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Cimetidine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of cimetidine include chronic kidney disease, acute kidney injury, and renal failure, based on 11,065 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.5% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Cimetidine side effects

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

1
Chronic Kidney Disease18.7%2,065
2
Acute Kidney Injury10.3%1,140
3
Renal Failure8.7%965
4
End Stage Renal Disease5.1%559
5
Fatigue4.7%525
6
Nausea4.5%494
7
Gastrooesophageal Reflux Disease3.9%431
8
Renal Injury3.8%423
9
Death3.6%393
10
Off Label Use3.5%387
11
Drug Ineffective3.5%383
12
Vomiting3.1%347
13
Dyspnoea3.0%329
14
Diarrhoea2.9%316
15
Pain2.8%313

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

Report severity

79.8%Serious8,829 reports
33.7%Hospitalizations3,729 reports
12.2%Fatal1,350 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Cimetidine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside cimetidine. 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
Omeprazole21.3%2,354
2
Esomeprazole20.9%2,314
3
Lansoprazole16.5%1,830
4
Pantoprazole-sodium15.5%1,713
5
Dexlansoprazole6.7%739
6
Paclitaxel6.1%679
7
Carboplatin4.3%473
8
Bevacizumab3.5%385
9
Rabeprazole-sodium1.9%206
10
Sodium-bicarbonate1.9%205
11
Adalimumab1.8%198
12
Trastuzumab1.8%197
13
Prednisone1.7%186
14
Acetaminophen1.5%170
15
Docetaxel1.5%165

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen23.7%2,617
2
Ranitidine20.4%2,252
3
Famotidine18.2%2,012
4
Diphenhydramine16.5%1,829
5
Aspirin15.5%1,718
6
Dexamethasone14.7%1,623
7
Furosemide12.4%1,369
8
Ergocalciferol11.3%1,255
9
Ibuprofen11.2%1,243
10
Lisinopril10.7%1,186
11
Atorvastatin-calcium9.9%1,090
12
Ondansetron9.8%1,088
13
Amlodipine9.7%1,069
14
Prednisone9.5%1,052
15
Levothyroxine-sodium9.4%1,042

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 cimetidine side effects

58.1% of cimetidine adverse event reports involve female patients and 30.9% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 62%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female58.1%
Male30.9%
Unknown11.0%

Age group

< 20.5%
2–110.9%
12–171.1%
18–6462.0%
65+35.5%

What is cimetidine used for

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

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal DistensionAbdominal FullnessAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAccidental Drug Intake By ChildAccidental Exposure To ProductAccidental Exposure To Product By ChildAcid Base BalanceAcidosisAdverse EventAllergy ProphylaxisAllergy TestAlopeciaAnaesthetic Premedication

Showing 15 of 357 indications

Cimetidine brand names and reporting trend

Cimetidine is sold under the brand name Tagamet.

Brand names

Tagamet7,239

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking cimetidine with another medication?

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