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Adverse event reports that FDA received

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Atorvastatin adverse event reports that FDA received

Name type
Generic name
Also reported as
Atorvastatin 20mg, Atorvastatin /01326102/, Atorvastatin Tablet

What a report is

A report is not proof that the drug was the cause of the event.

FDA says:

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.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview, section "Responsible use of the data". The site read the page on . The data have the reports that FDA received through .

FDA also says:

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 has not been scientifically or otherwise verified as to a cause and effect relationship and cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

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.

Source: openFDA, Response of the drug event API (meta.disclaimer). The site read the page on .

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

Drug reports received through . Device reports have a separate cutoff, 30 Sep 2026. Why a report count is not a rate.

Reports on file

From January 2004 to June 2026, FDA received 44,826 adverse event reports that name Atorvastatin. In these reports the drug is a suspect or interacting product.

In the same period, 218,443 further reports name it only as a concomitant medicine. The counts on this page do not include these reports.

FDA received 5,606 reports in the 12 months to June 2026 and 5,216 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

Of the 1,332,454 drug reports that FDA received in the 12 months to June 2026, 5,606 (0.4%) name Atorvastatin. Reports from consumers or other non-health professionals were 24.7% of the reports that name Atorvastatin and 45.8% of all drug reports.

The number of people who use the product is not in the data. A count is not a rate. A count of reports is not a count of events or of patients, because one event can have more than one report.

There are many instances of duplicative reports and some reports do not contain all the necessary information.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

Suspect product

FDA records each drug in a report as suspect, concomitant or interacting. This page counts the reports in which Atorvastatin is suspect or interacting. FDA says:

Any number of the drugs may be marked as suspect if thought to be responsible for one or more of the reactions, but that information is not validated.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Data version

openFDA FAERS release of 29 Oct 2026. Reports received through 30 Jun 2026.

Since the last update

FDA says:

Many factors can influence whether or not an event will be reported, such as the time a product has been marketed and publicity about an event.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

The information in these reports cannot be used to estimate the incidence (occurrence rates) of the events reported.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

The latest update of the FDA data, recorded on , changed no count of this page.

  • In April to June 2026, FDA received 1,454 reports that name Atorvastatin.
  • In January to March 2026, FDA received 1,467.
  • In April to June 2025, FDA received 1,287.

April to June 2026 is the latest closed quarter in the data. A closed quarter is a quarter for which the FDA files have most of the reports.

All updatesFeed of updates (RSS)

Reaction lookup

These are the reaction terms that the reports record, with the number of reports for each term. Type a term or a plain word to find its count.

What this list leaves out

The table lists the 2,232 reaction terms that 5 or more reports record. A term with fewer than 5 reports is not in the table.

The site keeps reaction terms for 44,627 of the 44,826 reports (99.6%).

The reports of the other years are not in the counts.

So a count in the table can be lower than the count of FDA.

The table shows the first 50 of 2,232 terms.

Reaction terms in the reports that name Atorvastatin, most reports first
Reaction term (MedDRA) and plain meaningReportsShare of the 44,826 reports
Myalgiamuscle pain4,3679.7%
Rhabdomyolysismuscle breakdown2,8466.3%
Drug interactionan interaction between medicines2,7776.2%
Fatiguetiredness2,2725.1%
Dyspnoeashortness of breath2,0154.5%
Arthralgiajoint pain2,0044.5%
Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected1,7633.9%
Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function1,6813.8%
Astheniaweakness or lack of energy1,6523.7%
Headachehead pain1,6343.6%
Nauseafeeling sick1,5953.6%
Muscular weaknessmuscle weakness1,4793.3%
Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1,4633.3%
Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools1,4463.2%
Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1,4023.1%
Muscle spasmsmuscle cramps1,3763.1%
Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg1,3202.9%
Painpain, site not specified1,2892.9%
Falla fall1,1992.7%
Pruritusitching1,1752.6%
Blood creatine phosphokinase increased1,0422.3%
Immune-mediated myositis9822.2%
Vomitingbeing sick9762.2%
Myopathy9582.1%
Hypotensionlow blood pressure9252.1%
Cough9142%
Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label9132%
Back pain8952%
Insomniadifficulty sleeping8591.9%
Chest pain8421.9%
Weight decreasedweight loss8401.9%
Rashskin rash8121.8%
Completed suicidedeath by suicide8051.8%
Drug-induced liver injury7971.8%
Paraesthesiatingling or pins and needles7861.8%
Abdominal painstomach or belly pain7831.7%
Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse7721.7%
Decreased appetitereduced appetite7721.7%
Gait disturbancedifficulty walking7431.7%
Pyrexiafever7421.7%
Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances7411.7%
Constipation6971.6%
Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain6941.5%
Medication errora mistake in prescribing, dispensing or taking a medicine6771.5%
Depressionlow mood6681.5%
Hepatic cytolysis6681.5%
Peripheral swellingswelling of the arms or legs6391.4%
Hypertensionhigh blood pressure6311.4%
Syncopefainting6001.3%
Confusional stateconfusion5971.3%

Download all 2,232 terms of Atorvastatin (CSV)

The counts add to more than 44,826 reports, because one report can record more than one term. FDA says:

No individual drug is connected to any individual reaction. When a report lists multiple drugs and multiple reactions, there is no way to conclude from the data therein that a given drug is responsible for a given reaction.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

The CSV file has the same rows and the same limits. Its last row is a note that says so.

MedDRA term

The person who codes a report selects the preferred term that agrees best with the description of the reporter. The words under a term are the plain meaning that this site gives.

Not the label

The FDA-approved label of a product lists its adverse reactions. See the official pages at the end of this page.

Same ingredient, other names

Reporters write a brand name or a generic name. Each name has its own page and its own count.

Names of Atorvastatin with a page, in the order generic names, brand names, names as reported
NameName typeReports
Atorvastatin (this page)Generic name44,826
Atorvastatin calciumGeneric name20,120
LipitorBrand name55,172

Sum of the separately reported names: 120,118. A report that names two of these names is in the sum two times. The sum is not the number of reports for the ingredient.

FDA says:

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.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

Outcomes by year

The table gives the outcomes that the reporters gave, in the terms of FDA.

Outcomes in the reports that name Atorvastatin, by the year of the openFDA file that holds the report

The table continues to the right.

Year of the openFDA fileReportsSeriousDeathLife-threateningHospitalization (initial or prolonged)Disability or Permanent DamageCongenital Anomaly/Birth DefectOther Serious (Important Medical Events)Not serious
200415715528869185752
200515315018710381543
2006991151040
200753499716101254
2008146142291033165814
200990882952990382
2010140139201869170641
20112011972623842201184
2012704645553922966740359
20131,050957975429090766093
20141,2381,1406070303211177798
20151,3871,25477573951670835133
20161,6051,38970745571684929216
20171,7811,5101561066211273976271
20182,8102,5101751911,16116441,661300
20193,1482,8712752071,19424671,909277
20203,4523,2213461931,39417872,203231
20213,3343,1772902381,51615252,247157
20223,8293,5933162081,592212102,618236
20235,1664,7213833761,78836423,568445
20245,2904,9552593101,929375103,716335
20255,7625,4983334262,02343314,310264
20263,3213,2103073021,20528902,575111

An outcome in a report is not proof that the drug was the cause. The reporter gives the outcome, and FDA does not verify it. FDA says:

The information in these reports has not been scientifically or otherwise verified as to a cause and effect relationship and cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

The six headings with the names of FDA are the outcome terms of FDA. A report can have more than one outcome. The columns Serious and Not serious are the two values of the openFDA field serious. For the value serious, openFDA gives this description:

The adverse event resulted in death, a life threatening condition, hospitalization, disability, congenital anomaly, or other serious condition

Source: openFDA, Drug adverse event fields (YAML reference). The site read the page on .

The year is the year of the openFDA file that holds the latest version of the report. It is not always the year in which FDA first received the report. The chart of the next section uses the year of first receipt. The latest year is not complete.

Reports by year and month

Reports that name Atorvastatin, by the year in which FDA received them
05,00010,000200420082012201620202024

The column of 2026 has an outline, because the year is not complete. It has the reports that FDA received through June 2026 only.

Show the figures of the chart as a table
Reports that name Atorvastatin, by the year in which FDA received them
YearReports
2004149
2005160
200612
200748
2008152
200996
2010148
2011209
2012797
20131,055
20141,299
20151,487
20161,675
20171,951
20183,017
20193,321
20203,591
20213,478
20223,673
20235,093
20245,174
20255,320
20262,921
Reports that name Atorvastatin, by month, five years to June 2026
05001,00020222023202420252026

FDA releases FAERS data every quarter, so the newest months are not complete. They grow in later releases.

Why a count moves

A count moves for many reasons. The guide gives FDA's words about them.

Patients and reporters

Age of the patient in the reports that name Atorvastatin
AgeReportsShareShare as a bar
Under 2410.1%
2 to 11300.1%
12 to 171240.3%
18 to 441,9094.3%
45 to 6412,40327.7%
65 to 7410,85224.2%
75 and over9,18120.5%
Age not given10,28622.9%
Sex of the patient in the reports that name Atorvastatin
SexReportsShareShare as a bar
Female18,15940.5%
Male20,84346.5%
Unknown or not given5,82413%
Type of reporter in the reports that name Atorvastatin
ReporterReportsShareShare as a bar
Physician14,87533.2%
Pharmacist5,20611.6%
Other health professional12,39827.7%
Lawyer2680.6%
Consumer or non-health professional11,07624.7%
Not given1,0032.2%

Age and sex are as the report gives them. The reporter is the primary source in the report. 20.8% of the reports give the United States as the country.

Reason for use

Reason for use (indication) that the reports of Atorvastatin record
Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Hypercholesterolaemia3,7758.4%
Dyslipidaemia3,2677.3%
Blood cholesterol increased3,1907.1%
Hyperlipidaemia2,1244.7%
Prophylaxis8721.9%
Blood cholesterol8401.9%

The reporter fills in the indication, and the field is often empty. Each share is of all 44,826 reports.

Drugs in the same reports

Other drugs that the reports of Atorvastatin name, in any role, in order of name
DrugReports that name the two
Amlodipine4,563
Aspirin6,193
Bisoprolol4,206
Clopidogrel2,837
Ezetimibe2,598
Furosemide3,532
Metformin4,109
Omeprazole3,061
Ramipril4,005
Simvastatin2,706

The table has the 10 drug names that these reports name most. Two names in one report says only that the report recorded the two. It says nothing about the part of a product in the event.

FDA says:

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.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

Importantly, the AEMS data by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

Pages near this one

These links are for navigation. No count selected them.

Official pages

The site checked these addresses on . The links open in a new tab.

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Reported Reactions. Atorvastatin: adverse event reports that FDA received. https://reportedreactions.com/drug/atorvastatin/ Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) files, release of . Reports received through .

Where the data come from

The counts come from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk files, release of 29 Oct 2026. The files have the reports that FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. A drug name is the name on the report. The site matches it to a brand name or a generic name of the National Drug Code Directory of 2 Nov 2026. A class is the pharmacologic class (EPC) of the FDA label.

A report is in the count when it names Atorvastatin as a suspect or interacting product. The 218,443 reports that name it only as a concomitant medicine are not in the count. The site does not publish a report narrative, a lot number, a detail of a patient or the identity of a reporter. The record of FDA is the authority. See how the site counts reports, the data sources and the corrections page.

Questions

Do these reports show that Atorvastatin was responsible for the reactions?

No. FDA says:

For any given report, there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event.

Source: FDA, FDA Adverse Event Monitoring System (AEMS) Public Dashboard. Content current as of . The site read the page on .

A reaction can relate to the condition that the drug treats, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this the list of reactions on the label of Atorvastatin?

No. It is a count of what people reported to FDA: 44,826 reports from January 2004 to June 2026. The FDA-approved label of a product lists its adverse reactions. The official pages at the end of this page link to the labels.

Who sent these reports?

Physician (33.2%), other health professional (27.7%) and consumer or non-health professional (24.7%). These are the types of reporter for the reports that name this drug.

If a manufacturer receives an adverse event report, it is normally required to send the report to FDA.

Source: openFDA, Drug Adverse Event Overview. The site read the page on .

How does a person report an adverse event?

FDA runs MedWatch, a program that takes voluntary reports from health professionals, patients and consumers. The guide on how to report has the links.