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Alfentanil Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of alfentanil include off label use, toxic epidermal necrolysis, and vomiting, based on 1,101 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025.

Alfentanil side effects

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

1
Off Label Use5.9%65
2
Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis4.5%50
3
Vomiting4.4%48
4
Anaphylactic Shock4.2%46
5
Toxicity To Various Agents4.0%44
6
Anaphylactic Reaction3.7%41
7
Nausea3.4%37
8
Cardiac Arrest3.1%34
9
Pyrexia3.1%34
10
Product Use In Unapproved Indication3.0%33
11
Abdominal Pain2.9%32
12
Drug Hypersensitivity2.8%31
13
Hypotension2.8%31
14
Dyspnoea2.6%29
15
Acute Kidney Injury2.5%28

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

Report severity

97.2%Serious1,070 reports
40.1%Hospitalizations442 reports
18.4%Fatal203 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Alfentanil drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside alfentanil. 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
Propofol30.9%340
2
Acetaminophen17.1%188
3
Sevoflurane11.5%127
4
Amoxicillin8.2%90
5
Midazolam7.9%87
6
Dexamethasone7.5%83
7
Lansoprazole7.3%80
8
Epinephrine7.2%79
9
Omeprazole6.9%76
10
Potassium-chloride6.8%75
11
Heparin6.5%72
12
Simvastatin6.4%70
13
Sodium-chloride5.9%65
14
Dalteparin-sodium5.7%63
15
Fentanyl5.6%62

Taken alongside

1
Propofol34.3%378
2
Acetaminophen24.1%265
3
Midazolam18.2%200
4
Epinephrine15.9%175
5
Metoclopramide-hydrochloride15.9%175
6
Omeprazole13.8%152
7
Dexamethasone13.1%144
8
Furosemide12.8%141
9
Aspirin10.9%120
10
Amoxicillin10.0%110
11
Ondansetron10.0%110
12
Apomorphine-hydrochloride9.3%102
13
Fentanyl8.8%97
14
Pantoprazole-sodium8.6%95
15
Albuterol8.2%90

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 alfentanil side effects

43.6% of alfentanil adverse event reports involve female patients and 44.1% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 62%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female43.6%
Male44.1%
Unknown12.4%

Age group

< 22.6%
2–115.0%
12–173.4%
18–6461.8%
65+27.2%

What is alfentanil used for

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

Abdominal PainAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAnalgesic TherapyAdverse Drug ReactionAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAnalgesic TherapyBlepharoplastyCaesarean SectionCancer PainColonoscopyColonoscopyDental CareDiscomfort

Showing 15 of 73 indications

Alfentanil brand names and reporting trend

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking alfentanil with another medication?

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