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This page presents data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and the FDA-approved drug label. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event. Always consult a healthcare provider about medications.

Fentanyl Citrate (fentanyl)

Last updated: June 17, 2026
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Fentanyl Citrate is the brand name for fentanyl. According to the FDA-approved label, Fentanyl Citrate Injection is indicated for: • analgesic action of short duration during the anesthetic periods, premedication, induction and maintenance, and in the immediate postoperative period (recovery room) as the need arises. FAERS contains 96,507 submissions naming this drug from 1997 through 2026; the top three reactions cited are drug abuse, pain, and drug dependence.

Most-Reported Reactions

Counts of the reactions most often cited in FAERS submissions that named Fentanyl Citrate. Inclusion here does not establish causation - submitters describe what was observed, not what was confirmed. One submission can list several reactions, so the totals exceed the report count.

DRUG ABUSE 10,656 (11.0%) PAIN 7,282 (7.5%) DRUG DEPENDENCE 6,061 (6.3%) TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 5,969 (6.2%) OVERDOSE 5,785 (6.0%) DRUG INEFFECTIVE 5,768 (6.0%) DEATH 5,408 (5.6%) NAUSEA 5,126 (5.3%) VOMITING 3,737 (3.9%) FATIGUE 3,563 (3.7%) OFF LABEL USE 3,398 (3.5%) DYSPNOEA 2,996 (3.1%) DRUG WITHDRAWAL SYNDROME 2,995 (3.1%) DIARRHOEA 2,960 (3.1%) HYPOTENSION 2,958 (3.1%)

Patient Demographics

Patient sex and age across the FAERS submissions that named Fentanyl Citrate. Percentages here are computed only from submissions where these fields were filled in - many leave them blank.

By Sex

Female Male Unknown

By Age Group

0-17 18-44 45-64 65+

Severity Outcomes

Severity flags recorded across the 96,507 FAERS submissions that named Fentanyl Citrate. Each bar shows the count of those reports carrying that flag. A single case can carry more than one (a hospitalization that became life-threatening, for example), so these bars are independent rates - they don't sum to 100%. Inclusion of a case under any flag does not establish that the drug caused the outcome.

DEATH 27,461 (28.5%) HOSPITALIZATION 32,527 (33.7%) LIFE-THREATENING 8,252 (8.6%) DISABLING 3,053 (3.2%)

Submissions Per Quarter

Quarterly count of FAERS submissions that named Fentanyl Citrate. Ups and downs on this chart can track prescribing volume, news cycles, or shifts in how reports get filed, rather than the drug becoming safer or more dangerous.

1997 1998 2001 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

From the FDA-Approved Label

Excerpts from the official FDA-approved prescribing information for Fentanyl Citrate. This is the authoritative source on indications, warnings, and known adverse reactions.

Indications

1 INDICATIONS AND USAGE Fentanyl Citrate Injection is indicated for: • analgesic action of short duration during the anesthetic periods, premedication, induction and maintenance, and in the immediate postoperative period (recovery room) as the need arises. • use as a narcotic analgesic supplement in general or regional anesthesia. • administration with a neuroleptic as an anesthetic premedication, for the induction of anesthesia and as an adjunct in the maintenance of general and regional anesthesia. • use as an anesthetic agent with oxygen in selected high-risk patients, such as those undergoing open heart surgery or certain complicated neurological or orthopedic procedures. Fentanyl Citrate Injection is indicated for: • analgesic action of short duration during the anesthetic periods, premedication, induction and maintenance, and in the immediate postoperative period (recovery room) as the need arises. • use as an opioid analgesic supplement in general or regional anesthesia. • administration with a neuroleptic as an anesthetic premedication, for the induction of anesthesia and as an adjunct in the maintenance of general and regional anesthesia. (continues in label)

Adverse Reactions (from label)

6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The following serious adverse reactions are described, or described in greater detail, in other sections: • Addiction, Abuse, and Misuse [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] • Life-Threatening Respiratory Depression [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] • Interactions with Benzodiazepines and Other CNS Depressants [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] • Severe Cardiovascular Depression [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.6 )] • Opioid-Induced Hyperalgesia and Allodynia [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.7 )] • Serotonin Syndrome [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.8 )] • Gastrointestinal Adverse Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.11 )] • Seizures [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.12 )] The following adverse reactions associated with the use of fentanyl were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. As with other opioid agonists, the most common serious adverse reactions reported to occur with fentanyl are respiratory depression, apn...

FDA label effective date: 2025-09-24

Disclaimer

AdverseEvent.ai is not affiliated with the FDA. Adverse-event counts come from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Drug labels come from the FDA drug label dataset. A report submitted to FAERS does not prove a drug caused the reported event — always consult a healthcare provider about medications. This site is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice.