exemestane Side Effects
Also known as: Aromasin
Analysis of 20,856 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 2003 to 2025.
Total Reports
20,856
Death-Related
2,477
11.9% of reports
Hospitalizations
5,181
24.8% of reports
Top Indication
Breast Cancer
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 2,477 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 924 |
| DYSPNOEA | 502 |
| FATIGUE | 395 |
| DIARRHOEA | 352 |
| ASTHENIA | 349 |
| MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 345 |
| NAUSEA | 341 |
| ASCITES | 313 |
| VOMITING | 310 |
| COUGH | 304 |
| DECREASED APPETITE | 292 |
| SEPSIS | 276 |
| MALAISE | 275 |
| HEADACHE | 273 |
| FALL | 272 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 270 |
| INSOMNIA | 268 |
| DIZZINESS | 266 |
| PYREXIA | 266 |
| TACHYCARDIA | 265 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 5,181 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DYSPNOEA | 612 |
| FATIGUE | 590 |
| NAUSEA | 565 |
| DIARRHOEA | 560 |
| VOMITING | 441 |
| PYREXIA | 404 |
| ASTHENIA | 392 |
| MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION | 373 |
| PAIN | 365 |
| PNEUMONIA | 351 |
| COUGH | 339 |
| ANAEMIA | 333 |
| WEIGHT DECREASED | 307 |
| DECREASED APPETITE | 304 |
| MALAISE | 298 |
| PLEURAL EFFUSION | 290 |
| GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION | 280 |
| HEADACHE | 261 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 235 |
| STOMATITIS | 233 |
Nearby — Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About exemestane Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 20,856 voluntary reports linked to exemestane and its brand equivalents (Aromasin), spanning 2003 through 2025. Of those, 2,477 (11.9%) listed death as an outcome and 5,181 (24.8%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Breast Cancer.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 98% were female and 1% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 5,935 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is fatigue with 2,174 submissions, followed by malignant neoplasm progression and arthralgia.
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.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.