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Paclitaxel Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of paclitaxel include nausea, off label use, and dyspnoea, based on 118,086 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 2.5% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Paclitaxel side effects

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

1
Nausea5.1%5,989
2
Off Label Use4.8%5,637
3
Dyspnoea4.7%5,553
4
Diarrhoea4.7%5,515
5
Neutropenia4.7%5,493
6
Death4.2%4,959
7
Anaemia4.1%4,846
8
Fatigue4.0%4,765
9
Malignant Neoplasm Progression4.0%4,719
10
Neuropathy Peripheral3.6%4,270
11
Disease Progression3.6%4,262
12
Pyrexia3.4%4,000
13
Vomiting3.3%3,946
14
Febrile Neutropenia3.1%3,625
15
Asthenia2.8%3,279

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

Report severity

94.3%Serious111,308 reports
41.7%Hospitalizations49,200 reports
16.3%Fatal19,229 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Paclitaxel drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside paclitaxel. 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
Carboplatin35.3%41,654
2
Bevacizumab14.7%17,383
3
Trastuzumab10.8%12,768
4
Gemcitabine9.5%11,213
5
Pembrolizumab8.7%10,245
6
Cyclophosphamide6.7%7,902
7
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride5.8%6,897
8
Cisplatin5.4%6,405
9
Atezolizumab4.9%5,739
10
Pertuzumab4.5%5,305
11
Capecitabine4.2%4,927
12
Docetaxel3.9%4,641
13
Epirubicin-hydrochloride3.3%3,949
14
Fluorouracil2.5%2,896
15
Nivolumab2.3%2,659

Taken alongside

1
Carboplatin9.0%10,601
2
Dexamethasone8.6%10,129
3
Ondansetron5.8%6,797
4
Acetaminophen4.9%5,841
5
Ranitidine3.3%3,845
6
Diphenhydramine3.0%3,517
7
Omeprazole2.8%3,329
8
Cyclophosphamide2.8%3,273
9
Pantoprazole-sodium2.8%3,267
10
Oxycodone2.5%2,910
11
Levothyroxine-sodium2.4%2,811
12
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride2.3%2,711
13
Aspirin2.2%2,650
14
Gemcitabine2.1%2,527
15
Metoclopramide-hydrochloride2.1%2,503

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 paclitaxel side effects

62.8% of paclitaxel adverse event reports involve female patients and 25.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 59%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female62.8%
Male25.2%
Unknown12.0%

Age group

< 20.3%
2–110.1%
12–170.2%
18–6458.7%
65+40.7%

What is paclitaxel used for

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

Abdominal NeoplasmAbdominal PainAbdominal Pain UpperAbdominal Wall Neoplasm MalignantAcinar Cell Carcinoma Of PancreasAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcral Lentiginous Melanoma Stage UnspecifiedActh-producing Pituitary TumourAcute Coronary SyndromeAcute Kidney InjuryAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAdenocarcinomaAdenocarcinoma GastricAdenocarcinoma LungAdenocarcinoma Metastatic

Showing 15 of 1,755 indications

Paclitaxel brand names and reporting trend

Paclitaxel is sold under the brand name Abraxane.

Brand names

Abraxane104,907

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking paclitaxel with another medication?

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