Reported Reactions

Drugs › Histamine-2 receptor antagonist

Brand name · Famotidine

Pepcid: adverse event reports filed with FDA

2,589 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Histamine-2 receptor antagonist. Also reported as Pepcid /00706001/, Pepcid Injection, Pepcid /00305201/.

2,589
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 115 a year
122
reports, 12 months to June 2026
138 in the 12 months before
42.7%
marked serious by the reporter
96.3% across the class
4.5%
record death among outcomes, as reported
117 reports · not verified by FDA

2,589 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Pepcid (famotidine) as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to June 2026. A further 30,135 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, 122 reports listed it, down 12% from 138 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 115 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 1% 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.

The reactions recorded most often are drug ineffective (14.3%), product use in unapproved indication (10%) and off label use (7.5%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 502 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 14.3% of these reports, about the same share as in the median histamine-2 receptor antagonist drug (15.3%).

42.7% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (96.3% across the class); 4.5% record death among the outcomes and 17.2% record hospitalisation, as reported. 57.7% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (15%). 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

01122Jul 2021: 21Aug 2021: 20Sep 2021: 14Oct 2021: 9Nov 2021: 11Dec 2021: 92022Jan 2022: 7Feb 2022: 22Mar 2022: 19Apr 2022: 12May 2022: 11Jun 2022: 14Jul 2022: 10Aug 2022: 13Sep 2022: 12Oct 2022: 3Nov 2022: 9Dec 2022: 112023Jan 2023: 10Feb 2023: 10Mar 2023: 19Apr 2023: 13May 2023: 10Jun 2023: 16Jul 2023: 4Aug 2023: 7Sep 2023: 7Oct 2023: 4Nov 2023: 7Dec 2023: 62024Jan 2024: 11Feb 2024: 7Mar 2024: 9Apr 2024: 11May 2024: 10Jun 2024: 9Jul 2024: 12Aug 2024: 13Sep 2024: 22Oct 2024: 10Nov 2024: 14Dec 2024: 112025Jan 2025: 11Feb 2025: 12Mar 2025: 13Apr 2025: 5May 2025: 10Jun 2025: 5Jul 2025: 19Aug 2025: 10Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 13Nov 2025: 4Dec 2025: 52026Jan 2026: 8Feb 2026: 10Mar 2026: 10Apr 2026: 15May 2026: 20Jun 2026: 5

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

01663312004: 11120042005: 1162006: 862007: 6220072008: 712009: 952010: 8420102011: 922012: 832013: 3820132014: 352015: 1372016: 13020162017: 1162018: 962019: 11420192020: 3312021: 2192022: 14320222023: 1132024: 1392025: 11020252026: 68

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

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

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected14.3%369
  2. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label10%260
  3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label7.5%195
  4. Exposure during pregnancythe medicine was taken during pregnancy7.3%189
  5. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine3.3%86
  6. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.2%83
  7. Nauseafeeling sick2.8%73
  8. Dyspepsiaindigestion2.6%68
  9. Headachehead pain2.4%63
  10. Vomitingbeing sick2.4%63
  11. Dyspnoeashortness of breath2.2%56
  12. Fatiguetiredness2.1%54
  13. Rhabdomyolysismuscle breakdown2%51
  14. Product use issuea problem in how the product was used1.9%50
  15. Abdominal pain upperupper stomach pain1.8%46
  16. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.7%44
  17. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell1.6%42
  18. Rashskin rash1.6%41
  19. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines1.4%36
  20. Chronic kidney diseaselong-term kidney disease1.4%35
  21. Abdominal discomfortstomach discomfort1.3%33
  22. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right1.3%33
  23. Urticariahives1.3%33
  24. Anxietyanxiety1.2%32
  25. Painpain, site not specified1.2%32
  26. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy1.2%31

Top 30 of 502 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

Death4.5%117
Life-threatening3.2%83
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)17.2%446
Disability2.5%65
Congenital anomaly0.3%9
Other serious26.7%691
Not serious57.3%1,483

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 20.8%20
2 to 111.4%36
12 to 170.8%22
18 to 449%233
45 to 6415%389
65 to 7410.4%268
75 and over9.4%243
Age not given53.2%1,378

Patient sex

Female54%1,398
Male24.3%630
Not given21.7%561

Who reported

Physician19.6%508
Pharmacist7%182
Other health professional11.8%305
Lawyer0.7%17
Consumer or non-health professional57.7%1,494
Not given3.2%83

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 75.2% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Gastrooesophageal reflux disease1706.6%
Dyspepsia1475.7%
Gastritis501.9%
Gastric ulcer381.5%
Urticaria321.2%
Prophylaxis230.9%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 2,589 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Pepcid reports
Benadryl1927.4%
Aspirin1204.6%
Zyrtec1074.1%
Nexium883.4%
Prilosec873.4%
Zantac732.8%
Tylenol722.8%
Prednisone692.7%
Pantoprazole sodium682.6%
Lasix662.5%

Other products listed in reports where Pepcid 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

MeasurePepcidHistamine-2 receptor antagonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product2,589270,92820,646,523
Share of that pool—1%0%
Reports, latest 12 months122—1,332,454
Marked serious42.7%96.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports457191
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports17236213
Consumer-filed share57.7%42.4%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 14.3%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%
Pepcid Completebrand1,219808.1%
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 reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Pepcid?

2,589 reports list Pepcid as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 122 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 30,135 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Pepcid reports?

drug ineffective (14.3%), product use in unapproved indication (10%), off label use (7.5%), exposure during pregnancy (7.3%) and therapeutic response unexpected (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 was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

42.7% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 4.5% of reports include death and 17.2% 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?

consumer or non-health professional (57.7%), physician (19.6%) and other health professional (11.8%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Pepcid rising?

122 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 12% from 138 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 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?

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 as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (30,135) 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.