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Thiopental Side Effects

The most commonly reported side effects of thiopental include off label use, status epilepticus, and hypotension, based on 2,377 FDA adverse event reports from 2004 to 2025. 14.1% of reports found the drug to be ineffective.

Thiopental side effects

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

1
Drug Ineffective14.1%336
2
Off Label Use8.9%212
3
Status Epilepticus5.6%134
4
Hypotension4.0%95
5
Hypotension3.7%89
6
Maternal Exposure During Pregnancy3.4%81
7
Seizure3.2%76
8
Product Use In Unapproved Indication3.2%75
9
Foetal Exposure During Pregnancy3.0%72
10
Exposure During Pregnancy3.0%71
11
Drug Interaction2.6%62
12
Cardiac Arrest2.4%56
13
Diabetes Insipidus2.4%56
14
Death2.2%53
15
Cardiac Arrest2.2%53

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

Report severity

92.2%Serious2,192 reports
38.4%Hospitalizations912 reports
17.3%Fatal411 reports

Seriousness is determined by the reporter, not by OpenClaim.

Thiopental drug interactions

Other drugs that appear in adverse event reports alongside thiopental. 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
Midazolam23.5%558
2
Propofol21.3%507
3
Levetiracetam21.0%498
4
Fentanyl19.7%468
5
Phenytoin18.4%438
6
Lacosamide10.2%242
7
Sevoflurane9.6%229
8
Phenobarbital-sodium9.4%224
9
Valproic-acid9.1%216
10
Topiramate8.7%206
11
Ketamine-hydrochloride8.2%195
12
Succinylcholine-chloride8.1%193
13
Diazepam8.1%193
14
Rocuronium-bromide6.4%153
15
Methylprednisolone6.3%150

Taken alongside

1
Midazolam14.5%345
2
Fentanyl14.3%340
3
Propofol10.0%238
4
Oxygen6.4%152
5
Methylprednisolone6.1%146
6
Phenytoin5.8%139
7
Vecuronium-bromide5.8%138
8
Rocuronium-bromide5.2%124
9
Atropine5.2%124
10
Isoflurane5.2%123
11
Succinylcholine-chloride5.0%119
12
Nitrous-oxide4.9%117
13
Acetaminophen4.7%111
14
Levetiracetam4.6%109
15
Epinephrine4.5%107

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 thiopental side effects

44.9% of thiopental adverse event reports involve female patients and 40.2% involve male patients. The largest age group is adult at 61%. These figures reflect who reports side effects, not underlying risk.

Sex

Female44.9%
Male40.2%
Unknown14.9%

Age group

< 27.0%
2–1112.3%
12–176.7%
18–6460.6%
65+13.4%

What is thiopental used for

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

Acute Encephalitis With Refractory, Repetitive Partial SeizuresAmnesiaAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAnaesthetic PremedicationAnalgesic TherapyAnesthesiaAppendicectomyArthroscopic SurgeryAutoimmune EncephalopathyAcute Respiratory FailureAllogenic Stem Cell TransplantationAnaesthesiaAnaesthesia ProcedureAutologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Showing 15 of 136 indications

Thiopental brand names and reporting trend

Thiopental is sold under the brand name Pentothal.

Brand names

Pentothal2,467

Quarterly reports (20042025)

20052010201520202025

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

Taking thiopental with another medication?

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