OpenClaim

Arsenic Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of arsenic include differentiation syndrome, off label use, and electrocardiogram qt prolonged, based on 2,376 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.3% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Arsenic side effects

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

1
Differentiation Syndrome9.2%218
2
Off Label Use6.9%164
3
Electrocardiogram Qt Prolonged6.8%162
4
Electrocardiogram Qt Prolonged4.2%99
5
Pyrexia3.3%79
6
Drug Ineffective3.3%78
7
Alanine Aminotransferase Increased3.1%74
8
White Blood Cell Count Decreased2.7%63
9
Pneumonia2.6%61
10
Aspartate Aminotransferase Increased2.4%58
11
Dyspnoea2.4%57
12
Pleural Effusion2.3%55
13
Haemoglobin Decreased2.1%49
14
Hyperleukocytosis2.1%49
15
Acute Kidney Injury2.0%48

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

Report severity

95.7%Serious2,275 reports
41.3%Hospitalizations981 reports
14.3%Fatal339 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Arsenic drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside arsenic. 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
Tretinoin31.8%756
2
Cytarabine7.6%180
3
Idarubicin-hydrochloride7.1%169
4
Methotrexate5.6%132
5
Dexamethasone5.5%130
6
Ascorbic-acid4.4%104
7
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride3.8%90
8
Bortezomib3.3%79
9
Acyclovir3.1%74
10
Prednisone3.1%73
11
Mercaptopurine3.0%71
12
Cyclophosphamide3.0%71
13
Hydroxyurea2.7%65
14
Fluorouracil2.6%61
15
Cisplatin2.6%61

Taken alongside

1
Tretinoin8.2%195
2
Dexamethasone5.6%132
3
Prednisone3.3%79
4
Potassium-chloride3.1%74
5
Idarubicin-hydrochloride2.8%67
6
Allopurinol2.6%62
7
Hydroxyurea2.6%62
8
Furosemide2.6%61
9
Omeprazole2.4%58
10
Acyclovir2.4%58
11
Zolpidem-tartrate2.4%57
12
Acetaminophen2.4%56
13
Ascorbic-acid2.2%52
14
Cytarabine2.1%50
15
Fluconazole2.0%48

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 arsenic side effects

40.5% of arsenic adverse event reports involve female patients and 42.6% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 59%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female40.5%
Male42.6%
Unknown16.9%

Age group

< 2<0.1%
2–114.2%
12–174.4%
18–6459.2%
65+32.1%

What is arsenic used for

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

Acute LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid Leukaemia RecurrentAcute Promyelocytic LeukaemiaAcute Promyelocytic Leukaemia Differentiation SyndromeAcute Promyelocytic LeukemiaAdult T-cell Lymphoma/leukaemiaAnaplastic AstrocytomaAnaplastic Large-cell LymphomaAnaplastic Lymphoma Kinase Gene MutationAplastic AnaemiaAstrocytoma MalignantAcute LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 106 indications

Arsenic brand names and reporting trend

Arsenic is sold under the brand name Trisenox.

Brand names

Trisenox1,524

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking arsenic with another medication?

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