PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug side effects

dofetilide Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

10,302
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 dofetilide come from 10,302 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 10,302 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for dofetilide (Tikosyn): 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

10,302

Reports Mentioning Death

799

7.8% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

2,960

28.7% of reports

Top Indication

Atrial Fibrillation

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
1,058
DYSPNOEA
603
DIZZINESS
552
FATIGUE
520
DEATH
478
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM QT PROLONGED
443
HEADACHE
387
MALAISE
319
DIARRHOEA
316
DRUG INTERACTION
297
NAUSEA
288
HEART RATE INCREASED
286
ASTHENIA
285
ARRHYTHMIA
265
CARDIAC DISORDER
248
COUGH
223
PALPITATIONS
222
CONDITION AGGRAVATED
217

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 4,502 (48%)
Male 4,743 (51%)
Unknown 101

Age Distribution

0-17 30 (1%)
18-44 141 (2%)
45-64 1,274 (22%)
65-74 2,054 (35%)
75+ 2,423 (41%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 799 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 478
CARDIAC ARREST 39
CARDIAC FAILURE CONGESTIVE 34
DYSPNOEA 33
MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION 32
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 31
PNEUMONIA 27
CARDIAC FAILURE 25
RENAL FAILURE 23
CARDIAC DISORDER 22
COMPLETED SUICIDE 20
CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE 19
FATIGUE 19
SEPSIS 17
HYPOTENSION 16
VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA 16
RESPIRATORY FAILURE 15
WEIGHT DECREASED 15
ASTHENIA 14

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 2,960 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 504
DYSPNOEA 278
DIZZINESS 173
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM QT PROLONGED 169
FATIGUE 155
PNEUMONIA 150
FALL 130
HEART RATE INCREASED 121
ASTHENIA 120
CARDIAC DISORDER 112
ARRHYTHMIA 110
DIARRHOEA 110
HEADACHE 109
NAUSEA 108
CARDIAC FAILURE CONGESTIVE 105
VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA 103
HOSPITALISATION 101
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 100
CHEST PAIN 97

Compare dofetilide vs adenosine →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About dofetilide Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 10,302 voluntary reports linked to dofetilide and its brand equivalents (Tikosyn), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 799 (7.8%) listed death as an outcome and 2,960 (28.7%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Atrial Fibrillation.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 48% were female and 51% male; age distribution skews toward 75+, with 2,423 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is atrial fibrillation with 1,058 submissions, followed by dyspnoea and dizziness.

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.