Reported Reactions

Drugs

Generic name

Dihydroergotamine mesylate: adverse event reports filed with FDA

558 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Also reported as Dihydroergotamine Mesylate Nasal Spray.

558
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 25 a year
124
reports, 12 months to June 2026
106 in the 12 months before
83%
marked serious by the reporter
57.4% across all reports
0.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
5 reports · not verified by FDA

558 adverse event reports received by FDA list dihydroergotamine mesylate, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from February 2004 to June 2026. A further 211 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 124 reports listed it, up 17% from 106 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 25 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 MedDRA terms listed most often are drug ineffective (59.9%), off label use (55.7%) and hyperhidrosis (54.5%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 117 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 59.9% of these reports, against 6.3% of all reports in the database.

83% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter; 0.9% record death among the outcomes and 8.8% record hospitalisation, as reported. 43.4% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (54.5%). 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

01428Jul 2021: 2Aug 2021: 3Sep 2021: 6Oct 2021: 12Nov 2021: 3Dec 2021: 112022Jan 2022: 5Feb 2022: 3Mar 2022: 10Apr 2022: 4May 2022: 5Jun 2022: 4Jul 2022: 3Aug 2022: 2Sep 2022: 4Oct 2022: 13Nov 2022: 2Dec 2022: 22023Jan 2023: 1Feb 2023: 4Mar 2023: 11Apr 2023: 8May 2023: 1Jun 2023: 1Jul 2023: 4Aug 2023: 4Sep 2023: 6Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 1Dec 2023: 12024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 10Mar 2024: 9Apr 2024: 1May 2024: 1Jun 2024: 12Jul 2024: 20Aug 2024: 3Sep 2024: 14Oct 2024: 12Nov 2024: 20Dec 2024: 112025Jan 2025: 5Feb 2025: 3Mar 2025: 1Apr 2025: 2May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 14Jul 2025: 3Aug 2025: 2Sep 2025: 7Oct 2025: 8Nov 2025: 5Dec 2025: 72026Jan 2026: 12Feb 2026: 11Mar 2026: 18Apr 2026: 8May 2026: 28Jun 2026: 15

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

0571132004: 820042005: 52006: 82007: 1220072008: 72009: 102010: 1020102011: 82012: 112014: 220142016: 52017: 142018: 1220182019: 192020: 122021: 5120212022: 572023: 442024: 11320242025: 582026: 92

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Dihydroergotamine mesylate reports recording the termall reports in the database

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected59.9%334
  2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label55.7%311
  3. Hyperhidrosisexcessive sweating54.5%304
  4. Nightmarenightmares54.1%302
  5. Sedationdrowsiness from a medicine54.1%302
  6. Nauseafeeling sick48.4%270
  7. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label46.1%257
  8. Nephrolithiasiskidney stones38.7%216
  9. Treatment failurethe treatment did not work9%50
  10. Migrainemigraine8.1%45
  11. Dyspnoeashortness of breath7.9%44
  12. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain7.7%43
  13. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools7.3%41
  14. Product used for unknown indicationthe reason for taking the medicine was not stated7.2%40
  15. Anuria7%39
  16. Coughcough7%39
  17. Dyspepsiaindigestion7%39
  18. Extrapyramidal disordermovement problems such as stiffness or tremor7%39
  19. Neovascularisation7%39
  20. Paradoxical drug reaction7%39
  21. Weight decreasedweight loss7%39
  22. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used2.5%14
  23. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines1.3%7
  24. Falla fall0.9%5
  25. Anaemialow red blood cells0.7%4
  26. Anaphylactic reactiona severe, sudden allergic reaction0.7%4
  27. Deep vein thrombosisa blood clot in a deep vein0.7%4
  28. Drug exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy0.7%4

Top 30 of 117 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

Death0.9%5
Life-threatening1.3%7
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)8.8%49
Disability1.1%6
Congenital anomaly0.9%5
Other serious74.4%415
Not serious17%95

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 20%0
2 to 110.4%2
12 to 171.1%6
18 to 4410.6%59
45 to 6454.5%304
65 to 742%11
75 and over1.3%7
Age not given30.3%169

Patient sex

Female33.7%188
Male47.8%267
Not given18.5%103

Who reported

Physician13.4%75
Pharmacist4.8%27
Other health professional43.4%242
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional35.7%199
Not given2.7%15

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 24.7% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Migraine38969.7%
Headache101.8%
Migraine without aura81.4%
New daily persistent headache61.1%
Post-traumatic headache50.9%
Cluster headache20.4%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 558 reports.

In context

MeasureDihydroergotamine mesylateAll reports
Reports as suspect product55820,646,523
Share of that pool—0%
Reports, latest 12 months1241,332,454
Marked serious83%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports991
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports88213
Consumer-filed share35.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 59.9%6.3%

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 Dihydroergotamine mesylate reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Dihydroergotamine mesylate?

558 reports list Dihydroergotamine mesylate as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 124 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 211 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Dihydroergotamine mesylate reports?

drug ineffective (59.9%), off label use (55.7%), hyperhidrosis (54.5%), nightmare (54.1%) and sedation (54.1%). 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 Dihydroergotamine mesylate was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

83% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 0.9% of reports include death and 8.8% 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 (43.4%), consumer or non-health professional (35.7%) and physician (13.4%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Dihydroergotamine mesylate rising?

124 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 17% from 106 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 Dihydroergotamine mesylate 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 Dihydroergotamine mesylate?

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 Dihydroergotamine mesylate as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (211) 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.