Reported Reactions

Drugs › Vasoconstrictor

Brand name · Oxymetazoline hydrochloride ophthalmic

Upneeq: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,701 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2020–2026. Class: Vasoconstrictor.

1,701
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 296 a year
270
reports, 12 months to June 2026
281 in the 12 months before
5.1%
marked serious by the reporter
41.3% across the class
0.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
2 reports · not verified by FDA

Between October 2020 and June 2026, 1,701 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Upneeq (oxymetazoline hydrochloride ophthalmic) as a suspect or interacting product. Reports that mention it only as a concomitant medication (39) are left out of every figure here.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 270 reports listed it, close to the 281 of 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 296 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 42.4% of the reports for the vasoconstrictor 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 (18.6%), vision blurred (14.8%) and eye irritation (12.5%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 140 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 18.6% of these reports, a larger share than in the median vasoconstrictor drug (9.1%).

5.1% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (41.3% across the class); 0.1% record death among the outcomes and 0.5% record hospitalisation, as reported. 28.5% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (27%). 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

0134267Jul 2021: 1Aug 2021: 111Sep 2021: 1Oct 2021: 1Nov 2021: 106Dec 2021: 12022Jan 2022: 104Feb 2022: 0Mar 2022: 1Apr 2022: 1May 2022: 100Jun 2022: 4Jul 2022: 3Aug 2022: 129Sep 2022: 2Oct 2022: 0Nov 2022: 90Dec 2022: 12023Jan 2023: 1Feb 2023: 87Mar 2023: 1Apr 2023: 4May 2023: 83Jun 2023: 1Jul 2023: 93Aug 2023: 0Sep 2023: 2Oct 2023: 0Nov 2023: 4Dec 2023: 12024Jan 2024: 7Feb 2024: 10Mar 2024: 13Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 1Jun 2024: 1Jul 2024: 4Aug 2024: 267Sep 2024: 1Oct 2024: 1Nov 2024: 0Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 0Feb 2025: 2Mar 2025: 3Apr 2025: 2May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 2Aug 2025: 254Sep 2025: 3Oct 2025: 1Nov 2025: 0Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 0Feb 2026: 3Mar 2026: 3Apr 2026: 1May 2026: 1Jun 2026: 2

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

02184352020: 3220202021: 37020212022: 43520222023: 27720232024: 30920242025: 26820252026: 102026

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Upneeq reports recording the termmedian drug in vasoconstrictor

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected18.6%316
  2. Vision blurredblurred vision14.8%251
  3. Eye irritationeye irritation12.5%213
  4. Ocular hyperaemiaa red eye12.3%209
  5. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label9.6%164
  6. Headachehead pain8.8%149
  7. Dry eyedry eye8.1%138
  8. Eye paineye pain8.1%138
  9. Lacrimation increasedwatery eyes4.4%75
  10. Eye swellinga swollen eye3.5%59
  11. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness2.8%47
  12. Blood pressure increaseda raised blood pressure reading2.4%40
  13. Eyelid disorder1.8%30
  14. Photophobiasensitivity to light1.6%28
  15. Migrainemigraine1.2%21
  16. Visual impairmentreduced vision1.2%20
  17. Product administration errora mistake in giving the product1.1%19

Top 30 of 140 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 4 drugs in the vasoconstrictor 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

Death0.1%2
Life-threatening0.1%1
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)0.5%8
Disability0.5%9
Congenital anomaly0%0
Other serious4.3%73
Not serious94.9%1,615

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 4,013 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 20.2%3
2 to 110%0
12 to 170.2%4
18 to 4411.1%189
45 to 6427%459
65 to 7419.6%334
75 and over13.8%234
Age not given28.1%478

Patient sex

Female84.3%1,434
Male11.5%196
Not given4.2%71

Who reported

Physician9.5%161
Pharmacist0.1%1
Other health professional10.7%182
Lawyer0.1%2
Consumer or non-health professional28.5%484
Not given51.2%871

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 100% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Eyelid ptosis1,07463.1%
Off label use211.2%
Product use in unapproved indication171%
Prescription drug used without a prescription150.9%
Eyelid disorder100.6%
Myasthenia gravis70.4%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,701 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Upneeq reports
Restasis211.2%
Levothyroxine191.1%
Botox171%
Lumify160.9%
Lisinopril150.9%
Atorvastatin140.8%
Synthroid130.8%
Vitamin d90.5%
Amlodipine80.5%
Calcium80.5%

Other products listed in reports where Upneeq 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

MeasureUpneeqVasoconstrictorAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,7014,01320,646,523
Share of that pool—42.4%0%
Reports, latest 12 months270—1,332,454
Marked serious5.1%41.3%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports1891
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports525213
Consumer-filed share28.5%65.2%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 18.6%median 9.1%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 vasoconstrictor class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Oxymetazoline hydrochloridegeneric1,0171430.9%
Afrin Original Nasalbrand68210199.1%
Afrin Originalbrand613094.8%

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 Upneeq reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Upneeq?

1,701 reports list Upneeq as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 270 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 39 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Upneeq reports?

drug ineffective (18.6%), vision blurred (14.8%), eye irritation (12.5%), ocular hyperaemia (12.3%) and off label use (9.6%). 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 Upneeq was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

5.1% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 0.1% of reports include death and 0.5% 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?

not given (51.2%), consumer or non-health professional (28.5%) and other health professional (10.7%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Upneeq rising?

270 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, close to the 281 of 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 Upneeq 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 Upneeq?

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 Upneeq as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (39) 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.