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Epoetin Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of epoetin include death, off label use, and fatigue, based on 20,815 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 2.0% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Epoetin side effects

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

1
Death12.0%2,501
2
Off Label Use5.4%1,127
3
Fatigue4.8%1,008
4
Anaemia4.7%974
5
Haemoglobin Decreased4.5%938
6
Diarrhoea3.7%760
7
Asthenia3.3%695
8
Nausea3.3%678
9
Dyspnoea2.9%597
10
Pneumonia2.6%537
11
Anaemia2.5%522
12
Haemoglobin Decreased2.5%510
13
Fatigue2.2%464
14
Asthenia2.1%436
15
Drug Ineffective2.0%425

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

Report severity

70.5%Serious14,671 reports
33.3%Hospitalizations6,922 reports
21.9%Fatal4,561 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Epoetin drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside epoetin. 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
Lenalidomide10.3%2,138
2
Ribavirin3.6%741
3
Darbepoetin-alfa2.9%600
4
Peginterferon2.7%558
5
Dexamethasone2.6%550
6
Ruxolitinib2.5%513
7
Pomalidomide1.8%380
8
Rituximab1.7%363
9
Bevacizumab1.4%295
10
Bortezomib1.3%275
11
Cyclophosphamide1.3%268
12
Thalidomide1.3%264
13
Filgrastim1.3%261
14
Boceprevir1.1%227
15
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride1.1%221

Taken alongside

1
Aspirin13.6%2,827
2
Furosemide13.1%2,717
3
Acetaminophen12.2%2,547
4
Amlodipine9.7%2,020
5
Metoprolol9.2%1,910
6
Levothyroxine-sodium8.5%1,776
7
Ergocalciferol8.5%1,765
8
Omeprazole7.5%1,559
9
Dexamethasone7.5%1,553
10
Insulin7.4%1,547
11
Prednisone7.3%1,516
12
Pantoprazole-sodium7.2%1,496
13
Atorvastatin-calcium6.9%1,438
14
Folic-acid6.8%1,407
15
Allopurinol6.0%1,255

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 epoetin side effects

47.5% of epoetin adverse event reports involve female patients and 40.1% involve male patients. The largest age group is elderly at 61%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female47.5%
Male40.1%
Unknown12.5%

Age group

< 20.7%
2–110.7%
12–170.5%
18–6436.7%
65+61.5%

What is epoetin used for

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

5q Minus Syndrome5q Minus SyndromeAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcute Kidney InjuryAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Myocardial InfarctionAdiposis DolorosaAdverse EventAgranulocytosisAmyloidosisAnaemiaAnaemia MacrocyticAnaemia NeonatalAnaemia Of Chronic DiseaseAnaemia Of Malignant Disease

Showing 15 of 459 indications

Epoetin brand names and reporting trend

Epoetin is sold under brand names including Epogen/procrit, Retacrit.

Brand names

Epogen/procrit4,262
Retacrit31

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking epoetin with another medication?

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