Reported Reactions

Drugs

Product name as reported

Dihydrocodeine: adverse event reports filed with FDA

922 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Also reported as Dihydrocodeine /00063002/.

922
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 41 a year
77
reports, 12 months to June 2026
30 in the 12 months before
97.3%
marked serious by the reporter
57.4% across all reports
38.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
351 reports · not verified by FDA

Between February 2004 and June 2026, 922 adverse event reports received by FDA list the product name "Dihydrocodeine" as reporters wrote it as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (2,367) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 77 reports listed it, up 157% from 30 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 41 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The reactions recorded most often are toxicity to various agents (21.9%), overdose (13.6%) and death (7.3%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 261 different terms appear across these reports. Toxicity to various agents is recorded in 21.9% of these reports, against 0.8% of all reports in the database.

97.3% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter; 38.1% record death among the outcomes and 26.1% record hospitalisation, as reported. 50.9% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (29.6%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

01427Jul 2021: 3Aug 2021: 1Sep 2021: 1Oct 2021: 0Nov 2021: 2Dec 2021: 92022Jan 2022: 14Feb 2022: 9Mar 2022: 5Apr 2022: 2May 2022: 2Jun 2022: 6Jul 2022: 2Aug 2022: 7Sep 2022: 1Oct 2022: 1Nov 2022: 0Dec 2022: 12023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 0Mar 2023: 2Apr 2023: 11May 2023: 1Jun 2023: 3Jul 2023: 1Aug 2023: 4Sep 2023: 1Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 1Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 9Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 10Apr 2024: 1May 2024: 2Jun 2024: 3Jul 2024: 5Aug 2024: 5Sep 2024: 4Oct 2024: 5Nov 2024: 1Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 3Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 2May 2025: 3Jun 2025: 2Jul 2025: 12Aug 2025: 5Sep 2025: 27Oct 2025: 1Nov 2025: 5Dec 2025: 12026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 4Mar 2026: 12Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 3Jun 2026: 5

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

045902004: 820042005: 112006: 22008: 120082009: 12010: 232011: 920112012: 392013: 382014: 5620142015: 362016: 782017: 5620172018: 882019: 902020: 8920202021: 812022: 502023: 3420232024: 452025: 612026: 262026

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Dihydrocodeine reports recording the termall reports in the database

  1. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances21.9%202
  2. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount13.6%125
  3. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term7.3%67
  4. Completed suicidedeath by suicide6%55
  5. Drug dependencedependence on a medicine6%55
  6. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines5.3%49
  7. Somnolencedrowsiness5.2%48
  8. Intentional overdosea deliberate overdose4.3%40
  9. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine4.2%39
  10. Constipationconstipation4%37
  11. Foetal exposure during pregnancythe unborn baby was exposed to the medicine3.9%36
  12. Seizurea fit or convulsion3.9%36
  13. Nauseafeeling sick3.8%35
  14. Intentional product misusedeliberate use not as intended3.5%32
  15. Neuropathy peripheralnerve damage in hands or feet3.5%32
  16. Falla fall2.9%27
  17. Fatiguetiredness2.9%27
  18. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2.8%26
  19. Paraesthesiatingling or pins and needles2.6%24
  20. Premature babya baby born early2.6%24
  21. Suicide attempta suicide attempt2.6%24
  22. Painpain, site not specified2.5%23
  23. Acute kidney injurysudden loss of kidney function2.4%22
  24. Autoscopy2.4%22
  25. Respiratory depressionslow or shallow breathing2.4%22
  26. Vomitingbeing sick2.4%22
  27. Maternal exposure during pregnancythe mother took the medicine during pregnancy2.2%20
  28. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain2.1%19

Top 30 of 261 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 share of all reports in the database; 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

Death38.1%351
Life-threatening9.4%87
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)26.1%241
Disability6.9%64
Congenital anomaly4.3%40
Other serious54.7%504
Not serious2.7%25

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 20,646,523 reports. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 24.2%39
2 to 112.1%19
12 to 172.9%27
18 to 4429.6%273
45 to 6418.5%171
65 to 744.3%40
75 and over4%37
Age not given34.3%316

Patient sex

Female44.9%414
Male39.6%365
Not given15.5%143

Who reported

Physician13%120
Pharmacist9.3%86
Other health professional50.9%469
Lawyer2.3%21
Consumer or non-health professional21.7%200
Not given2.8%26

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 19.7% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Pain505.4%
Back pain141.5%
Analgesic therapy101.1%
Intentional product misuse50.5%
Foetal exposure during pregnancy40.4%
Neuralgia40.4%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 922 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Dihydrocodeine reports
Paracetamol15817.1%
Codeine13014.1%
Acetaminophen12914%
Pregabalin12914%
Diazepam12713.8%
Hydrocodone12713.8%
Tramadol10611.5%
Amitriptyline10411.3%
Omeprazole10010.8%
Gabapentin9810.6%

Other products listed in reports where Dihydrocodeine 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

MeasureDihydrocodeineAll reports
Reports as suspect product92220,646,523
Share of that pool—0%
Reports, latest 12 months771,332,454
Marked serious97.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports38191
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports261213
Consumer-filed share21.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsToxicity to various agents 21.9%0.8%

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."

Questions about Dihydrocodeine reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Dihydrocodeine?

922 reports list Dihydrocodeine as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 77 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 2,367 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Dihydrocodeine reports?

toxicity to various agents (21.9%), overdose (13.6%), death (7.3%), completed suicide (6%) and drug dependence (6%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Dihydrocodeine was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

97.3% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 38.1% of reports include death and 26.1% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

other health professional (50.9%), consumer or non-health professional (21.7%) and physician (13%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Dihydrocodeine rising?

77 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 157% from 30 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Dihydrocodeine was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Dihydrocodeine?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. 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 report counts here when it lists Dihydrocodeine as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (2,367) 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.

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