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Pegvisomant Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of pegvisomant include off label use, headache, and fatigue, based on 4,051 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 10.0% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Pegvisomant side effects

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

1
Off Label Use12.0%486
2
Drug Ineffective10.0%407
3
Headache9.4%380
4
Fatigue9.1%368
5
Insulin-like Growth Factor Increased9.0%366
6
Arthralgia7.3%294
7
Product Dose Omission Issue6.6%268
8
Injection Site Pain6.2%251
9
Diarrhoea6.1%248
10
Nausea5.3%216
11
Pain5.2%209
12
Product Use Issue5.0%202
13
Blood Pressure Increased4.9%198
14
Needle Issue4.8%193
15
Malaise4.6%188

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

Report severity

56.1%Serious2,274 reports
19.7%Hospitalizations800 reports
7.8%Fatal314 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Pegvisomant drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside pegvisomant. 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
Octreotide-acetate10.6%429
2
Lanreotide-acetate3.5%140
3
Pasireotide2.3%93
4
Metformin1.8%71
5
Cabergoline1.7%68
6
Atorvastatin-calcium1.3%53
7
Carisoprodol1.2%49
8
Ramipril1.2%48
9
Atenolol1.1%44
10
Indapamide1.1%43
11
Furosemide1.0%41
12
Lorazepam1.0%41
13
Hydrocortisone0.9%36
14
Amlodipine0.8%32
15
Valsartan0.7%29

Taken alongside

1
Levothyroxine-sodium12.9%522
2
Metformin7.5%305
3
Octreotide-acetate7.3%297
4
Hydrocortisone5.9%239
5
Testosterone5.7%229
6
Cabergoline5.5%224
7
Aspirin5.2%210
8
Atorvastatin-calcium4.5%181
9
Lanreotide-acetate4.4%179
10
Ergocalciferol4.3%176
11
Amlodipine4.0%163
12
Acetaminophen3.9%160
13
Hydrochlorothiazide3.8%153
14
Insulin2.8%114
15
Metoprolol2.8%114

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 pegvisomant side effects

52.5% of pegvisomant adverse event reports involve female patients and 38.3% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 71%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female52.5%
Male38.3%
Unknown9.2%

Age group

< 2<0.1%
2–110.2%
12–170.9%
18–6470.8%
65+28.0%

What is pegvisomant used for

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

Abnormal BehaviourAcromegalyAdenoma BenignAdjuvant TherapyAdrenal InsufficiencyAlbright^s DiseaseAlbuminuriaArnold-chiari MalformationArthralgiaAcromegalyAddison^s DiseaseAdenoma BenignAlbright^s DiseaseArthritisArthropathy

Showing 15 of 131 indications

Pegvisomant brand names and reporting trend

Pegvisomant is sold under the brand name Somavert.

Brand names

Somavert338

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking pegvisomant with another medication?

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