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Mefenamic Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of mefenamic include nausea, fatigue, and headache, based on 2,384 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 14.8% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Mefenamic side effects

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

1
Drug Ineffective14.8%353
2
Nausea11.9%283
3
Fatigue10.4%248
4
Headache8.9%211
5
Pain8.4%201
6
Dizziness7.3%173
7
Malaise6.6%158
8
Arthralgia5.9%141
9
Pain In Extremity5.6%134
10
Stress5.5%131
11
Drug Intolerance5.3%127
12
Off Label Use5.1%121
13
Vomiting5.0%120
14
Rheumatoid Arthritis5.0%120
15
Diarrhoea4.9%117

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

Report severity

93.7%Serious2,234 reports
35.7%Hospitalizations850 reports
4.7%Fatal112 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Mefenamic drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside mefenamic. 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
Methotrexate10.0%238
2
Sodium-oxybate9.6%229
3
Diclofenac9.5%226
4
Ibuprofen8.4%200
5
Etanercept8.2%195
6
Adalimumab8.1%193
7
Leflunomide6.8%162
8
Acetaminophen6.4%152
9
Infliximab5.8%138
10
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate5.7%136
11
Golimumab5.1%121
12
Sulfasalazine5.0%120
13
Abatacept4.6%110
14
Certolizumab-pegol4.5%108
15
Gabapentin4.2%99

Taken alongside

1
Acetaminophen21.4%509
2
Ibuprofen9.6%229
3
Prednisone8.8%210
4
Omeprazole8.1%194
5
Naproxen7.9%188
6
Albuterol6.8%163
7
Ergocalciferol6.5%156
8
Levothyroxine-sodium6.2%148
9
Metformin6.0%142
10
Aspirin5.5%130
11
Ranitidine4.6%109
12
Fluticasone4.5%108
13
Pantoprazole-sodium4.4%105
14
Dextroamphetamine4.4%104
15
Diclofenac4.3%102

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 mefenamic side effects

70.5% of mefenamic adverse event reports involve female patients and 22.0% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 76%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female70.5%
Male22.0%
Unknown7.6%

Age group

< 20.9%
2–111.7%
12–176.4%
18–6476.2%
65+14.9%

What is mefenamic used for

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

Abdominal DiscomfortAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain LowerAnalgesic TherapyAntipyresisAplastic AnaemiaArthralgiaArthritisAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain LowerAbdominal Pain UpperAbnormal Uterine BleedingAbortion InducedAbscess NeckAcute Myeloid Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 179 indications

Mefenamic brand names and reporting trend

Mefenamic is sold under the brand name Ponstel.

Brand names

Ponstel2,341

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking mefenamic with another medication?

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