Pharmacologic class (EPC) · 11 drug pages

alpha-Adrenergic agonist: adverse event reports filed with FDA

23,291 reports list a drug in this class as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026.

Read first · FDA's statement on these data

Adverse event reports submitted to FDA do not undergo extensive validation or verification. Therefore, a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report. While a suspected relationship may exist, it is not medically validated and should not be the sole source of information for clinical decision making or other assumptions about the safety or efficacy of a product. Additionally, it is important to remember that adverse event reports represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product. Common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product. openFDA, FDA

FDA adds: "There is no certainty that the reported event (adverse event or medication error) was actually due to the product. FDA does not require that a causal relationship between a product and event be proven, and reports do not always contain enough detail to properly evaluate an event." The information in these reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated.

Not medical advice. This site counts what was reported to FDA. Questions about a medicine or device belong with a pharmacist or clinician.

23,291
reports across the class: 0.1% of all reports; 1,713
reports, 12 months to June 2026: 2,031 in the 12 months before; 50.8%
marked serious by the reporter: 57.4% across all reports; 11
drugs with a page: brand and generic names counted separately

alpha-Adrenergic agonist is a pharmacologic class (an FDA Established Pharmacologic Class) with 11 drug pages on this site. Together those drugs are listed as a suspect or interacting product in 23,291 adverse event reports received by FDA, 0.1% of the database, from January 2004 to June 2026.

1,713 reports arrived in the 12 months to June 2026, down 16% from 2,031 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. 50.8% of the class's reports are marked serious, 15.6% record death among the outcomes and 19.9% record hospitalisation, as reported.

Across the class the reactions recorded most often are drug ineffective (27.5%), treatment failure (24.3%) and pain (21.2%). The class median share shown beside each term is the middle value across the member drugs; it is the comparison used on every drug page in this class.

The members table is ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Drugs in the class

Drug	Name type	Reports	Latest 12 months	Marked serious	Top term recorded
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride	generic	8,381	1,163	90.4%	Systemic lupus erythematosus
Brimonidine	generic	4,285	122	17.7%	Treatment failure
CombiganBrimonidine tartrate, timolol maleate	brand	2,940	49	23.1%	Ocular hyperaemia
Alphagan PBrimonidine tartrate	brand	2,656	110	31.9%	Ocular hyperaemia
Brimonidine tartrate	generic	1,012	178	42.2%	Eye irritation
MirvasoBrimonidine tartrate	brand	926	2	21%	Erythema
Claritin-DLoratadine and pseudoephedrine sulfate	brand	732	16	22.5%	Drug ineffective
AlavertLoratadine	brand	618	0	31.6%	Drug ineffective
Loratadine and pseudoephedrine sulfate	generic	616	22	10.2%	Drug ineffective
Midodrine hydrochloride	generic	595	51	70.1%	Drug ineffective
Pseudoephedrine hcl	generic	530	0	94.7%	Pain

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Reports by month, five years

FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

Reactions recorded across the class

share of class reports recording the termmedian drug in the class

Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected27.5%6,394
Treatment failurethe treatment did not work24.3%5,659
Painpain, site not specified21.2%4,942
Systemic lupus erythematosuslupus, an autoimmune disease21.2%4,939
Rheumatoid arthritisrheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease20.8%4,856
Pemphigus20.8%4,837
Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort20.4%4,754
Alopeciahair loss20%4,665
Fatiguetiredness19.3%4,502
Glossodynia19%4,426
Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction18.5%4,307
Rashskin rash18.5%4,305
Wound18.3%4,260
Swellingswelling18.3%4,256
Hand deformity17.8%4,154
Pericarditisinflammation of the sac around the heart16.9%3,931
Synovitis16.8%3,905
Arthropathy16.7%3,895
Contraindicated product administered16.6%3,868
Infusion related reactiona reaction during or soon after an infusion16.3%3,792
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label16.1%3,753
Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy16.1%3,740
Joint swellinga swollen joint15.7%3,667
Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated15.3%3,575
Hepatic enzyme increasedraised liver enzymes14.9%3,474

Solid bar: share of all class reports. Hollow bar: the median share across the 11 member drugs, the reference used on each member's page. One report can record several terms.

Outcomes, patients and reporters

Outcomes recorded

Death15.6%3,631

Life-threatening15.8%3,676

Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)19.9%4,643

Disability19.7%4,584

Congenital anomaly7.3%1,702

Other serious43.7%10,187

Not serious49.2%11,469

Patient age

Under 20.9%198

2 to 110.5%107

12 to 170.6%133

18 to 4418.4%4,297

45 to 6411%2,570

65 to 746.2%1,439

75 and over8.4%1,964

Age not given54%12,583

Who reported

Physician12.9%2,997

Pharmacist1.9%447

Other health professional34.1%7,937

Lawyer0%7

Consumer or non-health professional48.1%11,198

Not given3%705

Grey bar: all 20,646,523 reports in the database. Outcome flags are as the reporter set them and are not verified by FDA.

Questions about alpha-Adrenergic agonist reports

Which drugs are in the alpha-Adrenergic agonist class on this site?

Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, Brimonidine, Combigan, Alphagan P, Brimonidine tartrate and Mirvaso and 5 more. Class membership comes from the pharmacologic class (EPC) on the drug's FDA label.

How many reports does the class have?

23,291 reports through June 2026, 1,713 of them in the latest 12 months. A report listing two drugs of the class counts once for each.

What reactions are recorded most often?

drug ineffective (27.5%), treatment failure (24.3%), pain (21.2%), systemic lupus erythematosus (21.2%) and rheumatoid arthritis (20.8%).

Can the members table be used to rank the drugs?

No. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." Drugs differ in how many people take them, in the conditions they treat, in time on the market and in how diligently reports are collected.

How do I report an adverse event?

Through FDA MedWatch (Form FDA 3500, or 1-800-FDA-1088) or to the manufacturer. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A class is the Established Pharmacologic Class most often attached to a drug's reports by openFDA's label harmonisation, or from the NDC Directory where reports carry none. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.