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Mesna Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of mesna include febrile neutropenia, off label use, and pyrexia, based on 8,904 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 2.2% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Mesna side effects

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

1
Febrile Neutropenia13.2%1,179
2
Off Label Use7.1%635
3
Pyrexia6.7%601
4
Neutropenia5.1%454
5
Anaemia4.0%352
6
Disease Progression3.8%337
7
Thrombocytopenia3.8%334
8
Cystitis Haemorrhagic3.5%316
9
Pancytopenia3.5%314
10
Diarrhoea3.3%295
11
Vomiting3.3%294
12
Sepsis3.2%289
13
Nausea3.2%285
14
Mucosal Inflammation3.2%281
15
Pneumonia2.7%237

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

Report severity

97.2%Serious8,652 reports
44.8%Hospitalizations3,988 reports
21.1%Fatal1,882 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Mesna drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside mesna. 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
Cyclophosphamide51.4%4,574
2
Ifosfamide33.4%2,972
3
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride29.6%2,636
4
Vincristine-sulfate29.0%2,584
5
Etoposide28.7%2,553
6
Methotrexate20.4%1,817
7
Rituximab18.7%1,665
8
Cytarabine18.1%1,611
9
Dexamethasone17.5%1,562
10
Carboplatin11.4%1,016
11
Cisplatin10.0%887
12
Prednisone9.2%822
13
Fludarabine-phosphate8.0%708
14
Filgrastim6.7%597
15
Methylprednisolone6.7%595

Taken alongside

1
Ondansetron17.6%1,564
2
Dexamethasone14.8%1,321
3
Acetaminophen13.8%1,228
4
Acyclovir12.1%1,076
5
Filgrastim10.0%893
6
Sulfamethoxazole9.8%869
7
Cyclophosphamide9.7%865
8
Trimethoprim7.9%707
9
Fluconazole7.4%656
10
Furosemide7.3%649
11
Metoclopramide-hydrochloride6.7%599
12
Pantoprazole-sodium6.7%593
13
Allopurinol6.6%588
14
Methylprednisolone6.4%567
15
Lorazepam6.2%552

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 mesna side effects

35.1% of mesna adverse event reports involve female patients and 40.0% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 55%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female35.1%
Male40.0%
Unknown24.9%

Age group

< 23.9%
2–1115.0%
12–179.3%
18–6455.5%
65+16.4%

What is mesna used for

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

Accidental Exposure To ProductAcute Graft Versus Host Disease In LiverAcute Graft Versus Host Disease In SkinAcute LeukaemiaAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAcute Myeloid LeukaemiaAcute Myelomonocytic LeukaemiaAdjuvant TherapyAdrenocortical CarcinomaAdult T-cell Lymphoma/leukaemiaAdult T-cell Lymphoma/leukaemia RefractoryAllogenic Bone Marrow Transplantation TherapyAllogenic Stem Cell TransplantationAlveolar RhabdomyosarcomaAmeloblastoma

Showing 15 of 557 indications

Mesna brand names and reporting trend

Mesna is sold under the brand name Mesna.

Brand names

Mesna10,333

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking mesna with another medication?

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