Reported Reactions

Drugs › Tricyclic antidepressant

Generic name

Doxepin hydrochloride: adverse event reports filed with FDA

860 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Tricyclic antidepressant. Also reported as Doxepin Hydrochloride Capsules Usp, Doxepin Hcl Capsules Usp.

860
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 39 a year
43
reports, 12 months to June 2026
84 in the 12 months before
78%
marked serious by the reporter
88.7% across the class
33.8%
record death among outcomes, as reported
291 reports · not verified by FDA

Between September 2004 and May 2026, 860 adverse event reports received by FDA list doxepin hydrochloride, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (1,194) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 43 reports listed it, down 49% from 84 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 39 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 4.7% of the reports for the tricyclic antidepressant class. 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 completed suicide (21.3%), toxicity to various agents (16.4%) and insomnia (11.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 403 different terms appear across these reports. Completed suicide is recorded in 21.3% of these reports, about the same share as in the median tricyclic antidepressant drug (17.4%).

78% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (88.7% across the class); 33.8% record death among the outcomes and 26% record hospitalisation, as reported. 31.5% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (30.7%). 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

01325Jul 2021: 16Aug 2021: 13Sep 2021: 4Oct 2021: 7Nov 2021: 2Dec 2021: 62022Jan 2022: 6Feb 2022: 11Mar 2022: 20Apr 2022: 5May 2022: 4Jun 2022: 8Jul 2022: 3Aug 2022: 12Sep 2022: 7Oct 2022: 4Nov 2022: 8Dec 2022: 22023Jan 2023: 6Feb 2023: 25Mar 2023: 2Apr 2023: 2May 2023: 5Jun 2023: 9Jul 2023: 8Aug 2023: 6Sep 2023: 13Oct 2023: 4Nov 2023: 5Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 4Feb 2024: 16Mar 2024: 8Apr 2024: 2May 2024: 12Jun 2024: 5Jul 2024: 7Aug 2024: 6Sep 2024: 13Oct 2024: 6Nov 2024: 6Dec 2024: 62025Jan 2025: 16Feb 2025: 17Mar 2025: 2Apr 2025: 1May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 3Jul 2025: 8Aug 2025: 3Sep 2025: 2Oct 2025: 4Nov 2025: 4Dec 2025: 32026Jan 2026: 1Feb 2026: 9Mar 2026: 3Apr 2026: 4May 2026: 2Jun 2026: 0

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

0581152004: 120042005: 32006: 32007: 520072008: 72009: 52010: 1420102011: 132012: 112013: 1720132014: 132015: 182016: 2220162017: 412018: 432019: 9020192020: 882021: 1152022: 9020222023: 872024: 912025: 6420252026: 19

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Doxepin hydrochloride reports recording the termmedian drug in tricyclic antidepressant

  1. Completed suicidedeath by suicide21.3%183
  2. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances16.4%141
  3. Insomniadifficulty sleeping11.9%102
  4. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness11.6%100
  5. Falla fall10.6%91
  6. Anxietyanxiety10.5%90
  7. Painpain, site not specified10.5%90
  8. Memory impairmentmemory problems10.2%88
  9. Ataxia9.7%83
  10. Bradycardiaslow heart rate9.4%81
  11. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label9.4%81
  12. Nocturia9.2%79
  13. Hypoaesthesianumbness9.1%78
  14. Balance disorderproblems with balance9%77
  15. Erectile dysfunctiondifficulty getting or keeping an erection9%77
  16. Gait spastic8.7%75
  17. Hypertonic bladder8.7%75
  18. Monoparesis8.7%75
  19. Multiple sclerosis relapsea flare of multiple sclerosis8.7%75
  20. Needle fatigue8.7%75
  21. Pollakiuriapassing urine more often8.7%75
  22. Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis8.7%75
  23. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label7.3%63
  24. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected7.2%62
  25. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines5.9%51

Top 30 of 403 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 11 drugs in the tricyclic antidepressant 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

Death33.8%291
Life-threatening3.4%29
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)26%224
Disability0.8%7
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious46.4%399
Not serious22%189

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 18,174 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

Patient age

Under 20.6%5
2 to 111.4%12
12 to 171.9%16
18 to 4426.9%231
45 to 6430.7%264
65 to 749.5%82
75 and over6.3%54
Age not given22.8%196

Patient sex

Female56.2%483
Male33.1%285
Not given10.7%92

Who reported

Physician28.8%248
Pharmacist7.8%67
Other health professional29.3%252
Lawyer0.3%3
Consumer or non-health professional31.5%271
Not given2.2%19

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 62.9% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Sleep disorder364.2%
Major depression333.8%
Insomnia303.5%
Depression141.6%
Anxiety70.8%
Urticaria chronic70.8%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 860 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Doxepin hydrochloride reports
Gabapentin15918.5%
Lorazepam12714.8%
Rosuvastatin calcium9210.7%
Baclofen8810.2%
Ergocalciferol779%
Calcium768.8%
Ativan728.4%
Aspirin718.3%
Rabeprazole677.8%
Bisoprolol647.4%

Other products listed in reports where Doxepin hydrochloride 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

MeasureDoxepin hydrochlorideTricyclic antidepressantAll reports
Reports as suspect product86018,17420,646,523
Share of that pool—4.7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months43—1,332,454
Marked serious78%88.7%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports33829591
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports260351213
Consumer-filed share31.5%19%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsCompleted suicide 21.3%median 17.4%0.4%

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 tricyclic antidepressant class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Amitriptyline hydrochloridegeneric4,50434190%
Doxepingeneric3,13419388.7%
Amitriptyline hclgeneric2,553091.4%
Anafranilbrand1,8685696.9%
Nortriptyline hydrochloridegeneric1,70222584.4%
Doxepin hclgeneric1,107081%
Pamelorbrand6782373.7%
Clomipramine hydrochloridegeneric5987392.1%
Trimipraminegeneric5894198.6%
Nortriptyline hclgeneric581086.4%

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.

Questions about Doxepin hydrochloride reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Doxepin hydrochloride?

860 reports list Doxepin hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 43 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,194 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Doxepin hydrochloride reports?

completed suicide (21.3%), toxicity to various agents (16.4%), insomnia (11.9%), dizziness (11.6%) and fall (10.6%). 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 Doxepin hydrochloride was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

78% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 33.8% of reports include death and 26% 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?

consumer or non-health professional (31.5%), other health professional (29.3%) and physician (28.8%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Doxepin hydrochloride rising?

43 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 49% from 84 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 Doxepin hydrochloride 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 Doxepin hydrochloride?

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 Doxepin hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,194) 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.