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Drug side effects

ketoprofen Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

12,302
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2003 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 ketoprofen come from 12,302 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 12,302 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for ketoprofen (Orudis): 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

12,302

Reports Mentioning Death

1,136

9.2% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

6,176

50.2% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

HEADACHE
1,152
PAIN
1,076
FATIGUE
895
NAUSEA
746
PYREXIA
725
INFUSION SITE PAIN
673
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
671
HYPERSENSITIVITY
667
BACK PAIN
659
HYPERHIDROSIS
656
DIARRHOEA
642
ERYTHEMA
638
CONSTIPATION
615
DRUG HYPERSENSITIVITY
614
RASH
607
VOMITING
602
ASTHMA
586
HEPATIC ENZYME INCREASED
578

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 7,267 (63%)
Male 4,238 (37%)
Unknown 12

Age Distribution

0-17 425 (5%)
18-44 2,386 (27%)
45-64 3,316 (37%)
65-74 1,595 (18%)
75+ 1,201 (13%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2003 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 1,136 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
PYREXIA 174
OVERDOSE 165
CONSTIPATION 148
PAIN 147
RASH 143
FATIGUE 135
DEATH 134
HYPERHIDROSIS 130
HYPERTENSION 130
HEADACHE 129
FOETAL DEATH 124
THROMBOCYTOPENIA 124
FLUID RETENTION 123
INTENTIONAL PRODUCT MISUSE 123
BACK PAIN 122
IMMUNODEFICIENCY 120
PSORIASIS 118

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 6,176 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 407
VOMITING 392
NAUSEA 333
DIARRHOEA 316
DRUG INTERACTION 309
PYREXIA 308
DYSPNOEA 274
PAIN 270
HEADACHE 264
ASTHENIA 251
FATIGUE 229
PNEUMONIA 209
ANAEMIA 208
ABDOMINAL PAIN 207
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 207
HYPOTENSION 188
ARTHRALGIA 183
MALAISE 175
RASH 175

Compare ketoprofen vs abatacept →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About ketoprofen Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 12,302 voluntary reports linked to ketoprofen and its brand equivalents (Orudis), spanning 2003 through 2025. Of those, 1,136 (9.2%) listed death as an outcome and 6,176 (50.2%) 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, 63% were female and 37% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 3,316 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is headache with 1,152 submissions, followed by pain and fatigue.

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.