OpenClaim

Calcium Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of calcium include fatigue, off label use, and diarrhoea, based on 259,037 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 5.2% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Calcium side effects

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

1
Fatigue7.4%19,138
2
Off Label Use6.5%16,945
3
Diarrhoea5.7%14,779
4
Nausea5.6%14,547
5
Drug Ineffective5.2%13,436
6
Pain5.0%12,973
7
Arthralgia4.8%12,325
8
Headache4.5%11,740
9
Dyspnoea4.2%10,925
10
Dizziness3.9%9,998
11
Fall3.7%9,692
12
Asthenia3.7%9,689
13
Vomiting3.7%9,588
14
Pneumonia3.6%9,349
15
Pain In Extremity3.4%8,807

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

Report severity

65.8%Serious170,318 reports
33.6%Hospitalizations86,969 reports
9.3%Fatal24,005 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Calcium drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside calcium. 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
Adalimumab6.9%17,811
2
Lenalidomide6.0%15,483
3
Denosumab4.2%10,751
4
Etanercept3.5%9,100
5
Infliximab3.4%8,798
6
Rituximab3.2%8,263
7
Prednisone3.2%8,209
8
Methotrexate3.0%7,858
9
Alendronate-sodium2.9%7,557
10
Teriparatide2.6%6,609
11
Abatacept2.5%6,426
12
Tofacitinib2.2%5,622
13
Certolizumab-pegol2.1%5,490
14
Tocilizumab2.1%5,485
15
Acetaminophen2.0%5,278

Taken alongside

1
Ergocalciferol32.4%84,041
2
Aspirin18.2%47,017
3
Acetaminophen15.7%40,669
4
Levothyroxine-sodium13.7%35,476
5
Omeprazole10.9%28,167
6
Prednisone10.2%26,383
7
Folic-acid9.2%23,920
8
Ascorbic-acid8.8%22,843
9
Atorvastatin-calcium8.6%22,384
10
Cyanocobalamin8.4%21,739
11
Fish8.1%20,889
12
Amlodipine8.0%20,639
13
Furosemide8.0%20,623
14
Pantoprazole-sodium7.9%20,459
15
Metoprolol7.8%20,229

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 calcium side effects

67.7% of calcium adverse event reports involve female patients and 25.9% involve male patients. The largest age group is elderly at 52%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female67.7%
Male25.9%
Unknown6.4%

Age group

< 20.4%
2–110.6%
12–170.9%
18–6445.9%
65+52.2%

What is calcium used for

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

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal DistensionAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbnormal FaecesAcad9 DeficiencyAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Exposure To Product By ChildAccidental OverdoseAcidosisAcneAcquired Epidermolysis BullosaAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcute Coronary SyndromeAcute Kidney Injury

Showing 15 of 1,590 indications

Calcium brand names and reporting trend

Calcium is sold under the brand name Isopaque 280.

Brand names

Isopaque 280303,887

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking calcium with another medication?

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