Drug · FAERS side-effect profile with label screen
Saline Nasal Spray side effects: what 4,223 FDA adverse event reports show
Drug class
Not stated in label
Brand names
Saline
openFDA label
Who reports
4,223 reports · 76% serious · 483 with death outcome · 59% female
openFDA FAERS counts, all years, deduplication not applied
Used for
(s) Moisturizes dry, irritated nasal passages due to: • Colds • Dry air • Smoke • Air travel • Allergies
FDA label, Indications and Usage
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
Reporting / coding artifact 1Lab value / disease marker 2No label text to screen 37
What the badges mean
- 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.
- No label text to screen No validated FDA label was retrievable for this product, so the screen could not run. Disproportionality only.
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 flags pairs whose reports are unusually skewed by sex or come mostly from consumers rather than clinicians. 368 further terms are in the interactive explorer. Reaction links open the term's cross-drug page.
Show:
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pallor | 75 | 13.7 10.9–17.1ROR 13.9 · χ² 868 / p 6e-191 | 13.5 EB05 11.1 · IC025 +3.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 5.4 · 93% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Paraesthesia oral | 30 | 10.4 7.3–14.8ROR 10.4 · χ² 245 / p 2e-55 | 9.7 EB05 6.9 · IC025 +2.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.2 · ♀ 83% (drug 59%) | no trial data cached |
| Hypercalcaemia | 22 | 8.9 5.8–13.5ROR 8.9 · χ² 146 / p 8e-34 | 7.9 EB05 5.3 · IC025 +2.2 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 7.2 · 90% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Acute respiratory failure | 33 | 8.6 6.1–12.0ROR 8.6 · χ² 213 / p 2e-48 | 7.9 EB05 5.8 · IC025 +2.4 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.5 | no trial data cached |
| Hypoxia (low oxygen) | 59 | 8.4 6.5–10.8ROR 8.5 · χ² 375 / p 7e-84 | 8.0 EB05 6.4 · IC025 +2.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.5 | no trial data cached |
| Cytokine release syndrome | 32 | 8.3 5.9–11.8ROR 8.4 · χ² 200 / p 1e-45 | 7.7 EB05 5.6 · IC025 +2.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.4 · ♀ 37% (drug 59%) · 94% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Brain oedema | 20 | 7.9 5.1–12.2ROR 7.9 · χ² 113 / p 1e-26 | 6.9 EB05 4.6 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.1 | no trial data cached |
| Candida infection (yeast infection) | 26 | 7.7 5.3–11.4ROR 7.8 · χ² 146 / p 7e-34 | 7.0 EB05 4.9 · IC025 +2.1 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 8.1 | no trial data cached |
| Tachypnoea | 21 | 7.7 5.0–11.8ROR 7.7 · χ² 116 / p 3e-27 | 6.8 EB05 4.6 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.9 | no trial data cached |
| Atelectasis | 15 | 7.7 4.6–12.7ROR 7.7 · χ² 81 / p 1e-19 | 6.5 EB05 4.1 · IC025 +1.8 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 5.9 | no trial data cached |
| Unresponsive to stimuli | 38 | 7.3 5.3–10.1ROR 7.4 · χ² 202 / p 4e-46 | 6.8 EB05 5.2 · IC025 +2.2 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 5.7 · 92% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Respiratory tract infection | 38 | 7.3 5.3–10.0ROR 7.3 · χ² 199 / p 1e-45 | 6.8 EB05 5.1 · IC025 +2.2 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.8 | no trial data cached |
| Hypoaesthesia oral | 22 | 7.3 4.8–11.0ROR 7.3 · χ² 112 / p 1e-26 | 6.4 EB05 4.4 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 3.2 · ♀ 86% (drug 59%) · 90% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Productive cough (cough with phlegm) | 69 | 7.2 5.7–9.2ROR 7.3 · χ² 365 / p 9e-82 | 7.0 EB05 5.7 · IC025 +2.4 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 7.0 | no trial data cached |
| Flank pain | 13 | 6.9 4.0–11.9ROR 6.9 · χ² 60 / p 5e-15 | 5.7 EB05 3.5 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 6.4 | no trial data cached |
| Sleep disorder due to a general medical condition | 22 | 6.8 4.5–10.3ROR 6.8 · χ² 102 / p 2e-24 | 6.0 EB05 4.2 · IC025 +1.9 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 9.7 · ♀ 0% (drug 59%) | no trial data cached |
| Cold sweat | 24 | 6.8 4.5–10.1ROR 6.8 · χ² 112 / p 2e-26 | 6.1 EB05 4.3 · IC025 +1.9 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.3 · 100% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Feeling hot | 83 | 6.7 5.4–8.3ROR 6.8 · χ² 399 / p 5e-89 | 6.5 EB05 5.4 · IC025 +2.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 3.4 · 90% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Cyanosis (blue skin from low oxygen) | 21 | 6.6 4.3–10.1ROR 6.6 · χ² 95 / p 1e-22 | 5.9 EB05 4.0 · IC025 +1.8 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.8 · 90% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Sinus disorder | 26 | 6.5 4.4–9.6ROR 6.5 · χ² 116 / p 3e-27 | 5.9 EB05 4.2 · IC025 +1.9 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 7.0 · ♀ 88% (drug 59%) | no trial data cached |
| Wheezing | 77 | 6.5 5.2–8.1ROR 6.6 · χ² 351 / p 1e-78 | 6.2 EB05 5.1 · IC025 +2.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 5.9 | no trial data cached |
| Hypotonia | 13 | 6.4 3.7–11.1ROR 6.5 · χ² 54 / p 8e-14 | 5.4 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 5.2 | no trial data cached |
| Secretion discharge | 16 | 6.4 3.9–10.5ROR 6.5 · χ² 68 / p 8e-17 | 5.5 EB05 3.6 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 8.0 | no trial data cached |
| Seasonal allergy | 18 | 6.3 4.0–10.0ROR 6.4 · χ² 76 / p 2e-18 | 5.5 EB05 3.7 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious n=14 | no trial data cached |
| Cardiogenic shock | 18 | 6.3 4.0–9.9ROR 6.3 · χ² 74 / p 3e-18 | 5.5 EB05 3.6 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.8 | no trial data cached |
| Obstructive airways disorder | 14 | 6.2 3.7–10.5ROR 6.2 · χ² 56 / p 3e-14 | 5.3 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.9 | no trial data cached |
| Weight fluctuation | 13 | 6.2 3.6–10.7ROR 6.2 · χ² 52 / p 3e-13 | 5.2 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious n=13 | no trial data cached |
| Blood calcium decreased | 14 | 6.2 3.7–10.4ROR 6.2 · χ² 55 / p 5e-14 | 5.2 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious PRR 5.9 | no trial data cached |
| Myocardial ischaemia | 14 | 6.1 3.6–10.2ROR 6.1 · χ² 54 / p 9e-14 | 5.1 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.6 | no trial data cached |
| Urosepsis | 11 | 5.9 3.3–10.7ROR 5.9 · χ² 40 / p 1e-10 | 4.9 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.5 | no trial data cached |
| Premature delivery | 19 | 5.9 3.8–9.2ROR 5.9 · χ² 72 / p 9e-18 | 5.2 EB05 3.5 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.4 | no trial data cached |
| Poor venous access | 12 | 5.8 3.3–10.2ROR 5.8 · χ² 43 / p 3e-11 | 4.8 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious n=11 | no trial data cached |
| Drug toxicity | 16 | 5.8 3.5–9.4ROR 5.8 · χ² 58 / p 1e-14 | 5.0 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.6 | no trial data cached |
| Hypokalaemia (low potassium) | 53 | 5.7 4.4–7.5ROR 5.8 · χ² 203 / p 3e-46 | 5.5 EB05 4.3 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.4 | no trial data cached |
| No therapeutic response | 14 | 5.6 3.3–9.5ROR 5.6 · χ² 49 / p 2e-12 | 4.8 EB05 3.1 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | Reporting / coding artifact | serious PRR 5.5 | no trial data cached |
| Thirst | 20 | 5.6 3.6–8.6ROR 5.6 · χ² 71 / p 2e-17 | 5.0 EB05 3.4 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.8 | no trial data cached |
| Sinus congestion | 15 | 5.5 3.3–9.1ROR 5.5 · χ² 51 / p 5e-13 | 4.8 EB05 3.1 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious n=9 | no trial data cached |
| Blood bilirubin increased | 30 | 5.5 3.9–7.9ROR 5.5 · χ² 106 / p 4e-25 | 5.1 EB05 3.7 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | Lab value / disease marker | serious PRR 4.8 · ♀ 32% (drug 59%) | no trial data cached |
| Hypothermia | 11 | 5.4 3.0–9.7ROR 5.4 · χ² 35 / p 2e-9 | 4.5 EB05 2.7 · IC025 +1.2 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.2 | no trial data cached |
| Nephropathy toxic | 12 | 5.4 3.0–9.4ROR 5.4 · χ² 38 / p 3e-10 | 4.5 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.2 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 4.2 | 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.
| Reaction | Reports | PRR 95% CI · ROR · χ²/p | EBGM EB05 · IC025 | Label screen | Serious-only & strata | Trial cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyspnoea (shortness of breath) | 362 | 3.2 2.9–3.5ROR 3.4 · χ² 553 / p 2e-122 | 3.2 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.7 | no trial data cached |
| Pneumonia (lung infection) | 193 | 3.0 2.6–3.4ROR 3.1 · χ² 253 / p 3e-57 | 2.9 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.3 | no trial data cached |
| Cough | 188 | 3.3 2.9–3.8ROR 3.4 · χ² 309 / p 2e-69 | 3.3 EB05 2.9 · IC025 +1.5 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 3.3 | no trial data cached |
| Hypotension (low blood pressure) | 154 | 3.8 3.3–4.5ROR 3.9 · χ² 320 / p 6e-72 | 3.8 EB05 3.3 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 3.2 | no trial data cached |
| Paraesthesia (tingling/numbness) | 153 | 4.8 4.1–5.6ROR 5.0 · χ² 462 / p 8e-103 | 4.7 EB05 4.2 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.2 · 91% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Hypoaesthesia (numbness) | 152 | 5.0 4.3–5.9ROR 5.2 · χ² 491 / p 4e-109 | 5.0 EB05 4.3 · IC025 +2.0 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 1.9 · 93% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Muscle spasms | 150 | 4.1 3.5–4.7ROR 4.2 · χ² 345 / p 2e-77 | 4.0 EB05 3.5 · IC025 +1.7 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.1 | no trial data cached |
| Back pain | 125 | 2.7 2.2–3.2ROR 2.7 · χ² 130 / p 2e-30 | 2.6 EB05 2.3 · IC025 +1.1 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.7 | no trial data cached |
| Chest pain | 99 | 2.6 2.2–3.2ROR 2.7 · χ² 101 / p 5e-24 | 2.6 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.0 | no trial data cached |
| Hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating) | 98 | 3.8 3.1–4.6ROR 3.8 · χ² 198 / p 3e-45 | 3.7 EB05 3.1 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.3 | no trial data cached |
| Acute kidney injury (sudden kidney damage) | 95 | 3.1 2.5–3.8ROR 3.1 · χ² 134 / p 3e-31 | 3.1 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.4 · 91% clinician | no trial data cached |
| Urinary tract infection (bladder infection) | 92 | 2.7 2.2–3.3ROR 2.7 · χ² 96 / p 5e-23 | 2.7 EB05 2.2 · IC025 +1.1 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.4 | no trial data cached |
| Infection | 92 | 3.2 2.6–3.9ROR 3.2 · χ² 135 / p 1e-31 | 3.1 EB05 2.6 · IC025 +1.3 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.8 | no trial data cached |
| Chills | 92 | 3.9 3.2–4.8ROR 4.0 · χ² 196 / p 9e-45 | 3.8 EB05 3.2 · IC025 +1.6 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 3.6 | no trial data cached |
| Dehydration | 90 | 3.4 2.7–4.1ROR 3.4 · χ² 147 / p 4e-34 | 3.3 EB05 2.8 · IC025 +1.4 3/3 methods agree | No label text to screen label has no adverse-reaction text | serious PRR 2.8 | no trial data cached |
Unlabeled candidate signals
Every screened signal with n ≥ 20 was either labeled, an indication term, or an artifact pattern — no unlabeled candidate stood out in the top signals.
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 Saline Nasal Spray?
In FDA FAERS, the most frequently co-reported reaction terms for Saline Nasal Spray are dyspnoea, pneumonia, cough, hypotension, paraesthesia, hypoaesthesia. 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 Saline Nasal Spray have an FDA boxed warning?
No. The FDA label retrieved for Saline Nasal Spray has no boxed warning; see the label's Warnings and Precautions for the recognised risks.
Do FAERS signals prove that Saline Nasal Spray 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 3247ae7d-554f-baab-e063-6294a90aa3ec, effective 20260825; matched on
openfda.generic_name.exact:"SALINE NASAL SPRAY") - 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, 408 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
Page generated 2026-10-08. 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.