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Penicillamine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of penicillamine include drug hypersensitivity, arthralgia, and joint swelling, based on 1,104 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 15.2% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Penicillamine side effects

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

1
Drug Hypersensitivity16.5%182
2
Drug Ineffective15.2%168
3
Arthralgia13.3%147
4
Joint Swelling12.9%142
5
Inflammation9.8%108
6
Off Label Use8.8%97
7
Nausea8.2%91
8
Diarrhoea8.1%89
9
Drug Intolerance7.2%79
10
Anaphylactic Reaction7.0%77
11
Headache6.9%76
12
Hypersensitivity6.9%76
13
Urticaria6.4%71
14
Treatment Failure6.3%70
15
Acute Kidney Injury6.3%70

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

Report severity

78.8%Serious870 reports
29.1%Hospitalizations321 reports
10.6%Fatal117 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Penicillamine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside penicillamine. 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
Methotrexate18.5%204
2
Adalimumab17.7%195
3
Etanercept17.6%194
4
Rituximab15.6%172
5
Abatacept14.4%159
6
Leflunomide13.7%151
7
Hydroxychloroquine-sulfate13.4%148
8
Infliximab13.0%143
9
Golimumab12.7%140
10
Sulfasalazine9.3%103
11
Azathioprine7.0%77
12
Certolizumab-pegol7.0%77
13
Tocilizumab6.9%76
14
Anakinra3.2%35
15
Cyclosporine3.2%35

Taken alongside

1
Prednisone17.8%196
2
Azathioprine11.3%125
3
Acetaminophen9.1%100
4
Sulfasalazine8.8%97
5
Prednisolone8.4%93
6
Cyclosporine8.1%89
7
Methotrexate7.6%84
8
Tocilizumab6.9%76
9
Tofacitinib6.8%75
10
Cyclophosphamide6.4%71
11
Minocycline-hydrochloride6.1%67
12
Doxycycline5.9%65
13
Tobramycin5.5%61
14
Amitriptyline-hydrochloride5.3%59
15
Aspirin4.3%48

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 penicillamine side effects

62.4% of penicillamine adverse event reports involve female patients and 27.3% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 65%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female62.4%
Male27.3%
Unknown10.3%

Age group

< 21.6%
2–111.6%
12–173.7%
18–6464.6%
65+28.4%

What is penicillamine used for

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

AlcoholismAmino Acid Metabolism DisorderAmyotrophic Lateral SclerosisArthritisAutoimmune DisorderArthritisBlood Heavy Metal IncreasedBlood Mercury AbnormalBlood Copper IncreasedBlood Cyanide IncreasedChelation TherapyChorioretinopathyChronic Kidney DiseaseCrest SyndromeCystine Urine

Showing 15 of 63 indications

Penicillamine brand names and reporting trend

Penicillamine is sold under the brand name Cuprimine.

Brand names

Cuprimine975

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking penicillamine with another medication?

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