Reported Reactions

Drugs › Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Generic name

Naproxen: adverse event reports filed with FDA

23,872 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Also reported as Naproxen Delayed Release, Naproxen Delayed-Release, Naproxen /00256202/.

23,872
reports as suspect product
0.1% of all reports · about 1,061 a year
2,147
reports, 12 months to June 2026
2,521 in the 12 months before
90.7%
marked serious by the reporter
71.8% across the class
20.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
4,979 reports · not verified by FDA

23,872 adverse event reports received by FDA list naproxen, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 56,472 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, 2,147 reports listed it, down 15% from 2,521 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 1,061 reports a year and 0.1% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 4.4% 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 MedDRA terms listed most often are drug ineffective (16.6%), off label use (13%) and pain (12.9%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 2,414 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 16.6% of these reports, about the same share as in the median nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug drug (13.9%).

90.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (71.8% across the class); 20.9% record death among the outcomes and 45.5% record hospitalisation, as reported. 41.2% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (25.9%). 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

0167333Jul 2021: 140Aug 2021: 84Sep 2021: 189Oct 2021: 120Nov 2021: 114Dec 2021: 1682022Jan 2022: 128Feb 2022: 125Mar 2022: 139Apr 2022: 107May 2022: 102Jun 2022: 142Jul 2022: 70Aug 2022: 106Sep 2022: 88Oct 2022: 101Nov 2022: 113Dec 2022: 1082023Jan 2023: 130Feb 2023: 122Mar 2023: 98Apr 2023: 303May 2023: 240Jun 2023: 154Jul 2023: 115Aug 2023: 175Sep 2023: 163Oct 2023: 179Nov 2023: 101Dec 2023: 1562024Jan 2024: 128Feb 2024: 211Mar 2024: 162Apr 2024: 172May 2024: 201Jun 2024: 185Jul 2024: 252Aug 2024: 173Sep 2024: 193Oct 2024: 222Nov 2024: 215Dec 2024: 2712025Jan 2025: 242Feb 2025: 245Mar 2025: 184Apr 2025: 116May 2025: 75Jun 2025: 333Jul 2025: 313Aug 2025: 206Sep 2025: 178Oct 2025: 121Nov 2025: 157Dec 2025: 2852026Jan 2026: 130Feb 2026: 109Mar 2026: 108Apr 2026: 189May 2026: 150Jun 2026: 201

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

01,2282,4552004: 17120042005: 2132006: 1942007: 22920072008: 3862009: 3602010: 39920102011: 6922012: 9052013: 74520132014: 8472015: 9992016: 1,38520162017: 1,1112018: 1,1492019: 1,64420192020: 1,8302021: 1,6212022: 1,32920222023: 1,9362024: 2,3852025: 2,45520252026: 887

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

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

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected16.6%3,972
  2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label13%3,099
  3. Painpain, site not specified12.9%3,090
  4. Nauseafeeling sick12.4%2,971
  5. Vomitingbeing sick11.3%2,699
  6. Arthralgiajoint pain11%2,631
  7. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools10.9%2,606
  8. Fatiguetiredness10.8%2,583
  9. Rashskin rash10.4%2,476
  10. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness9.7%2,315
  11. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine9.2%2,200
  12. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort8.9%2,130
  13. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated8.9%2,128
  14. Dyspnoeashortness of breath8.9%2,118
  15. Rheumatoid arthritisrheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory joint disease8.9%2,118
  16. Synovitis8.8%2,104
  17. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain8.8%2,093
  18. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell8.6%2,063
  19. Headachehead pain8.4%2,012
  20. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse8.2%1,949
  21. Peripheral swellingswelling of the arms or legs8%1,906
  22. Joint swellinga swollen joint7.7%1,831
  23. Alopeciahair loss7.3%1,742
  24. Pericarditisinflammation of the sac around the heart7%1,678
  25. Swellingswelling7%1,669
  26. Arthropathy6.8%1,620
  27. Hypoaesthesianumbness6.5%1,560
  28. Infusion related reactiona reaction during or soon after an infusion6.5%1,549
  29. Pyrexiafever6.4%1,532

Top 30 of 2,414 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

Death20.9%4,979
Life-threatening16.2%3,867
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)45.5%10,853
Disability14.1%3,372
Congenital anomaly7.8%1,859
Other serious61.8%14,762
Not serious9.3%2,210

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 20.3%64
2 to 111.1%267
12 to 172.4%579
18 to 4424.5%5,842
45 to 6425.9%6,172
65 to 7410.1%2,414
75 and over9.1%2,166
Age not given26.7%6,368

Patient sex

Female56.2%13,415
Male30.1%7,186
Not given13.7%3,271

Who reported

Physician24.3%5,795
Pharmacist9.7%2,307
Other health professional41.2%9,828
Lawyer0.1%31
Consumer or non-health professional21.7%5,176
Not given3.1%735

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 32.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Rheumatoid arthritis1,8707.8%
Pain1,3485.6%
Back pain7653.2%
Arthralgia7613.2%
Osteoarthritis5422.3%
Arthritis3591.5%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 23,872 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Naproxen reports
Methotrexate4,53419%
Prednisone4,35118.2%
Acetaminophen3,88316.3%
Folic acid3,47014.5%
Sulfasalazine3,38714.2%
Orencia3,27213.7%
Actemra3,27013.7%
Enbrel3,22713.5%
Leflunomide3,19113.4%
Ibuprofen3,16313.2%

Other products listed in reports where Naproxen 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

MeasureNaproxenNonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugAll reports
Reports as suspect product23,872548,67220,646,523
Share of that pool—4.4%0.1%
Reports, latest 12 months2,147—1,332,454
Marked serious90.7%71.8%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports20916291
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports455356213
Consumer-filed share21.7%38.7%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 16.6%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%
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%
Motrinbrand4,6589150.2%

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 Naproxen reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Naproxen?

23,872 reports list Naproxen as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 2,147 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 56,472 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Naproxen reports?

drug ineffective (16.6%), off label use (13%), pain (12.9%), nausea (12.4%) and vomiting (11.3%). 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 Naproxen was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

90.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 20.9% of reports include death and 45.5% 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 (41.2%), physician (24.3%) and consumer or non-health professional (21.7%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Naproxen rising?

2,147 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 15% from 2,521 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 Naproxen 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 Naproxen?

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 Naproxen as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (56,472) 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.