Reported Reactions

Drugs › Muscle relaxant

Generic name

Methocarbamol: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,111 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Muscle relaxant. Also reported as Methocarbamol Tablets 500mg, Methocarbamol Tablets 750mg, Methocarbamol Injection.

2,111
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 94 a year
245
reports, 12 months to June 2026
292 in the 12 months before
79.6%
marked serious by the reporter
86.6% across the class
31.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
665 reports · not verified by FDA

Between January 2004 and June 2026, 2,111 adverse event reports received by FDA list methocarbamol, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (14,647) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 245 reports listed it, down 16% from 292 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 94 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 10.5% of the reports for the muscle relaxant 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 (14.4%), drug ineffective (12.7%) and toxicity to various agents (9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 553 different terms appear across these reports. Completed suicide is recorded in 14.4% of these reports, a smaller share than in the median muscle relaxant drug (18%).

79.6% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (86.6% across the class); 31.5% record death among the outcomes and 39% record hospitalisation, as reported. 34.8% of the reports came from physicians, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (30.1%). 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

03161Jul 2021: 14Aug 2021: 12Sep 2021: 5Oct 2021: 6Nov 2021: 9Dec 2021: 152022Jan 2022: 22Feb 2022: 24Mar 2022: 15Apr 2022: 11May 2022: 11Jun 2022: 12Jul 2022: 12Aug 2022: 2Sep 2022: 4Oct 2022: 20Nov 2022: 16Dec 2022: 72023Jan 2023: 29Feb 2023: 19Mar 2023: 15Apr 2023: 18May 2023: 14Jun 2023: 9Jul 2023: 20Aug 2023: 14Sep 2023: 17Oct 2023: 13Nov 2023: 20Dec 2023: 222024Jan 2024: 16Feb 2024: 9Mar 2024: 5Apr 2024: 24May 2024: 12Jun 2024: 5Jul 2024: 17Aug 2024: 7Sep 2024: 11Oct 2024: 8Nov 2024: 7Dec 2024: 292025Jan 2025: 54Feb 2025: 27Mar 2025: 21Apr 2025: 61May 2025: 18Jun 2025: 32Jul 2025: 18Aug 2025: 26Sep 2025: 20Oct 2025: 20Nov 2025: 20Dec 2025: 212026Jan 2026: 32Feb 2026: 22Mar 2026: 8Apr 2026: 17May 2026: 25Jun 2026: 16

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

01693382004: 2320042005: 172006: 112007: 1920072008: 522009: 322010: 2120102011: 382012: 492013: 5820132014: 522015: 562016: 5620162017: 1022018: 1012019: 10320192020: 1932021: 1542022: 15620222023: 2102024: 1502025: 33820252026: 120

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Methocarbamol reports recording the termmedian drug in muscle relaxant

  1. Completed suicidedeath by suicide14.4%305
  2. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected12.7%269
  3. Toxicity to various agentspoisoning or toxic effect of one or more substances9%190
  4. Drug abusemisuse of a medicine6.1%128
  5. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label5.7%120
  6. Hypertensionhigh blood pressure5.6%118
  7. Drug dependencedependence on a medicine5.3%112
  8. Respiratory depressionslow or shallow breathing5.1%107
  9. Cardiac arrestthe heart stopped5%106
  10. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used4.9%104
  11. Intentional overdosea deliberate overdose4.1%86
  12. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount4.1%86
  13. Cardio-respiratory arrestthe heart and breathing stopped4%84
  14. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine3.9%83
  15. Amnesiamemory loss3.8%80
  16. Contusiona bruise3.8%80
  17. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness3.8%80
  18. Peripheral swellingswelling of the arms or legs3.5%74
  19. Cognitive disorderproblems with thinking or memory3.2%67
  20. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label3.1%66
  21. Falla fall2.9%62
  22. Somnolencedrowsiness2.9%62
  23. Diabetes mellitus inadequate controldiabetes not well controlled2.9%61
  24. Respiratory arrestbreathing stopped2.9%61
  25. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.7%56
  26. Nauseafeeling sick2.7%56
  27. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort2.6%55
  28. Painpain, site not specified2.6%55
  29. Deaththe patient died; cause not stated by this term2.5%52

Top 30 of 553 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 8 drugs in the muscle relaxant 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

Death31.5%665
Life-threatening6.5%138
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)39%823
Disability2.9%62
Congenital anomaly0.3%7
Other serious47%993
Not serious20.4%430

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 20,135 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
2 to 114%84
12 to 170.9%19
18 to 4420%423
45 to 6430.1%635
65 to 748.2%173
75 and over11.6%244
Age not given25.2%532

Patient sex

Female58.9%1,244
Male27.7%585
Not given13.4%282

Who reported

Physician34.8%735
Pharmacist9.3%197
Other health professional26.8%565
Lawyer0.4%9
Consumer or non-health professional25.1%529
Not given3.6%76

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 77.3% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Pain1276%
Muscle spasms904.3%
Back pain622.9%
Muscle relaxant therapy371.8%
Suicide attempt311.5%
Child abuse160.8%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,111 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Methocarbamol reports
Gabapentin48723.1%
Acetaminophen33115.7%
Lorazepam1878.9%
Baclofen1838.7%
Tramadol1808.5%
Ibuprofen1778.4%
Pantoprazole1778.4%
Ergocalciferol1718.1%
Trazodone1677.9%
Amlodipine1657.8%

Other products listed in reports where Methocarbamol 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

MeasureMethocarbamolMuscle relaxantAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,11120,13520,646,523
Share of that pool—10.5%0%
Reports, latest 12 months245—1,332,454
Marked serious79.6%86.6%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports31551291
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports390265213
Consumer-filed share25.1%18.6%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsCompleted suicide 14.4%median 18%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 muscle relaxant class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Cyclobenzaprinegeneric8,75056090.5%
Carisoprodolgeneric4,0952892.1%
Cyclobenzaprine hydrochloridegeneric1,59111586.3%
Somabrand1,316576.3%
Metaxalonegeneric9251273.7%
Cyclobenzaprine hclgeneric763088.1%
Robaxinbrand5842957.5%

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 Methocarbamol reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Methocarbamol?

2,111 reports list Methocarbamol as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 245 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 14,647 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Methocarbamol reports?

completed suicide (14.4%), drug ineffective (12.7%), toxicity to various agents (9%), drug abuse (6.1%) and off label use (5.7%). 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 Methocarbamol was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

79.6% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 31.5% of reports include death and 39% 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 (34.8%), other health professional (26.8%) and consumer or non-health professional (25.1%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Methocarbamol rising?

245 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 16% from 292 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 Methocarbamol 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 Methocarbamol?

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 Methocarbamol as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (14,647) 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.