Reported Reactions

Drugs › Antihistamine

Generic name

Hydroxyzine hydrochloride: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,500 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Antihistamine. Also reported as Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride Tablets 25mg, Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride Tablets 50mg, Hydroxyzine Hydrochloride Tablets.

2,500
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 111 a year
417
reports, 12 months to June 2026
269 in the 12 months before
83.4%
marked serious by the reporter
74.8% across the class
35.2%
record death among outcomes, as reported
881 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 2,500 adverse event reports received by FDA list hydroxyzine hydrochloride, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (10,691) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 417 reports listed it, up 55% from 269 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 111 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 15.9% of the reports for the antihistamine class. 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 toxicity to various agents (24.7%), completed suicide (17%) and drug abuse (9.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 589 different terms appear across these reports. Toxicity to various agents is recorded in 24.7% of these reports, a larger share than in the median antihistamine drug (10%).

83.4% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (74.8% across the class); 35.2% record death among the outcomes and 28.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 42.8% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (29.7%). 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

04386Jul 2021: 5Aug 2021: 17Sep 2021: 8Oct 2021: 12Nov 2021: 36Dec 2021: 252022Jan 2022: 10Feb 2022: 12Mar 2022: 26Apr 2022: 15May 2022: 25Jun 2022: 19Jul 2022: 18Aug 2022: 15Sep 2022: 23Oct 2022: 85Nov 2022: 23Dec 2022: 192023Jan 2023: 25Feb 2023: 32Mar 2023: 41Apr 2023: 27May 2023: 40Jun 2023: 18Jul 2023: 19Aug 2023: 16Sep 2023: 21Oct 2023: 23Nov 2023: 16Dec 2023: 782024Jan 2024: 18Feb 2024: 16Mar 2024: 36Apr 2024: 19May 2024: 13Jun 2024: 10Jul 2024: 14Aug 2024: 18Sep 2024: 14Oct 2024: 58Nov 2024: 20Dec 2024: 52025Jan 2025: 33Feb 2025: 14Mar 2025: 35Apr 2025: 13May 2025: 30Jun 2025: 15Jul 2025: 26Aug 2025: 20Sep 2025: 23Oct 2025: 18Nov 2025: 21Dec 2025: 662026Jan 2026: 86Feb 2026: 25Mar 2026: 41Apr 2026: 35May 2026: 29Jun 2026: 27

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

01783562004: 1320042005: 92006: 122007: 2620072008: 332009: 112010: 620102011: 202012: 122013: 1620132014: 242015: 442016: 4120162017: 862018: 1642019: 14920192020: 2072021: 1832022: 29020222023: 3562024: 2412025: 31420252026: 243

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Hydroxyzine hydrochloride reports recording the termmedian drug in antihistamine

  1. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances24.7%618
  2. Completed suicidedeath by suicide17%425
  3. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine9.8%246
  4. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected8%201
  5. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label6.6%166
  6. Cardio-respiratory arrestthe heart and breathing stopped5.9%148
  7. Somnolencedrowsiness4.9%122
  8. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines4%100
  9. Intentional overdosea deliberate overdose3.9%97
  10. Hypotensionlow blood pressure3.6%91
  11. Coma3.2%79
  12. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount3.2%79
  13. Falla fall2.9%72
  14. Pruritusitching2.9%72
  15. Vomitingbeing sick2.5%63
  16. Electrocardiogram QT prolongeda QT prolongation on the ECG2.4%59
  17. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.3%57
  18. Nauseafeeling sick2.2%54
  19. Depressionlow mood2.1%52
  20. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2%50
  21. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1.9%47
  22. Rashskin rash1.8%45
  23. Confusional stateconfusion1.8%44
  24. Suicide attempta suicide attempt1.8%44
  25. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped1.7%43
  26. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.7%43
  27. Intentional product misusedeliberate use not as intended1.7%43
  28. Arthralgiajoint pain1.7%42
  29. Tachycardiafast heart rate1.7%42
  30. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse1.6%39

Top 30 of 589 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 5 drugs in the antihistamine 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

Death35.2%881
Life-threatening7%174
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)28.2%706
Disability1.3%33
Congenital anomaly0.4%10
Other serious38.7%967
Not serious16.6%415

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 15,698 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 20.7%17
2 to 112.1%52
12 to 174.5%112
18 to 4429.7%742
45 to 6425%624
65 to 747.7%192
75 and over7.1%178
Age not given23.3%583

Patient sex

Female52.5%1,313
Male33.1%827
Not given14.4%360

Who reported

Physician42.8%1,069
Pharmacist13.7%343
Other health professional24.3%608
Lawyer0.2%6
Consumer or non-health professional16.2%405
Not given2.8%69

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

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Anxiety1927.7%
Pruritus863.4%
Insomnia532.1%
Suicide attempt190.8%
Chronic spontaneous urticaria150.6%
Intentional overdose140.6%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,500 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Hydroxyzine hydrochloride reports
Alprazolam1837.3%
Acetaminophen1767%
Gabapentin1666.6%
Furosemide1415.6%
Quetiapine1395.6%
Alcohol1355.4%
Diazepam1234.9%
Trazodone1114.4%
Cetirizine1054.2%
Oxazepam1024.1%

Other products listed in reports where Hydroxyzine 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

MeasureHydroxyzine hydrochlorideAntihistamineAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,50015,69820,646,523
Share of that pool—15.9%0%
Reports, latest 12 months417—1,332,454
Marked serious83.4%74.8%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports35235291
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports282291213
Consumer-filed share16.2%26.5%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsToxicity to various agents 24.7%median 10%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."

Other drugs in the antihistamine class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Hydroxyzinegeneric8,64390792.5%
Doxylamine succinategeneric1,85825243.3%
Unisom SleepTabsbrand1,559877.6%
Hydroxyzine pamoategeneric1,1387365.8%

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 Hydroxyzine hydrochloride reports

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

2,500 reports list Hydroxyzine hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 417 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 10,691 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Hydroxyzine hydrochloride reports?

toxicity to various agents (24.7%), completed suicide (17%), drug abuse (9.8%), drug ineffective (8%) and off label use (6.6%). 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 Hydroxyzine hydrochloride was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

83.4% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 35.2% of reports include death and 28.2% 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?

physician (42.8%), other health professional (24.3%) and consumer or non-health professional (16.2%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Hydroxyzine hydrochloride rising?

417 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 55% from 269 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 Hydroxyzine 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 Hydroxyzine 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 Hydroxyzine hydrochloride as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (10,691) 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.