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Imipenem Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of imipenem include off label use, product use in unapproved indication, and pyrexia, based on 7,926 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 10.5% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Imipenem side effects

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

1
Drug Ineffective10.5%829
2
Off Label Use7.9%624
3
Product Use In Unapproved Indication5.6%444
4
Pyrexia3.6%287
5
Nausea3.4%266
6
Vomiting3.3%261
7
Condition Aggravated3.1%246
8
Thrombocytopenia3.0%238
9
Drug Resistance2.8%223
10
Dyspnoea2.8%219
11
Pneumonia2.6%208
12
Diarrhoea2.6%208
13
Convulsion2.6%205
14
Acute Kidney Injury2.6%204
15
Septic Shock2.5%202

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

Report severity

90.7%Serious7,188 reports
45.2%Hospitalizations3,585 reports
27.7%Fatal2,195 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Imipenem drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside imipenem. 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
Cilastatin-sodium36.8%2,916
2
Linezolid16.1%1,275
3
Vancomycin12.0%951
4
Amikacin-sulfate11.5%915
5
Clofazimine9.6%758
6
Ciprofloxacin7.2%570
7
Bedaquiline-fumarate6.5%518
8
Meropenem6.1%486
9
Azithromycin5.7%455
10
Moxifloxacin-hydrochloride5.5%433
11
Tigecycline5.4%428
12
Amoxicillin4.3%338
13
Levofloxacin4.2%329
14
Metronidazole4.0%315
15
Voriconazole3.7%297

Taken alongside

1
Cilastatin-sodium12.5%993
2
Vancomycin12.3%974
3
Amikacin-sulfate9.1%725
4
Furosemide6.3%500
5
Acetaminophen6.2%494
6
Omeprazole6.0%475
7
Fluconazole5.9%464
8
Linezolid5.8%457
9
Ciprofloxacin5.2%412
10
Prednisone4.5%355
11
Azithromycin4.3%337
12
Pantoprazole-sodium4.2%329
13
Metronidazole4.1%326
14
Insulin4.0%321
15
Sulfamethoxazole4.0%318

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 imipenem side effects

39.3% of imipenem adverse event reports involve female patients and 53.5% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 59%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female39.3%
Male53.5%
Unknown7.2%

Age group

< 22.1%
2–113.8%
12–172.6%
18–6459.5%
65+32.0%

What is imipenem used for

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

Abdominal AbscessAbdominal InfectionAbdominal RigidityAbdominal SepsisAbdominal SymptomAbdominal Wall InfectionAbscessAbscess BacterialAbscess LimbAchromobacter InfectionAcid Fast Bacilli InfectionAcinetobacter BacteraemiaAcinetobacter InfectionAcute Coronary SyndromeAcute Febrile Neutrophilic Dermatosis

Showing 15 of 723 indications

Imipenem brand names and reporting trend

Imipenem is sold under the brand name Primaxin.

Brand names

Primaxin5,164

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking imipenem with another medication?

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