What the label lists and what reports show
Iron sucrose side effects
Iron sucrose's FDA label: “The most common adverse reactions (≥2%) are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, hypotension, pruritus, pain in extremity, arthralgia, back pain, muscle cramp, injection site reactions, chest pain, and peripheral edema.” FAERS holds 9,479 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 drug hypersensitivity (1,159 reports).
- Generic listed
- A presentation discontinued
Check it at the source: the iron sucrose FDA label on DailyMed (effective March 1, 2026, American Regent, Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.
What does the label list?
From the label: adverse reactionsThe most common adverse reactions (≥2%) are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, hypotension, pruritus, pain in extremity, arthralgia, back pain, muscle cramp, injection site reactions, chest pain, and peripheral edema.
Table 1. Adverse Reactions Reported in ≥ 2% of Study Populations and for which the Rate for Venofer Exceeds the Rate for Comparator
| Reaction | Venofer (N=231) % | Venofer (N=139) % | Oral Iron (N=139) % | Venofer (N=75) % | EPO* Only (N=46) % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subjects with any adverse reaction | 78.8 | 76.3 | 73.4 | 72.0 | 65.2 |
| Ear Pain | 0 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Conjunctivitis | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 | 0 |
| Abdominal pain | 3.5 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 6.5 |
| Diarrhea | 5.2 | 7.2 | 10.1 | 8.0 | 4.3 |
| Dysgeusia | 0.9 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nausea | 14.7 | 8.6 | 12.2 | 5.3 | 4.3 |
| Vomiting | 9.1 | 5.0 | 8.6 | 8.0 | 2.2 |
| Asthenia | 2.2 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 2.7 | 0 |
| Chest pain | 6.1 | 1.4 | 0 | 2.7 | 0 |
| Feeling abnormal | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Infusion site pain or burning | 0 | 5.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Injection site extravasation | 0 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Peripheral edema | 2.6 | 7.2 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 10.9 |
| Pyrexia | 3.0 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0 |
| Nasopharyngitis, Sinusitis, Upper respiratory tract infections, Pharyngitis | 2.6 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 16.0 | 4.3 |
| Graft complication | 9.5 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fluid overload | 3.0 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 0 |
| Gout | 0 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Hyperglycemia | 0 | 2.9 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 |
| Hypoglycemia | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 0 |
| Arthralgia | 3.5 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Back pain | 2.2 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 1.3 | 4.3 |
| Muscle cramp | 29.4 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 0 |
| Myalgia | 0 | 3.6 | 0 | 1.3 | 0 |
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.
From the label: adverse reactions, continuedThe following clinically significant adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] Hypotension [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 )] Iron Overload [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 )] Adult patients: The most common adverse reactions (≥2%) are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, hypotension, pruritus, pain in extremity, arthralgia, back pain, muscle cramp, injection site reactions, chest pain, and peripheral edema. ( 6.1 ) Pediatric patients: The most common adverse reactions (≥2%) are headache, respiratory tract viral infection, peritonitis, vomiting, pyrexia, dizziness, cough, nausea, arteriovenous fistula thrombosis, hypotension, and hypertension. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact American Regent, Inc. at 1-800-734-9236 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Adverse Reactions in Clinical Trials Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Adults Patients with CKD The frequency of adverse reactions associated with the use of Venofer has been documented in six clinical trials involving 231 patients with HDD-CKD, 139 patients with NDD-CKD and 75 patients with PDD-CKD. …
Source: FDA drug label, American Regent, Inc., effective March 1, 2026 (SPL set 626dc9e5-c6b4-4f9c-9bf4-774fd3ae619a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show?
9,479 reports list iron sucrose among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 921 are coded as a death and 3,240 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 23 reactions below, 14 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?
- Iron sucrose: 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