Reported Reactions

Drugs › Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist

Generic name

Zolmitriptan: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,037 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist.

1,037
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 47 a year
142
reports, 12 months to June 2026
98 in the 12 months before
88.1%
marked serious by the reporter
48% across the class
2.9%
record death among outcomes, as reported
30 reports · not verified by FDA

1,037 adverse event reports received by FDA list zolmitriptan, a generic name as a suspect or interacting product, from April 2004 to June 2026. A further 1,519 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, 142 reports listed it, up 45% from 98 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 47 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 3.7% of the reports for the serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor 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 headache (30.9%), drug intolerance (25.2%) and off label use (25.1%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 350 different terms appear across these reports. Headache is recorded in 30.9% of these reports, a larger share than in the median serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist drug (11.5%).

88.1% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (48% across the class); 2.9% record death among the outcomes and 29.5% record hospitalisation, as reported. 34.9% of the reports came from other health professionals, and the largest patient age group is 18 to 44 (41.3%). 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

01223Jul 2021: 6Aug 2021: 18Sep 2021: 8Oct 2021: 8Nov 2021: 11Dec 2021: 152022Jan 2022: 14Feb 2022: 7Mar 2022: 8Apr 2022: 6May 2022: 9Jun 2022: 12Jul 2022: 1Aug 2022: 18Sep 2022: 6Oct 2022: 13Nov 2022: 10Dec 2022: 52023Jan 2023: 15Feb 2023: 10Mar 2023: 5Apr 2023: 12May 2023: 12Jun 2023: 9Jul 2023: 7Aug 2023: 5Sep 2023: 7Oct 2023: 16Nov 2023: 10Dec 2023: 32024Jan 2024: 12Feb 2024: 8Mar 2024: 11Apr 2024: 4May 2024: 15Jun 2024: 9Jul 2024: 13Aug 2024: 3Sep 2024: 9Oct 2024: 13Nov 2024: 5Dec 2024: 42025Jan 2025: 6Feb 2025: 8Mar 2025: 12Apr 2025: 8May 2025: 2Jun 2025: 15Jul 2025: 23Aug 2025: 12Sep 2025: 8Oct 2025: 7Nov 2025: 21Dec 2025: 132026Jan 2026: 7Feb 2026: 9Mar 2026: 11Apr 2026: 19May 2026: 6Jun 2026: 6

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

0681352004: 720042005: 32006: 42007: 520072008: 82009: 262010: 1020102011: 192012: 152013: 1520132014: 132015: 192016: 1920162017: 152018: 612019: 6920192020: 972021: 1132022: 10920222023: 1112024: 1062025: 13520252026: 58

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Zolmitriptan reports recording the termmedian drug in serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor agonist

  1. Headachehead pain30.9%320
  2. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated25.2%261
  3. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label25.1%260
  4. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected23.7%246
  5. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction18.3%190
  6. Angioedemadeep swelling of skin or mucous membranes17.9%186
  7. Dysphoniaa hoarse voice17.8%185
  8. Swelling facea swollen face17.6%183
  9. Nauseafeeling sick13.3%138
  10. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label11.8%122
  11. Migrainemigraine10.5%109
  12. Fatiguetiredness8.9%92
  13. Dyspnoeashortness of breath6.6%68
  14. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness6.5%67
  15. Vomitingbeing sick5.7%59
  16. Astheniaweakness or lack of energy5.5%57
  17. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools5.4%56
  18. Mastoiditis5.1%53
  19. Tremorshaking5.1%53
  20. Disturbance in attentiondifficulty concentrating5%52
  21. Painpain, site not specified4.9%51
  22. Hypotensionlow blood pressure4.8%50
  23. Malaisegeneral feeling of being unwell4.4%46
  24. Myalgiamuscle pain4.4%46
  25. Discomfortdiscomfort4.3%45
  26. Paranasal cyst4.3%45
  27. Stressstress4.3%45
  28. Therapeutic response decreasedthe medicine worked less well4.3%45

Top 30 of 350 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 9 drugs in the serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor 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

Death2.9%30
Life-threatening6%62
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)29.5%306
Disability2.1%22
Congenital anomaly3.6%37
Other serious69.7%723
Not serious11.9%123

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 27,938 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 21.7%18
2 to 110.2%2
12 to 172.1%22
18 to 4441.3%428
45 to 6418.4%191
65 to 746.5%67
75 and over1.4%15
Age not given28.4%294

Patient sex

Female72.7%754
Male11.5%119
Not given15.8%164

Who reported

Physician31.4%326
Pharmacist6.9%72
Other health professional34.9%362
Lawyer0%0
Consumer or non-health professional23.3%242
Not given3.4%35

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 17.6% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Migraine44743.1%
Headache232.2%
Pain212%
Migraine without aura131.3%
Migraine with aura90.9%
Cluster headache50.5%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,037 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Zolmitriptan reports
Topiramate29228.2%
Acetaminophen26125.2%
Morphine sulfate24123.2%
Metoclopramide23722.9%
Zopiclone22922.1%
Botulinum toxin type a21620.8%
Lansoprazole20920.2%
Propranolol20920.2%
Albuterol20219.5%
Dexamethasone19018.3%

Other products listed in reports where Zolmitriptan 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

MeasureZolmitriptanSerotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,03727,93820,646,523
Share of that pool—3.7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months142—1,332,454
Marked serious88.1%48%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports292391
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports295147213
Consumer-filed share23.3%56.2%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsHeadache 30.9%median 11.5%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 serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor agonist class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Imitrexbrand7,4917621.7%
Sumatriptangeneric6,69055663.3%
Sumatriptan succinategeneric3,58036540.8%
Relpaxbrand3,3832250.1%
Maxaltbrand1,96221767%
Zomigbrand1,9222943.3%
Rizatriptangeneric1,10518271.6%
Rizatriptan benzoategeneric76810969.5%

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 Zolmitriptan reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Zolmitriptan?

1,037 reports list Zolmitriptan as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 142 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 1,519 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Zolmitriptan reports?

headache (30.9%), drug intolerance (25.2%), off label use (25.1%), drug ineffective (23.7%) and hypersensitivity (18.3%). 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 Zolmitriptan was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

88.1% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 2.9% of reports include death and 29.5% 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 (34.9%), physician (31.4%) and consumer or non-health professional (23.3%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Zolmitriptan rising?

142 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 45% from 98 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 Zolmitriptan 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 Zolmitriptan?

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 Zolmitriptan as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (1,519) 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.