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Acyclovir Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of acyclovir include fatigue, off label use, and diarrhoea, based on 162,675 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.9% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Acyclovir side effects

Percentages show how often each reaction appears relative to total reports for acyclovir.

1
Fatigue6.5%10,538
2
Off Label Use5.8%9,399
3
Diarrhoea5.7%9,279
4
Nausea4.5%7,344
5
Pneumonia4.3%6,916
6
Drug Ineffective3.9%6,291
7
Death3.6%5,858
8
Pyrexia3.6%5,786
9
Rash3.3%5,416
10
Headache2.9%4,681
11
Dyspnoea2.7%4,435
12
Asthenia2.7%4,320
13
Pain2.6%4,186
14
Neutropenia2.4%3,985
15
Febrile Neutropenia2.4%3,848

These are voluntary reports and do not establish that acyclovir caused these reactions.

Report severity

72.7%Serious118,254 reports
37.7%Hospitalizations61,350 reports
11.7%Fatal19,054 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Acyclovir drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside acyclovir. Drugs flagged as a suspected cause appear in the first column. Drugs taken at the same time but not suspected appear in the second.

Also suspected

1
Lenalidomide28.3%45,984
2
Pomalidomide8.9%14,468
3
Dexamethasone7.0%11,455
4
Cyclophosphamide5.0%8,150
5
Rituximab4.4%7,165
6
Venetoclax4.0%6,449
7
Bortezomib3.5%5,723
8
Prednisone3.0%4,850
9
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride2.7%4,355
10
Vincristine-sulfate2.3%3,776
11
Fludarabine-phosphate2.3%3,710
12
Ibrutinib2.1%3,421
13
Daratumumab2.1%3,408
14
Ixazomib-citrate2.0%3,220
15
Cytarabine1.9%3,125

Taken alongside

1
Dexamethasone24.1%39,234
2
Aspirin22.8%37,106
3
Acetaminophen20.1%32,719
4
Ondansetron15.7%25,465
5
Ergocalciferol15.5%25,184
6
Omeprazole14.0%22,809
7
Sulfamethoxazole12.8%20,849
8
Pantoprazole-sodium12.3%19,993
9
Gabapentin11.9%19,337
10
Trimethoprim11.3%18,425
11
Levothyroxine-sodium11.0%17,939
12
Amlodipine10.8%17,596
13
Furosemide10.4%16,871
14
Allopurinol10.1%16,482
15
Atorvastatin-calcium9.9%16,112

Co-occurrence in adverse event reports does not establish a drug interaction. Patients often take multiple medications, and these lists reflect prescribing patterns rather than causal relationships. Consult a healthcare provider about potential drug interactions.

Who reports acyclovir side effects

47.6% of acyclovir adverse event reports involve female patients and 44.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is elderly at 49%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female47.6%
Male44.2%
Unknown8.2%

Age group

< 21.0%
2–112.2%
12–171.3%
18–6446.6%
65+48.9%

What is acyclovir used for

Conditions and purposes for which patients were taking acyclovir when the adverse event was reported.

11-beta-hydroxylase DeficiencyAbdominal DiscomfortAbdominal PainAcanthamoeba KeratitisAcarodermatitisAccidental Exposure To ProductAcinetobacter InfectionAcneAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcute Disseminated EncephalomyelitisAcute Febrile Neutrophilic DermatosisAcute LeukaemiaAcute Liver FailureAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 1,569 indications

Acyclovir brand names and reporting trend

Acyclovir is sold under brand names including Xerese, Acyclovir In Sodium Chloride 0.9% Preservative Free.

Brand names

Xerese164,046
Acyclovir In Sodium Chloride 0.9% Preservative Free1,416

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

An upward trend reflects increased FAERS reporting overall, not necessarily increased risk.

Taking acyclovir with another medication?

Ask OpenClaim about your specific drug combination. Get a sourced report using FDA data, drug labels, and medical literature.