What the label lists and what reports show
Glucagon side effects
Glucagon's FDA label lists its adverse reactions in its own words. FAERS holds 4,129 reports naming it through July 30, 2026; the reaction reported most often, leaving out the conditions it is used for, product-use terms and outcomes, is dyspnoea (367 reports).
- Generic listed
Check it at the source: the glucagon FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 11, 2026, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.
What does the patient leaflet say about side effects?
From the patient leaflet: What are the possible side effects of Glucagon?Glucagon may cause serious side effects, including: High blood pressure. Glucagon can cause high blood pressure in certain people with tumors in their adrenal glands. Low blood sugar. Glucagon can cause low blood sugar in patients with tumors in their pancreas called insulinomas and Glucagonomas by making too much insulin in their bodies. Serious allergic reactions. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you have a serious allergic reaction including: rash difficulty breathing low blood pressure High blood sugar. If you receive Glucagon before your radiology exam it can cause high blood sugar. Your doctor will monitor your blood sugar levels during your treatment. Heart problems. […]
Source: FDA drug label (Glucagon), Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC, effective September 16, 2020 (SPL set e4be1c0e-0fe6-45a0-9229-5cde98434b84), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the label list?
From the label: adverse reactionsThe following important adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling: Hypersensitivity and Allergic Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)] Necrolytic Migratory Erythema [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] Hyperglycemia in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus when Used as a Diagnostic Aid [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Blood Pressure and Heart Rate Increase in Patients with Cardiac Disease when used as a Diagnostic Aid [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] The following adverse reactions have been identified during post-approval use of glucagon. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is generally not possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. …
Table 2: Adverse Reactions Occurring ≥5% in Healthy Subjects Who Received Glucagon for Injection Subcutaneously
This table is printed in the Glucagon label published by Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC of September 16, 2020; the label quoted above does not print one.
| Reaction | Glucagon for Injection (N=31) % of Patients |
|---|---|
| Injection site swelling | 58 |
| Injection site erythema | 55 |
| Vomiting | 36 |
| Nausea | 32 |
| Decreased blood pressure | 23 |
| Asthenia | 23 |
| Headache | 13 |
| Dizziness | 10 |
| Pallor | 10 |
| Diarrhea | 7 |
| Somnolence | 7 |
Rows and numbers as the label prints them, under its own column headings (the first rows of a longer table where it runs on). A reaction in a trial table is not necessarily caused by the medicine, and trials differ from everyday use.
Source: FDA drug label, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective August 11, 2026 (SPL set 8cc40354-b5ac-45b6-a211-93b44444f2a3), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show?
4,129 reports list glucagon among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 669 are coded as a death and 1,990 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is. Of the 19 reactions below, 4 are named by the same term (in US spelling) in the label's adverse reactions, warnings or patient leaflet; a reaction the label does not name may still be there under another word, and a report does not show that the medicine caused it.
Reports received each year
The 25 most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026; reactions as MedDRA preferred terms
What next?
- Glucagon: the full record
- label, generics, price, shortages, recalls
- Report a side effect to the FDA
- MedWatch
- Side effects hub
- the most reported medicines and reactions