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Pentamidine Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of pentamidine include off label use, pyrexia, and febrile neutropenia, based on 5,797 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 3.6% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Pentamidine side effects

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

1
Off Label Use9.0%522
2
Pyrexia6.7%390
3
Febrile Neutropenia5.4%312
4
Neutropenia4.9%286
5
Diarrhoea4.6%267
6
Acute Kidney Injury3.9%224
7
Thrombocytopenia3.7%215
8
Drug Ineffective3.6%206
9
Pneumonia3.5%202
10
Nausea3.2%183
11
Pancytopenia3.1%178
12
Anaemia3.0%173
13
Rash2.9%169
14
Respiratory Failure2.8%163
15
Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia2.7%156

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

Report severity

93.5%Serious5,421 reports
54.8%Hospitalizations3,178 reports
20.1%Fatal1,163 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Pentamidine drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside pentamidine. 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
Cyclophosphamide12.8%744
2
Tacrolimus12.5%722
3
Prednisone10.0%579
4
Dexamethasone9.6%554
5
Methotrexate9.4%547
6
Fludarabine-phosphate9.3%542
7
Mycophenolate9.1%528
8
Rituximab9.0%522
9
Vincristine-sulfate7.6%441
10
Methylprednisolone6.9%402
11
Lenalidomide6.5%379
12
Cytarabine5.9%342
13
Cyclosporine5.6%325
14
Doxorubicin-hydrochloride5.2%300
15
Busulfan4.5%263

Taken alongside

1
Acyclovir30.8%1,785
2
Acetaminophen17.3%1,001
3
Ondansetron16.4%948
4
Fluconazole15.3%886
5
Prednisone11.9%690
6
Furosemide10.7%621
7
Sulfamethoxazole10.6%616
8
Pantoprazole-sodium10.6%615
9
Omeprazole9.9%573
10
Amlodipine9.7%562
11
Dexamethasone9.3%541
12
Tacrolimus8.8%509
13
Lorazepam8.5%490
14
Levofloxacin8.3%479
15
Methylprednisolone8.2%476

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 pentamidine side effects

35.7% of pentamidine adverse event reports involve female patients and 51.4% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 53%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female35.7%
Male51.4%
Unknown12.9%

Age group

< 22.0%
2–1112.2%
12–177.9%
18–6453.2%
65+24.6%

What is pentamidine used for

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

Acanthamoeba InfectionAcanthamoeba KeratitisAcneAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAcute Graft Versus Host DiseaseAcute Lymphocytic LeukaemiaAllogenic Stem Cell TransplantationAmoebic Brain AbscessAnti-infective TherapyAntibiotic ProphylaxisAntibiotic TherapyAntifungal ProphylaxisAntifungal TreatmentAntiviral ProphylaxisAplastic Anaemia

Showing 15 of 178 indications

Pentamidine brand names and reporting trend

Pentamidine is sold under the brand name Pentam.

Brand names

Pentam1,112

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking pentamidine with another medication?

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