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Chlorhexidine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of chlorhexidine include rash, fatigue, and pain, based on 22,125 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025.

Chlorhexidine side effects

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

1
Rash21.6%4,770
2
Fatigue20.9%4,633
3
Pain20.1%4,451
4
Joint Swelling19.8%4,375
5
Pruritus18.6%4,114
6
Hypersensitivity18.2%4,034
7
Peripheral Swelling18.1%3,999
8
Lower Respiratory Tract Infection17.9%3,954
9
Arthralgia17.9%3,951
10
Folliculitis17.8%3,931
11
Dyspnoea17.7%3,921
12
Impaired Healing17.7%3,919
13
Stomatitis17.7%3,906
14
Weight Increased17.5%3,869
15
Pyrexia17.3%3,825

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

Report severity

80.0%Serious17,690 reports
41.2%Hospitalizations9,122 reports
22.9%Fatal5,068 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Chlorhexidine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside chlorhexidine. 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
Abatacept29.9%6,626
2
Methotrexate29.0%6,423
3
Etanercept28.5%6,313
4
Leflunomide27.6%6,117
5
Tocilizumab27.5%6,095
6
Certolizumab-pegol27.5%6,092
7
Golimumab27.2%6,011
8
Oxycodone27.1%5,996
9
Acetaminophen27.1%5,990
10
Diclofenac24.6%5,447
11
Prednisone24.1%5,333
12
Adalimumab24.0%5,317
13
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate23.8%5,263
14
Cetirizine-hydrochloride23.3%5,159
15
Desoximetasone23.2%5,138

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen34.5%7,632
2
Pantoprazole-sodium23.4%5,182
3
Ibuprofen22.6%4,995
4
Ergocalciferol16.5%3,661
5
Desogestrel14.2%3,138
6
Ethinyl-estradiol13.9%3,065
7
Lorazepam13.3%2,953
8
Prednisone12.7%2,818
9
Albuterol12.7%2,808
10
Cetirizine-hydrochloride12.3%2,712
11
Sulfasalazine12.2%2,706
12
Ondansetron10.8%2,392
13
Eszopiclone10.5%2,328
14
Dexamethasone10.4%2,310
15
Lisinopril10.3%2,289

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 chlorhexidine side effects

57.8% of chlorhexidine adverse event reports involve female patients and 23.9% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 69%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female57.8%
Male23.9%
Unknown18.3%

Age group

< 21.1%
2–112.3%
12–171.9%
18–6468.7%
65+26.0%

What is chlorhexidine used for

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

AbscessAbscess LimbAcanthamoeba KeratitisAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Exposure To Product By ChildAcneAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute SinusitisAdverse EventAgeusiaAllergy ProphylaxisAlveolar OsteitisAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAnal Infection

Showing 15 of 566 indications

Chlorhexidine brand names and reporting trend

Chlorhexidine is sold under the brand name Hibistat.

Brand names

Hibistat12,580

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking chlorhexidine with another medication?

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