Reported Reactions

Drugs › Central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist

Brand name · Tizanidine hydrochloride

Zanaflex: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,166 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist. Also reported as Zanaflex Tablets.

1,166
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 52 a year
10
reports, 12 months to June 2026
19 in the 12 months before
54.5%
marked serious by the reporter
75.5% across the class
3.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
36 reports · not verified by FDA

1,166 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Zanaflex (tizanidine hydrochloride) as a suspect or interacting product, from January 2004 to January 2026. A further 10,140 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, 10 reports listed it, down 47% from 19 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 52 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 3.7% of the reports for the central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist 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 hypersensitivity (10.5%), fall (8.9%) and drug ineffective (8.7%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 447 different terms appear across these reports. Drug hypersensitivity is recorded in 10.5% of these reports, a larger share than in the median central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist drug (0.3%).

54.5% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (75.5% across the class); 3.1% record death among the outcomes and 22.7% record hospitalisation, as reported. 54.9% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (34%). 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

048Jul 2021: 2Aug 2021: 0Sep 2021: 3Oct 2021: 3Nov 2021: 1Dec 2021: 32022Jan 2022: 4Feb 2022: 1Mar 2022: 0Apr 2022: 1May 2022: 1Jun 2022: 1Jul 2022: 1Aug 2022: 2Sep 2022: 0Oct 2022: 1Nov 2022: 1Dec 2022: 12023Jan 2023: 1Feb 2023: 3Mar 2023: 0Apr 2023: 1May 2023: 1Jun 2023: 0Jul 2023: 2Aug 2023: 1Sep 2023: 0Oct 2023: 2Nov 2023: 1Dec 2023: 02024Jan 2024: 2Feb 2024: 0Mar 2024: 2Apr 2024: 0May 2024: 3Jun 2024: 1Jul 2024: 0Aug 2024: 1Sep 2024: 1Oct 2024: 5Nov 2024: 2Dec 2024: 02025Jan 2025: 8Feb 2025: 0Mar 2025: 1Apr 2025: 0May 2025: 1Jun 2025: 0Jul 2025: 0Aug 2025: 3Sep 2025: 0Oct 2025: 4Nov 2025: 1Dec 2025: 02026Jan 2026: 2Feb 2026: 0Mar 2026: 0Apr 2026: 0May 2026: 0Jun 2026: 0

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

0781552004: 4620042005: 362006: 302007: 720072008: 232009: 372010: 5720102011: 412012: 432013: 4320132014: 1022015: 1482016: 15520162017: 1072018: 1372019: 3920192020: 242021: 282022: 1420222023: 122024: 172025: 1820252026: 2

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Zanaflex reports recording the termmedian drug in central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist

  1. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine10.5%123
  2. Falla fall8.9%104
  3. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected8.7%102
  4. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness7.3%85
  5. Fatiguetiredness6.9%80
  6. Muscle spasmsmuscle cramps6.5%76
  7. Gait disturbancedifficulty walking6.1%71
  8. Painpain, site not specified6.1%71
  9. Somnolencedrowsiness6%70
  10. Nauseafeeling sick5.9%69
  11. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy5.8%68
  12. Headachehead pain5.3%62
  13. Memory impairmentmemory problems5.1%60
  14. Confusional stateconfusion4.5%52
  15. Depressionlow mood4.5%52
  16. Urinary tract infectionbladder or urinary infection4.3%50
  17. Insomniadifficulty sleeping4.1%48
  18. Arthralgiajoint pain3.7%43
  19. Condition aggravatedthe condition being treated got worse3.7%43
  20. Feeling abnormalfeeling odd or not right3.7%43
  21. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines3.6%42
  22. Loss of consciousnesspassing out3.6%42
  23. Back painback pain3.3%38
  24. Multiple sclerosis relapsea flare of multiple sclerosis3.2%37
  25. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label3%35
  26. Hypoaesthesianumbness2.9%34
  27. Tremorshaking2.9%34
  28. Balance disorderproblems with balance2.8%33
  29. Hypotensionlow blood pressure2.8%33

Top 30 of 447 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 13 drugs in the central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist 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

Death3.1%36
Life-threatening3.5%41
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)22.7%265
Disability3.4%40
Congenital anomaly0.2%2
Other serious38%443
Not serious45.5%531

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 31,745 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%1
2 to 110.4%5
12 to 170%0
18 to 4414.4%168
45 to 6434%397
65 to 746%70
75 and over1.8%21
Age not given43.2%504

Patient sex

Female73.9%862
Male20.6%240
Not given5.5%64

Who reported

Physician19.9%232
Pharmacist4.5%52
Other health professional12.6%147
Lawyer0.6%7
Consumer or non-health professional54.9%640
Not given7.5%88

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 92% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Muscle spasms13711.7%
Muscle spasticity474%
Muscle relaxant therapy181.5%
Multiple sclerosis141.2%
Pain141.2%
Fibromyalgia80.7%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,166 reports.

In context

MeasureZanaflexCentral alpha-2 adrenergic agonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,16631,74520,646,523
Share of that pool—3.7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months10—1,332,454
Marked serious54.5%75.5%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports3116291
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports227304213
Consumer-filed share54.9%27.5%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug hypersensitivity 10.5%median 0.3%0.9%

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 central alpha-2 adrenergic agonist class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Clonidinegeneric11,71271379.2%
Tizanidinegeneric4,25937669.8%
Methyldopageneric2,65913895.8%
Intunivbrand2,1804875.8%
Clonidine hydrochloridegeneric1,84226077.8%
Dexmedetomidinegeneric1,65316093.2%
Guanfacinegeneric1,44521461.7%
Dexmedetomidine hydrochloridegeneric1,43613498%
Tizanidine hydrochloridegeneric1,05110480.3%
Clonidine transdermal systemgeneric8738615%
Catapres-TTS-1brand871018%
Precedexbrand5982078.1%

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 Zanaflex reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Zanaflex?

1,166 reports list Zanaflex as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 10 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 10,140 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Zanaflex reports?

drug hypersensitivity (10.5%), fall (8.9%), drug ineffective (8.7%), dizziness (7.3%) and fatigue (6.9%). 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 Zanaflex was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

54.5% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 3.1% of reports include death and 22.7% 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 (54.9%), physician (19.9%) and other health professional (12.6%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Zanaflex rising?

10 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, down 47% from 19 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 Zanaflex 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 Zanaflex?

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 Zanaflex as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (10,140) 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.