Reported Reactions

Drugs › Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Brand name · Diclofenac epolamine

Flector: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,659 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2008–2026. Class: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Also reported as Flector Patch, Flector /00372302/.

2,659
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 144 a year
12
reports, 12 months to June 2026
4 in the 12 months before
22.2%
marked serious by the reporter
71.8% across the class
1.4%
record death among outcomes, as reported
36 reports · not verified by FDA

2,659 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Flector (diclofenac epolamine) as a suspect or interacting product, from February 2008 to June 2026. A further 1,119 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, 12 reports listed it, up 200% from 4 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 144 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.5% of the reports for the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug 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 drug ineffective (18.5%), pain (5.8%) and nausea (5.4%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 361 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 18.5% of these reports, a larger share than in the median nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug drug (13.9%).

22.2% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (71.8% across the class); 1.4% record death among the outcomes and 8.6% record hospitalisation, as reported. 69.1% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (17.8%). 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: 0Aug 2021: 0Sep 2021: 0Oct 2021: 2Nov 2021: 1Dec 2021: 02022Jan 2022: 0Feb 2022: 7Mar 2022: 25Apr 2022: 3May 2022: 0Jun 2022: 1Jul 2022: 0Aug 2022: 0Sep 2022: 1Oct 2022: 1Nov 2022: 1Dec 2022: 02023Jan 2023: 1Feb 2023: 0Mar 2023: 11Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 0Jun 2023: 1Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 2Sep 2023: 6Oct 2023: 0Nov 2023: 2Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 4Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 1Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 2Sep 2024: 0Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 1Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 1May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 1Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 5Nov 2025: 1Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 3Apr 2026: 1May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 1

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

02805592008: 2020082009: 322010: 55920102011: 1122012: 50620122013: 2022014: 11820142015: 1052016: 12720162017: 1302018: 15620182019: 2032020: 17920202021: 1252022: 3920222023: 252024: 720242025: 92026: 52026

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Flector reports recording the termmedian drug in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected18.5%493
  2. Painpain, site not specified5.8%155
  3. Nauseafeeling sick5.4%143
  4. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.6%122
  5. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness4%106
  6. Rashskin rash3.9%103
  7. Headachehead pain3.4%90
  8. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell3%81
  9. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label2.8%74
  10. Pruritusitching2.8%74
  11. Intentional product misusedeliberate use not as intended2.5%66
  12. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort2.2%59
  13. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right2.1%56
  14. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2%54
  15. Dyspnoeashortness of breath1.8%48
  16. Pain in extremitypain in an arm or leg1.8%47
  17. Erythemaskin redness1.7%44
  18. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain1.6%43
  19. Application site erythemaredness where the product was applied1.6%43
  20. Application site pruritusitching where the product was applied1.6%43
  21. Expired product administeredthe product was used past its expiry date1.6%43
  22. Vomitingbeing sick1.6%43
  23. Fatiguetiredness1.6%42
  24. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine1.5%41
  25. Arthralgiajoint pain1.4%38
  26. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used1.4%37

Top 30 of 361 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 47 drugs in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug 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

Death1.4%36
Life-threatening1.9%50
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)8.6%230
Disability0.5%12
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious14%371
Not serious77.8%2,070

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 548,672 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 20.1%3
2 to 110%1
12 to 170.3%7
18 to 444.2%111
45 to 6417.8%474
65 to 7412.9%344
75 and over16.7%443
Age not given48%1,276

Patient sex

Female61.8%1,643
Male24.1%640
Not given14.1%376

Who reported

Physician15.4%410
Pharmacist4.5%120
Other health professional8.7%231
Lawyer0%1
Consumer or non-health professional69.1%1,838
Not given2.2%59

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 91.4% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Back pain37714.2%
Pain29811.2%
Arthralgia1826.8%
Arthritis662.5%
Musculoskeletal pain612.3%
Pain in extremity501.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,659 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Flector reports
Aspirin592.2%
Diclofenac sodium592.2%
Celebrex532%
Lisinopril451.7%
Omeprazole451.7%
Gabapentin431.6%
Ibuprofen421.6%
Synthroid411.5%
Amlodipine391.5%
Lipitor391.5%

Other products listed in reports where Flector 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

MeasureFlectorNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,659548,67220,646,523
Share of that pool—0.5%0%
Reports, latest 12 months12—1,332,454
Marked serious22.2%71.8%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports1416291
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports86356213
Consumer-filed share69.1%38.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 18.5%median 13.9%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."

Other drugs in the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Acetaminophengeneric86,93611,55494.8%
Ibuprofengeneric77,0585,63282.8%
Aspiringeneric72,1583,57593.2%
Diclofenac sodiumgeneric51,9202,97951.8%
Alevebrand49,10135116.4%
Celebrexbrand45,73173572.2%
Diclofenacgeneric27,7602,84291.6%
Naproxengeneric23,8722,14790.7%
Advilbrand19,64952227.6%
Celecoxibgeneric15,2011,92582%
Naproxen sodiumgeneric9,8741,22079%
Meloxicamgeneric7,86045973.1%
Diclofenac potassiumgeneric5,7021,24097.8%
Ketoprofengeneric5,63966198.3%
Advil pmgeneric4,97813411.1%

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 Flector reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Flector?

2,659 reports list Flector as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 12 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,119 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Flector reports?

drug ineffective (18.5%), pain (5.8%), nausea (5.4%), off label use (4.6%) and dizziness (4%). 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 Flector was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

22.2% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 1.4% of reports include death and 8.6% 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 (69.1%), physician (15.4%) and other health professional (8.7%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Flector rising?

12 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 200% from 4 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 Flector 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 Flector?

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 Flector as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,119) 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.