Reported Reactions

Drugs › Histamine-2 receptor antagonist

Brand name · Famotidine, calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide

Pepcid Complete: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,219 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Histamine-2 receptor antagonist. Also reported as Pepcid Complete /00706001/, Pepcid Complete /01596501/.

1,219
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 55 a year
80
reports, 12 months to June 2026
67 in the 12 months before
8.1%
marked serious by the reporter
96.3% across the class
0%
record death among outcomes, as reported
0 reports · not verified by FDA

1,219 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Pepcid Complete (famotidine, calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide) as a suspect or interacting product, from March 2004 to June 2026. A further 1,116 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, 80 reports listed it, up 19% from 67 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 55 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 0.4% of the reports for the histamine-2 receptor antagonist class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

Reporters most often recorded drug ineffective (16.2%), product use in unapproved indication (7.2%) and therapeutic response unexpected (7.1%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 126 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 16.2% of these reports, about the same share as in the median histamine-2 receptor antagonist drug (15.3%).

8.1% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (96.3% across the class); 0% record death among the outcomes and 1.1% record hospitalisation, as reported. 97.5% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 75 and over (10.8%). 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

02039Jul 2021: 5Aug 2021: 5Sep 2021: 8Oct 2021: 6Nov 2021: 9Dec 2021: 72022Jan 2022: 5Feb 2022: 4Mar 2022: 11Apr 2022: 4May 2022: 7Jun 2022: 1Jul 2022: 7Aug 2022: 8Sep 2022: 5Oct 2022: 3Nov 2022: 4Dec 2022: 42023Jan 2023: 4Feb 2023: 6Mar 2023: 12Apr 2023: 7May 2023: 14Jun 2023: 5Jul 2023: 13Aug 2023: 39Sep 2023: 5Oct 2023: 3Nov 2023: 3Dec 2023: 22024Jan 2024: 10Feb 2024: 5Mar 2024: 8Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 8Jun 2024: 1Jul 2024: 2Aug 2024: 5Sep 2024: 11Oct 2024: 2Nov 2024: 3Dec 2024: 32025Jan 2025: 8Feb 2025: 5Mar 2025: 4Apr 2025: 13May 2025: 8Jun 2025: 3Jul 2025: 8Aug 2025: 7Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 14Nov 2025: 8Dec 2025: 72026Jan 2026: 6Feb 2026: 4Mar 2026: 5Apr 2026: 7May 2026: 8Jun 2026: 3

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

0851692004: 320042005: 12006: 42007: 620072008: 92009: 332010: 1520102011: 102012: 52014: 220142015: 1442016: 1272017: 16920172018: 952019: 612020: 9720202021: 792022: 632023: 11320232024: 622025: 882026: 332026

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Pepcid Complete reports recording the termmedian drug in histamine-2 receptor antagonist

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected16.2%197
  2. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label7.2%88
  3. Wrong technique in product usage processthe product was used in the wrong way6.6%80
  4. Incorrect dose administeredthe wrong dose was given6.2%76
  5. Product physical issuea physical defect in the product6.2%75
  6. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label4.8%59
  7. Dysgeusiaaltered taste4.8%58
  8. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used4.4%54
  9. Exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy4.3%53
  10. Overdosea dose above the recommended amount4.3%52
  11. Accidental overdosean accidental overdose3.2%39
  12. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools2.7%33
  13. Accidental drug intake by child2.6%32
  14. Dyspepsiaindigestion2.6%32
  15. Nauseafeeling sick2.3%28
  16. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort2.1%26
  17. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain2%24
  18. Product taste abnormalthe product tasted odd1.6%20
  19. Headachehead pain1.6%19
  20. Expired product administeredthe product was used past its expiry date1.3%16
  21. Product packaging issuea problem with the packaging1.3%16
  22. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.2%15
  23. Adverse eventan unwanted medical event, type not specified1.1%13

Top 30 of 126 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 histamine-2 receptor antagonist 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

Death0%0
Life-threatening0.1%1
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)1.1%14
Disability0%0
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious7%85
Not serious91.9%1,120

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 270,928 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%9
2 to 116%73
12 to 170.2%2
18 to 444.9%60
45 to 647.6%93
65 to 747.6%93
75 and over10.8%132
Age not given62.1%757

Patient sex

Female53.2%649
Male25.6%312
Not given21.2%258

Who reported

Physician0.5%6
Pharmacist0.2%2
Other health professional1.5%18
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional97.5%1,189
Not given0.3%4

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 99.4% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Dyspepsia24319.9%
Gastrooesophageal reflux disease17214.1%
Accidental exposure to product342.8%
Antacid therapy121%
Accidental exposure to product by child100.8%
Hyperchlorhydria80.7%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,219 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Pepcid Complete reports
Lisinopril90.7%
Pepcid90.7%
Vitamin d90.7%
Nexium80.7%
Omeprazole80.7%
Atenolol60.5%
Crestor60.5%
Losartan60.5%
Synthroid60.5%
Zyrtec60.5%

Other products listed in reports where Pepcid Complete 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

MeasurePepcid CompleteHistamine-2 receptor antagonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,219270,92820,646,523
Share of that pool—0.4%0%
Reports, latest 12 months80—1,332,454
Marked serious8.1%96.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports07191
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports1136213
Consumer-filed share97.5%42.4%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 16.2%median 15.3%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 histamine-2 receptor antagonist class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Ranitidinegeneric195,20426999.1%
Ranitidine hydrochloridegeneric63,04746397.4%
Famotidinegeneric6,00968764.6%
Pepcidbrand2,58912242.7%
Cimetidinegeneric1,1214084.5%
Pepcid ACbrand1,0967715.1%
Pepcid Ac Maximum Strengthbrand643283.6%

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 Pepcid Complete reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Pepcid Complete?

1,219 reports list Pepcid Complete as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 80 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,116 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Pepcid Complete reports?

drug ineffective (16.2%), product use in unapproved indication (7.2%), therapeutic response unexpected (7.1%), wrong technique in product usage process (6.6%) and incorrect dose administered (6.2%). 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 Pepcid Complete was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

8.1% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 0% of reports include death and 1.1% 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 (97.5%), other health professional (1.5%) and physician (0.5%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Pepcid Complete rising?

80 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 19% from 67 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 Pepcid Complete 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 Pepcid Complete?

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 Pepcid Complete as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,116) 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.