Drug side effects
cyclosporine Side Effects
The reactions most often reported to the FDA for cyclosporine (also sold as Neoral, Sandimmune), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 106,440
- FAERS reports
Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 1994 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 cyclosporine come from 106,440 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.
This page analyzes 106,440 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for cyclosporine (Neoral): 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
106,440
Reports Mentioning Death
13,961
13.1% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death
Hospitalizations
27,207
25.6% of reports
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 13,961 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 2,411 |
| SEPSIS | 1,229 |
| PNEUMONIA | 1,079 |
| PYREXIA | 985 |
| RESPIRATORY FAILURE | 793 |
| INFECTION | 750 |
| GRAFT VERSUS HOST DISEASE | 745 |
| SEPTIC SHOCK | 735 |
| CYTOMEGALOVIRUS INFECTION | 714 |
| MULTIPLE ORGAN DYSFUNCTION SYNDROME | 697 |
| MULTI-ORGAN FAILURE | 564 |
| RENAL FAILURE | 533 |
| ACUTE GRAFT VERSUS HOST DISEASE | 499 |
| DIARRHOEA | 483 |
| DYSPNOEA | 439 |
| EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS INFECTION | 387 |
| RENAL IMPAIRMENT | 378 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 27,207 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| PYREXIA | 2,529 |
| PNEUMONIA | 1,662 |
| DIARRHOEA | 1,558 |
| NAUSEA | 1,418 |
| DYSPNOEA | 1,326 |
| VOMITING | 1,248 |
| HEADACHE | 1,170 |
| FATIGUE | 1,168 |
| BLOOD CREATININE INCREASED | 1,163 |
| CONDITION AGGRAVATED | 1,069 |
| SEPSIS | 1,064 |
| PAIN | 1,046 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 1,027 |
| HYPERTENSION | 983 |
| RENAL FAILURE | 966 |
| ANAEMIA | 945 |
| MALAISE | 926 |
Nearby, Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About cyclosporine Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 106,440 voluntary reports linked to cyclosporine and its brand equivalents (Neoral, Sandimmune, Restasis), spanning 1994 through 2025. Of those, 13,961 (13.1%) listed death as an outcome and 27,207 (25.6%) 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, 61% were female and 38% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 23,625 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is eye irritation with 7,786 submissions, followed by pyrexia and eye pain.
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.
Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume
Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to cyclosporine's 106,440.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.