FDA Adverse Events Reports (FAERS) Summary for VOLTAREN

These tables and charts are based on 71,321 total reports for VOLTAREN (DICLOFENAC SODIUM) received by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) from 2004 through July 30, 2026.

This FAERS total includes 70,496 pharmaceutical company-submitted and non-U.S. FAERS reports and 825 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 825 U.S. reports filed via the FDA MedWatch voluntary reporting system, view our FDA MedWatch VOLTAREN summary report. (See notes section below for explanation of FDA’s mandatory and voluntary reporting system.)

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

 Side Effect# of FDA Reports
1DRUG INEFFECTIVE16962
2PRODUCT USE IN UNAPPROVED INDICATION9802
3DRUG EFFECTIVE FOR UNAPPROVED INDICATION6709
4PRODUCT ADMINISTERED AT INAPPROPRIATE SITE6454
5OFF LABEL USE5256
6PRODUCT USE ISSUE4161
7PAIN3217
8NAUSEA2662
9FATIGUE2531
10JOINT PAIN2499
11RASH2201
12HEADACHE2075
13DIARRHEA2069
14SHORTNESS OF BREATH2041
15DRUG ADMINISTERED AT INAPPROPRIATE SITE2033
16WRONG TECHNIQUE IN PRODUCT USAGE PROCESS1923
17DIZZINESS1913
18VOMITING1839
19PAIN IN EXTREMITY1793
20DRUG EFFECT INCREASED1763

Latest Known Outcomes for Reactions Reported for VOLTAREN

Latest Known Outcome for Reported ReactionsNumber of Cases
1Unknown Outcome51802
2Patient recovered8557
3Patient has not recovered/symtoms have not resolved7958
4Patient is recovering/symptoms resolving4667
5Patient died2837
6Patient has recovered but has consequent health issues285

Yearly FDA Adverse Event Reports (Table)

YearNumber of Reports
20011
20022
20032
2004723
2005695
2006700
2007785
2008821
20091071
20101146
20111329
20121734
20131454
20141653
20153096
20164092
20172938
20182652
20192649
20209438
202112948
20225777
20236769
20244558
20253267
20261021

Reports by Patient Age Group (Table)

Age GroupNumber of Reports
0-10229
11-20355
21-30726
31-401832
41-503630
51-605079
61-706704
71-806747
81-903826
91+710

Based on 29838 reports that included a patient age.

VOLTAREN Total Reports

 Male    Female    Unknown    Total  
 15722    32519    23080    71,321  

Top Countries Reporting

 Country  Number of Reports
United States  50409
Canada  4396
Japan  2226
Germany  993
Italy  744
France  343
Australia  323
China  309
Puerto Rico  257
10 Singapore  252

Outcomes for Reports

Serious: 27279
Not Serious: 43978
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
Arthritis
JOINT PAIN
Pain
Back pain

Top Companies Reporting

   Haleon PLC
   SANDOZ
   Haleon PLC

Safety-Related FDA Updates

FDA Approval Date: 1988-07-28

VOLTAREN (DICLOFENAC SODIUM) Rx Drug:
Safety-related Labeling Changes


Have experience (good or bad) with VOLTAREN? Rate VOLTAREN 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 VOLTAREN 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.