Dexmedetomidine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,653

reports as suspect product

0% of all reports · about 81 a year

160

reports, 12 months to June 2026

227 in the 12 months before

93.2%

marked serious by the reporter

75.5% across the class

6.5%

record death among outcomes, as reported

107 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 Dexmedetomidine reports recording the termmedian drug in central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist

1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected14%232
2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label12.9%213
3. Bradycardiaslow heart rate10.8%179
4. Hypotensionlow blood pressure8.7%144
5. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped5.6%93
6. Agitationrestlessness5.3%88
7. Deliriumsudden confusion4.9%81
8. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines4.8%80
9. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy3.6%59
10. Withdrawal syndrome3.4%57
11. Diabetes insipidus3.3%55
12. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances3%50
13. Drug withdrawal syndromesymptoms on stopping a medicine2.9%48
14. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse2.7%44
15. Respiratory failurethe lungs could not supply enough oxygen2.7%44
16. Drug ineffective for unapproved indication2.6%43
17. Hyperthermia2.5%41
18. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine2.4%40
19. Tachycardiafast heart rate2.2%37
20. Exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy2.2%36
21. Sedation complication2.1%35
22. Pyrexiafever2.1%34
23. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2%33
24. Electrocardiogram QT prolongeda QT prolongation on the ECG1.9%32
25. Polyuria1.9%31
26. Hypoxialow oxygen1.8%30
27. Respiratory depressionslow or shallow breathing1.8%29
28. Torsade de pointesa serious irregular heart rhythm1.8%29
29. Premature babya baby born early1.7%28
30. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure1.6%26

Top 30 of 349 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 13 drugs in the central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist 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 31,745 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. 60.3% 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 1,653 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Dexmedetomidine 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 central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist 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 Dexmedetomidine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,776) 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.