FDA Adverse Events Reports (FAERS) Summary for MEDROL

These tables and charts are based on 53,141 total reports for MEDROL (METHYLPREDNISOLONE) received by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004 through April 28, 2026.

This FAERS total includes 52,062 pharmaceutical company-submitted and non-U.S. FAERS reports and 1,079 U.S. consumer or healthcare provider-submitted MedWatch reports. For a separate summary of the 1,079 U.S. reports filed via the FDA MedWatch voluntary reporting system, view our FDA MedWatch MEDROL summary report. (See notes section below for explanation of FDA’s mandatory and voluntary reporting system.)

Top 20 Adverse Effects Associated with MEDROL (reported in FAERS Database)

 Side Effect# of FDA Reports
1OFF LABEL USE4730
2FATIGUE3941
3PAIN3826
4DRUG INEFFECTIVE3811
5SHORTNESS OF BREATH3665
6NAUSEA3608
7HEADACHE3311
8FEVER3229
9JOINT PAIN3033
10DIARRHEA2854
11MALAISE2564
12RASH2408
13VOMITING2393
14LACK OF STRENGTH AND ENERGY (ASTHENIA)2315
15PNEUMONIA2276
16DIZZINESS2267
17CONDITION AGGRAVATED2245
18INFUSION RELATED REACTION2200
19ITCHING2182
20COUGH2001

Latest Known Outcomes for Reactions Reported for MEDROL

Latest Known Outcome for Reported ReactionsNumber of Cases
1Unknown Outcome23520
2Patient recovered15163
3Patient has not recovered/symtoms have not resolved10364
4Patient is recovering/symptoms resolving7205
5Patient died4396
6Patient has recovered but has consequent health issues672
Search all MedWatch and FAERS by keyword:

MEDROL Total Reports

 Male    Female    Unknown    Total  
 18407    29970    4764    53,141  

Top Countries Reporting

 Country  Number of Reports
United States  17861
Canada  6674
France  4475
Japan  2248
China  1745
Italy  1718
Belgium  1499
Czech Republic  543
Hungary  479
10 EU  455

Outcomes for Reports

Serious: 43932
Not Serious: 9197
Note: A serious outcome means the adverse event resulted in death, a life threatening condition, hospitalization, disability, congenital anomaly, or other serious condition.

Top Indications      
Back pain
Asthma
Bronchitis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Chronic graft versus host disease

Top Companies Reporting

   PFIZER

Safety-Related FDA Updates

MEDROL (METHYLPREDNISOLONE) Rx Drug:
Risk of infection with various pathogens, including viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoan, or helminthic (parasitic); flushing risk
Safety-related Labeling Changes


Have experience (good or bad) with MEDROL? Rate MEDROL at Ask a Patient.

For serious adverse events, report them to the FDA by contacting the drug manufacturer or report directly through the MedWatch voluntary reporting form.

Notes

This report, created by AskaPatient.com, is derived from the cases for MEDROL reported to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and obtained from Open FDA. Data was last updated with reports received through April 28, 2026.

This summary includes ALL reports where the drug is a "primary OR secondary OR suspected interacting" drug. Typically, reports are filed for the most serious type or "event" and do not represent incidental or minor side effects. The majority of these reports are mandatory reports submitted by pharmaceutical companies, who receive complaints from consumers. The reactions, side effects, or "adverse events," represent up to the 20 most frequently occuring events in the database for a drug related to the event. This report also features counts of latest known outcomes associated with reported side effects, but does not provide the specific outcomes for specific adverse events.

Adverse Event Reports are submitted to the FAERS database by pharmaceutical companies (mandatory reporting is required by manufacturers, distributors, or importers). Health care providers such as doctors (voluntary reporting), and patients themselves (voluntary reporting) report to the FDA directly through the MedWatch program. Those MedWatch reports are coded and included in the FAERS database. This report mainly consists of the mandatory reports, because the MedWatch reports are a small percentage (3 - 5%) of total reports. Link to the MedWatch summary report at the top of the page for a summary of the directly reported (voluntary) adverse events for this drug.The number of reports included here might differ somewhat from the number of reports in the downloadable quarterly FAERS reports and in the online FAERS dashboard, due to lags in reporting, drug name differences, duplicates, and other factors. Open FDA states that it only includes the most recent version of a case report. It also adds the disclaimer: "Do not rely on openFDA to make decisions regarding medical care. While we make every effort to ensure that data is accurate, you should assume all results are unvalidated."

FDA uses the "MedDRA" classification system to describe reported adverse reactions. MedDRA is a standardized medical terminology that facilitates sharing of regulatory information internationally. In some cases, "patient friendly" terms for the layman designated by MedDRA have been substituted for medical jargon. Please contact us with questions or comments about this report.