR 180.3 · calibrated p 1e-9 ✓
139.8 EB05 125.8 · IC025 +6.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=248 · 95% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Ankle arthroplasty70164.8
126.9–214.0ROR 165.2 · calibrated p 4e-9 ✓
127.9 EB05 104.6 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=70 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Swollen joint count increased608164.5
150.7–179.7ROR 167.8 · calibrated p 2e-9 ✓
131.7 EB05 123.1 · IC025 +6.8
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=608 · 94% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody130164.3
135.7–199.0ROR 165.0 · calibrated p 3e-9 ✓
129.6 EB05 112.0 · IC025 +6.2
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=130 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Swollen joint count46156.1
113.3–215.2ROR 156.4 · calibrated p 8e-9 ✓
120.5 EB05 94.0 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=46 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Adjustment disorder with depressed mood352143.7
128.1–161.1ROR 145.3 · calibrated p 7e-9 ✓
117.7 EB05 107.7 · IC025 +6.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=352 · 96% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Rheumatoid factor positive982139.3
130.2–149.1ROR 143.9 · calibrated p 7e-9 ✓
115.2 EB05 109.3 · IC025 +6.7
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=982 · 95% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Granuloma skin137134.5
112.0–161.6ROR 135.1 · calibrated p 1e-8 ✓
110.5 EB05 95.8 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=137 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Rheumatic fever685126.3
116.5–136.9ROR 129.1 · calibrated p 2e-8 ✓
106.1 EB05 99.6 · IC025 +6.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=685 · 94% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Dislocation of vertebra338121.6
108.4–136.5ROR 123.0 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓
102.5 EB05 93.6 · IC025 +6.3
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=338 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Comminuted fracture49117.0
86.4–158.5ROR 117.2 · calibrated p 7e-8 ✓
96.1 EB05 75.6 · IC025 +5.2
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=49not reported in cached trials
Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positive1,031115.2
107.9–123.0ROR 119.1 · calibrated p 3e-8 ✓
98.2 EB05 93.3 · IC025 +6.5
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious PRR 68.4 · 96% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Pleural thickening94108.6
87.3–134.9ROR 108.9 · calibrated p 8e-8 ✓
91.8 EB05 77.3 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=94not reported in cached trials
Nasal oedema234101.9
88.8–116.8ROR 102.6 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
87.9 EB05 78.9 · IC025 +6.0
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=234 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Facet joint syndrome411101.7
91.8–112.8ROR 103.1 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
88.1 EB05 81.2 · IC025 +6.2
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=411 · 91% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Low turnover osteopathy51799.3
90.6–108.8ROR 100.9 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
86.3 EB05 80.2 · IC025 +6.2
3/3 methods agree
Likely indication confounding
shares a disease stem with the indications wording
serious n=515not reported in cached trials
Blood pressure diastolic abnormal32698.6
87.8–110.7ROR 99.6 · calibrated p 1e-7 ✓
85.6 EB05 78.1 · IC025 +6.1
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=312not reported in cached trials
Pleural fibrosis12997.1
80.8–116.8ROR 97.5 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓
83.9 EB05 72.4 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=129not reported in cached trials
X-ray abnormal22396.9
84.2–111.4ROR 97.6 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓
84.2 EB05 75.3 · IC025 +5.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=223 · 95% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Systemic lupus erythematosus rash9692.2
74.5–114.1ROR 92.5 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓
79.9 EB05 67.4 · IC025 +5.5
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=96 · 91% clinicianNCT01709110: 1/683 (0.1%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Joint destruction18591.0
78.1–106.1ROR 91.6 · calibrated p 3e-7 ✓
79.6 EB05 70.4 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=184 · 100% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Blood pressure systolic abnormal29490.8
80.5–102.6ROR 91.7 · calibrated p 2e-7 ✓
79.7 EB05 72.3 · IC025 +5.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=284not reported in cached trials
Red blood cell sedimentation rate abnormal25683.9
73.7–95.5ROR 84.6 · calibrated p 4e-7 ✓
74.2 EB05 66.9 · IC025 +5.8
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=256not reported in cached trials
Blood parathyroid hormone decreased15880.4
68.2–94.8ROR 80.8 · calibrated p 6e-7 ✓
71.3 EB05 62.4 · IC025 +5.6
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=158 · 92% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Bronchopulmonary aspergillosis allergic9679.3
64.2–98.0ROR 79.6 · calibrated p 8e-7 ✓
70.1 EB05 59.1 · IC025 +5.4
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=96not reported in cached trials
C-reactive protein abnormal66278.2
72.2–84.7ROR 79.9 · calibrated p 6e-7 ✓
70.0 EB05 65.6 · IC025 +5.9
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=662 · 93% cliniciannot reported in cached trials
Blood magnesium increased9276.9
62.0–95.4ROR 77.1 · calibrated p 1e-6 ✓
68.1 EB05 57.2 · IC025 +5.3
3/3 methods agree
Lab value / disease markerserious n=91not reported in cached trials
Rheumatoid nodule28075.8
67.0–85.8ROR 76.5 · calibrated p 9e-7 ✓
67.9 EB05 61.5 · IC025 +5.7
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedserious n=278not reported in cached trials

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
Interstitial lung disease1,3139.48.9–9.9signal
Osteonecrosis7739.28.6–9.9signal
Fall / fracture3,1705.75.5–5.9signal
Tendon disorder2965.34.7–5.9signal
Liver injury2,2015.04.8–5.2signal
Serious infection4,8844.34.2–4.4signal
Hyperglycaemia / diabetes1,6463.23.1–3.4signal
Depression1,3103.23.0–3.3signal
Opportunistic infection5782.92.7–3.1signal
Hyponatraemia3162.72.4–3.0signal
Rhabdomyolysis / myopathy3002.52.2–2.8signal
Anaemia1,0512.42.2–2.5signal
Gi bleeding6072.32.1–2.4signal
Pancreatitis2462.11.8–2.3raised
Arrhythmia / qt5872.11.9–2.2raised
Kidney injury1,3202.01.9–2.1raised

Trial evidence (ClinicalTrials.gov)

✓ Trial adverse-event data found on ClinicalTrials.gov

Largest completed trials with posted results that list Risedronate as a study intervention. The right-hand column of the signal table shows whether each FAERS term was also recorded in these trials, with a real denominator (1 of 40 signal terms matched).

Caveats: trial populations, doses and follow-up differ from the reporting population; AE terms are sponsor-coded and matched here by wording; absence from a trial list means the term was not reported above the sponsor's frequency threshold, not that it cannot occur.

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
Arthralgia (joint pain)3,8776.4
6.2–6.6ROR 7.2 · calibrated p 0.092
6.3 EB05 6.2 · IC025 +2.6
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 6.0 · serious PRR 7.3NCT01709110: 51/683 (7.5%) on Risedronate
Pain3,7784.2
4.1–4.3ROR 4.6 · calibrated p 0.279
4.2 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +2.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 4.8 · serious PRR 4.3NCT02089997: 1/3,058 (0.0%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Drug ineffective (drug did not work)3,7311.9
1.9–2.0ROR 2.1 · calibrated p 0.973
1.9 EB05 1.9 · IC025 +0.9Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 2.6 · serious PRR 3.4not reported in cached trials
Nausea3,0842.7
2.6–2.7ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.679
2.7 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.4 · serious PRR 3.1NCT02089997: 28/3,058 (0.9%) on Risedronate
Dyspnoea (shortness of breath)3,0283.6
3.5–3.8ROR 3.9 · calibrated p 0.390
3.6 EB05 3.5 · IC025 +1.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 3.3 · serious PRR 3.3NCT01709110: 1/683 (0.1%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Off label use (used outside approved label)2,9582.3
2.2–2.4ROR 2.5 · calibrated p 0.832
2.3 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1
3/3 methods agree
Reporting / coding artifactage-adj. PRR 2.3 · serious PRR 2.9not reported in cached trials
Vomiting2,9484.3
4.1–4.4ROR 4.6 · calibrated p 0.278
4.3 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +2.0
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 4.4 · serious PRR 4.2NCT01709110: 1/683 (0.1%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Diarrhoea (diarrhea)2,8003.0
2.9–3.1ROR 3.2 · calibrated p 0.577
3.0 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.5
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.6 · serious PRR 3.2NCT02089997: 19/3,058 (0.6%) on Risedronate
Malaise (feeling unwell)2,4473.8
3.7–3.9ROR 4.0 · calibrated p 0.371
3.8 EB05 3.7 · IC025 +1.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 3.9 · serious PRR 4.1NCT02089997: 1/3,058 (0.0%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Rheumatoid arthritis2,43414.9
14.3–15.5ROR 16.1 · calibrated p 0.005 ✓
14.6 EB05 14.1 · IC025 +3.8
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 15.9 · serious PRR 12.2NCT01709110: 1/683 (0.1%) on Risedronate (serious AE)
Headache2,4132.6
2.5–2.7ROR 2.8 · calibrated p 0.710
2.6 EB05 2.5 · IC025 +1.3
3/3 methods agree
Labeled adverse reaction
exact term
age-adj. PRR 2.7 · serious PRR 3.3not reported in cached trials
Pain in extremity2,1825.0
4.8–5.3ROR 5.4 · calibrated p 0.200
5.0 EB05 4.8 · IC025 +2.3
3/3 methods agree
Not in label — unassessedage-adj. PRR 4.5 · serious PRR 5.5NCT01709110: 37/683 (5.4%) on Risedronate

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: Methotrexate Sodium ↔ Rheumatoid Arthritis.

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 Risedronate?

In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Risedronate are arthralgia, pain, nausea, dyspnoea, fatigue, 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 Risedronate have an FDA boxed warning?

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

Do FAERS signals prove that Risedronate 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.