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Drug side effects

adenosine Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for adenosine (also sold as Adenocard), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

1,547
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2004 to 2025. A FAERS report records a temporal association, not proof of cause. See our methodology for how figures are compiled and de-duplicated.

The most commonly reported side effects of adenosine come from 1,547 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 1,547 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for adenosine (Adenocard): the reactions reported most often, who reported them, serious outcomes such as hospitalization, and year-over-year trends. A FAERS report does not prove the drug caused the effect, and report volume tracks how widely a drug is used, not how likely an effect is for any one person. Educational information, not medical advice.

Total Reports

1,547

Reports Mentioning Death

138

8.9% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

733

47.4% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA
94
HYPOTENSION
86
CARDIAC ARREST
78
DYSPNOEA
74
PAIN
67
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
64
BRADYCARDIA
63
TACHYCARDIA
61
ANXIETY
55
DRUG INTERACTION
53
NAUSEA
52
VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA
49
DIZZINESS
48
PNEUMONIA
43
BRONCHOSPASM
41
FATIGUE
39
EMOTIONAL DISTRESS
37

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 644 (48%)
Male 694 (52%)
Unknown 9

Age Distribution

0-17 129 (11%)
18-44 274 (24%)
45-64 396 (35%)
65-74 218 (19%)
75+ 119 (10%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 138 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 22
CARDIAC ARREST 21
PAIN 17
RENAL FAILURE ACUTE 17
DEATH 15
HAEMOGLOBIN DECREASED 15
OEDEMA PERIPHERAL 15
TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS 15
FLUID OVERLOAD 13
STEVENS-JOHNSON SYNDROME 13
PNEUMONIA 11
ERYTHEMA 10
RENAL FAILURE 10
SEPSIS 10
BLISTER 9
DRY SKIN 9
EXFOLIATIVE RASH 9
HYPERSENSITIVITY 9
HYPOTENSION 9

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 733 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
SUPRAVENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA 70
HYPOTENSION 54
DYSPNOEA 46
CARDIAC ARREST 43
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 42
TACHYCARDIA 42
DRUG INTERACTION 40
PNEUMONIA 33
VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA 33
NAUSEA 30
BRADYCARDIA 29
TOXICITY TO VARIOUS AGENTS 26
ANXIETY 24
ASTHENIA 24
BRONCHOSPASM 24
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 23
DIZZINESS 23
HYPERTENSION 23

Compare adenosine vs amiodarone →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About adenosine Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 1,547 voluntary reports linked to adenosine and its brand equivalents (Adenocard), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 138 (8.9%) listed death as an outcome and 733 (47.4%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 48% were female and 52% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 396 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is supraventricular tachycardia with 94 submissions, followed by hypotension and cardiac arrest.

How to read these numbers

FAERS is a signal-detection tool, not a scorecard. Reports are voluntary, and a single case may list multiple suspect drugs, so numbers above should not be read as incidence rates or per-patient risk. Widely prescribed drugs naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies even when individual risk is low. These aggregates are useful for spotting patterns that merit further pharmacovigilance, not for choosing between medications. This page is for educational reference only and is not medical advice, speak with a licensed clinician about any side-effect concerns.