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Mercaptopurine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of mercaptopurine include febrile neutropenia, off label use, and pyrexia, based on 22,269 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 5.9% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Mercaptopurine side effects

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

1
Febrile Neutropenia9.0%2,011
2
Off Label Use8.3%1,840
3
Drug Ineffective5.9%1,325
4
Pyrexia5.2%1,168
5
Diarrhoea3.6%810
6
Nausea3.6%795
7
Abdominal Pain3.5%789
8
Crohn^s Disease3.5%783
9
Vomiting3.5%774
10
Fatigue2.9%637
11
Condition Aggravated2.8%628
12
Headache2.7%604
13
Neutropenia2.5%562
14
Pneumonia2.5%552
15
Sepsis2.2%491

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

Report severity

87.3%Serious19,442 reports
44.8%Hospitalizations9,973 reports
10.2%Fatal2,277 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Mercaptopurine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside mercaptopurine. 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
Methotrexate44.6%9,922
2
Vincristine-sulfate34.2%7,626
3
Cytarabine26.6%5,917
4
Cyclophosphamide21.8%4,850
5
Dexamethasone17.8%3,972
6
Pegaspargase15.5%3,455
7
Adalimumab15.5%3,444
8
Prednisone15.1%3,354
9
Infliximab13.6%3,025
10
Daunorubicin11.4%2,548
11
Asparaginase11.2%2,485
12
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride9.1%2,037
13
Hydrocortisone7.1%1,578
14
Etoposide5.4%1,194
15
Prednisolone5.3%1,178

Taken alongside

1
Prednisone9.6%2,133
2
Mesalamine7.6%1,696
3
Methotrexate7.5%1,664
4
Acetaminophen5.8%1,282
5
Vincristine-sulfate5.6%1,249
6
Ondansetron5.3%1,175
7
Sulfamethoxazole5.2%1,150
8
Trimethoprim4.8%1,061
9
Cytarabine4.3%965
10
Ergocalciferol4.3%960
11
Omeprazole3.9%866
12
Dexamethasone3.7%825
13
Cyclophosphamide3.3%732
14
Hydrocortisone3.1%685
15
Calcium2.8%632

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 mercaptopurine side effects

41.4% of mercaptopurine adverse event reports involve female patients and 43.8% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 46%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female41.4%
Male43.8%
Unknown14.7%

Age group

< 23.1%
2–1127.6%
12–1714.8%
18–6446.0%
65+8.4%

What is mercaptopurine used for

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

Abdominal PainAbscessAccidental ExposureAccidental OverdoseAcute Biphenotypic LeukaemiaAcute LeukaemiaAcute Leukaemia In RemissionAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic Leukaemia (in Remission)Acute Lymphocytic Leukaemia RecurrentAcute Lymphocytic Leukaemia RefractoryAcute Monocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid Leukaemia RecurrentAcute Myelomonocytic Leukaemia

Showing 15 of 438 indications

Mercaptopurine brand names and reporting trend

Mercaptopurine is sold under the brand name Purixan.

Brand names

Purixan22,022

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking mercaptopurine with another medication?

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