Chlorpromazine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

3,372

reports as suspect product

0% of all reports · about 150 a year

225

reports, 12 months to June 2026

235 in the 12 months before

97.3%

marked serious by the reporter

87.8% across the class

21.5%

record death among outcomes, as reported

726 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Chlorpromazine reports recording the termmedian drug in phenothiazine

1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected10.5%354
2. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances7.9%267
3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label7.1%240
4. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount6.4%217
5. Neuroleptic malignant syndromea rare severe reaction with fever and rigidity6.3%212
6. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines6.3%211
7. Completed suicidedeath by suicide4.6%154
8. Neutropenialow neutrophils, a type of white blood cell4.5%151
9. Seizurea fit or convulsion4.3%146
10. Suicide attempta suicide attempt4.2%140
11. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine3.8%129
12. Psychotic disordera loss of contact with reality3.8%128
13. Sedationdrowsiness from a medicine3.8%128
14. Fatiguetiredness3.8%127
15. Extrapyramidal disordermovement problems such as stiffness or tremor3.7%125
16. Somnolencedrowsiness3.7%125
17. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse3.6%123
18. Schizophreniaschizophrenia3.5%118
19. Insomniadifficulty sleeping3.3%110
20. Nauseafeeling sick3.2%108
21. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine3.2%107
22. Intentional overdosea deliberate overdose3.2%107
23. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.1%104
24. Treatment failurethe treatment did not work3%101
25. Hallucination, auditory2.8%94
26. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.8%93
27. Coma2.7%92
28. Anxietyanxiety2.7%91
29. Leukopenialow white blood cells2.6%89
30. Aggressionaggressive behaviour2.6%88

Top 30 of 742 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 8 drugs in the phenothiazine class; it describes the reports, not the patients. 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."

Outcomes recorded

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 15,718 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 26.2% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 3,372 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Chlorpromazine is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. 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."

Other drugs in the phenothiazine class

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." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

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 report counts here when it lists Chlorpromazine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (2,848) are excluded. 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.