Reported Reactions

Drugs › Amide local anesthetic

Generic name

Lidocaine hcl: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,854 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2021. Class: Amide local anesthetic.

1,854
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 82 a year
0
reports, 12 months to June 2026
0 in the 12 months before
49.5%
marked serious by the reporter
65.1% across the class
7.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
139 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and September 2021, 1,854 adverse event reports received by FDA list lidocaine hcl, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (656) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 0 reports listed it, and none 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 82 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 4.4% of the reports for the amide local anesthetic 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 drug hypersensitivity (21.4%), drug ineffective (19.1%) and toxicity to various agents (4.8%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 315 different terms appear across these reports. Drug hypersensitivity is recorded in 21.4% of these reports, a larger share than in the median amide local anesthetic drug (2.1%).

49.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (65.1% across the class); 7.5% record death among the outcomes and 15.3% record hospitalisation, as reported. 37.4% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (20.6%). 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

0917Jul 2021: 17Aug 2021: 1Sep 2021: 16Oct 2021: 0Nov 2021: 0Dec 2021: 02022Jan 2022: 0Feb 2022: 0Mar 2022: 0Apr 2022: 0May 2022: 0Jun 2022: 0Jul 2022: 0Aug 2022: 0Sep 2022: 0Oct 2022: 0Nov 2022: 0Dec 2022: 02023Jan 2023: 0Feb 2023: 0Mar 2023: 0Apr 2023: 0May 2023: 0Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 0Aug 2023: 0Sep 2023: 0Oct 2023: 0Nov 2023: 0Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 0Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 0Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 0Jun 2024: 0Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 0Sep 2024: 0Oct 2024: 0Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 0Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 0Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 0Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 0Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 0Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 0Jun 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

01713412004: 1920042005: 162006: 820062007: 92008: 1220082009: 202010: 3620102011: 452012: 6220122013: 872014: 8020142015: 1382016: 34120162017: 2202018: 20620182019: 2392020: 21120202021: 105

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Lidocaine hcl reports recording the termmedian drug in amide local anesthetic

  1. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine21.4%397
  2. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected19.1%354
  3. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances4.8%89
  4. Painpain, site not specified3.6%67
  5. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped3.2%60
  6. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness2.5%46
  7. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used2.2%40
  8. Lagophthalmos2%38
  9. Loss of consciousnesspassing out2%38
  10. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount2%38
  11. Injection site painpain where the injection was given2%37
  12. Product quality issuea problem with the product itself2%37
  13. Anaphylactic reactiona severe, sudden allergic reaction1.9%36
  14. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label1.9%36
  15. Hypotensionlow blood pressure1.9%35
  16. Rashskin rash1.9%35
  17. Seizurea fit or convulsion1.9%35
  18. Dyspnoeashortness of breath1.8%33
  19. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines1.7%32
  20. Hypoaesthesianumbness1.6%29
  21. Muscular weaknessmuscle weakness1.5%28
  22. Nauseafeeling sick1.5%28
  23. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label1.5%27
  24. Respiratory arrestbreathing stopped1.4%26
  25. Arthritis infective1.3%25
  26. Pyrexiafever1.3%25
  27. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure1.3%24
  28. Bradycardiaslow heart rate1.2%23
  29. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term1.2%23
  30. Headachehead pain1.2%22

Top 30 of 315 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 13 drugs in the amide local anesthetic 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

Death7.5%139
Life-threatening4.9%90
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)15.3%284
Disability1.5%27
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious33.9%628
Not serious50.5%937

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 41,804 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 21.1%20
2 to 111.1%21
12 to 170.9%17
18 to 4415.6%290
45 to 6420.6%381
65 to 7412.4%229
75 and over8.8%163
Age not given39.5%733

Patient sex

Female50.4%934
Male25%463
Not given24.6%457

Who reported

Physician26.8%497
Pharmacist7.3%136
Other health professional37.4%694
Lawyer1.3%24
Consumer or non-health professional24.9%462
Not given2.2%41

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 86.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Local anaesthesia18710.1%
Anaesthesia1156.2%
Spinal anaesthesia321.7%
Pain301.6%
Osteoarthritis231.2%
Blepharoplasty160.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,854 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Lidocaine hcl reports
Epinephrine1759.4%
Bupivacaine hcl1417.6%
Codeine542.9%
Morphine sulfate482.6%
Propofol482.6%
Fentanyl citrate462.5%
Fentanyl452.4%
Gabapentin422.3%
Aspirin341.8%
Midazolam271.5%

Other products listed in reports where Lidocaine hcl 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

MeasureLidocaine hclAmide local anestheticAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,85441,80420,646,523
Share of that pool—4.4%0%
Reports, latest 12 months0—1,332,454
Marked serious49.5%65.1%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports757791
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports153250213
Consumer-filed share24.9%27%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug hypersensitivity 21.4%median 2.1%0.9%

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 amide local anesthetic class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Lidocainegeneric13,9931,46980%
Bupivacainegeneric5,44731083.3%
Lidocaine patchgeneric4,4741134.3%
Lidocaine hydrochloridegeneric3,04731480.7%
Exparelbrand2,15721742.4%
Marcainebrand2,0895044.1%
Xylocaine (lidocaine hcl )generic2,01510989.9%
Bupivacaine hclgeneric1,870045.3%
Bupivacaine hydrochloridegeneric1,79725162.3%
Ropivacaine hydrochloridegeneric1,38830094.2%
Lidodermbrand967745%
Naropinbrand7061379.7%

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 Lidocaine hcl reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Lidocaine hcl?

1,854 reports list Lidocaine hcl as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 0 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 656 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Lidocaine hcl reports?

drug hypersensitivity (21.4%), drug ineffective (19.1%), toxicity to various agents (4.8%), pain (3.6%) and cardiac arrest (3.2%). 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 Lidocaine hcl was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

49.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 7.5% of reports include death and 15.3% 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 (37.4%), physician (26.8%) and consumer or non-health professional (24.9%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Lidocaine hcl rising?

0 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, and none 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 Lidocaine hcl 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 Lidocaine hcl?

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 Lidocaine hcl as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (656) 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.