FDA Adverse Events Reports (FAERS) Summary for NICODERM CQ

These tables and charts are based on 17,588 total reports for NICODERM CQ (NICOTINE) received by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004 through July 30, 2026.

This FAERS total includes 17,480 pharmaceutical company-submitted and non-U.S. FAERS reports and 108 U.S. consumer or healthcare provider-submitted MedWatch reports. Adverse events listed on this page represent serious and sometimes rare adverse events reported to pharmaceutical companies, and often do not represent typical side effects for the medication. Find common side effects in the most recent official drug label.

For a separate summary of the 108 U.S. reports filed via the FDA MedWatch voluntary reporting system, view our FDA MedWatch NICODERM CQ summary report. (See notes section below for explanation of FDA’s mandatory and voluntary reporting system.)

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

 Side Effect# of FDA Reports
1APPLICATION SITE REDNESS3184
2APPLICATION SITE ITCHING3099
3DRUG INEFFECTIVE2860
4NAUSEA1800
5NICOTINE DEPENDENCE1407
6DIZZINESS1120
7APPLICATION SITE IRRITATION1083
8APPLICATION SITE PAIN1032
9MALAISE1012
10APPLICATION SITE RASH1006
11APPLICATION SITE REACTION995
12HYPERSENSITIVITY856
13HEADACHE807
14ABNORMAL DREAMS789
15MACULAR DEGENERATION772
16APPLICATION SITE SWELLING679
17DRUG ADMINISTRATION ERROR658
18INSOMNIA647
19VOMITING582
20WRONG TECHNIQUE IN PRODUCT USAGE PROCESS511

Latest Known Outcomes for Reactions Reported for NICODERM CQ

Latest Known Outcome for Reported ReactionsNumber of Cases
1Unknown Outcome7438
2Patient has not recovered/symtoms have not resolved2823
3Patient recovered2657
4Patient is recovering/symptoms resolving405
5Patient died120
6Patient has recovered but has consequent health issues48

Yearly FDA Adverse Event Reports (Table)

YearNumber of Reports
2004118
20053129
20063052
2007127
200868
200978
201079
201190
2012102
20131457
2014239
20152190
20161324
20171011
2018908
2019783
2020509
2021740
2022432
2023416
2024329
2025315
202692

Reports by Patient Age Group (Table)

Age GroupNumber of Reports
0-1011
11-20192
21-301205
31-401552
41-501980
51-602471
61-702186
71-801095
81-90125
91+15

Based on 10832 reports that included a patient age.

NICODERM CQ Total Reports

 Male    Female    Unknown    Total  
 4344    10275    2969    17,588  

Top Countries Reporting

 Country  Number of Reports
United States  9739
Canada  1011
Germany  4
France  3
United Kingdom  2
South Korea  2
Austria  1
Australia  1
Belgium  1
10 Brazil  1

Outcomes for Reports

Serious: 2503
Not Serious: 15081
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      
Product used for unknown indication
Smoking cessation therapy
Nicotine dependence
Tobacco user
Obsessive thoughts

Top Companies Reporting

   Haleon PLC

Safety-Related FDA Updates

FDA Approval Date: 1996-08-02

NICODERM CQ (NICOTINE) Over-the-counter Drug:
Safety-related Labeling Changes


Have experience (good or bad) with NICODERM CQ? Rate NICODERM CQ 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

Events listed on this page represent serious and often rare adverse events reported to pharmaceutical companies, and do not represent typical side effects for the medication. Find common side effects on the most recent official drug label This report, created by AskaPatient.com, is derived from the cases for NICODERM CQ 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 July 30, 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.