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Drug side effects

mebendazole Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

762
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 mebendazole come from 762 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 762 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for mebendazole (Emverm): 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

762

Reports Mentioning Death

54

7.1% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

181

23.8% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

FOETAL EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY
56
NAUSEA
48
VOMITING
43
ABDOMINAL PAIN
41
DIZZINESS
36
FATIGUE
32
DRUG EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY
30
ASTHENIA
29
DIARRHOEA
29
PYREXIA
29
HEADACHE
28
PRURITUS
24
EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY
22
ABORTION SPONTANEOUS
21
MALAISE
21
ANXIETY
19
INTENTIONAL SELF-INJURY
18
HALLUCINATION
17

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 389 (58%)
Male 258 (39%)
Unknown 19

Age Distribution

0-17 182 (37%)
18-44 167 (34%)
45-64 85 (17%)
65-74 34 (7%)
75+ 18 (4%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 54 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
FOETAL EXPOSURE DURING PREGNANCY 15
DEATH 11
EXOMPHALOS 7
DEHYDRATION 6
FOETAL MEGACYSTIS 6
SEPSIS NEONATAL 5
DISEASE PROGRESSION 4
PNEUMONIA 4
PYREXIA 4
ABDOMINAL TENDERNESS 3
AGRANULOCYTOSIS 3
ANAEMIA 3
ASTHENIA 3
DIARRHOEA 3
METABOLIC DISORDER 3
ABDOMINAL DISTENSION 2
ADVERSE EVENT 2
ATRIAL FIBRILLATION 2
BURNING SENSATION 2
CARDIAC FAILURE 2

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 181 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 23
ABDOMINAL PAIN 21
VOMITING 17
PYREXIA 15
DIZZINESS 12
ASTHENIA 11
PAIN IN EXTREMITY 10
PRURITUS 10
DYSPNOEA 9
FATIGUE 9
MUSCULAR WEAKNESS 9
PNEUMONIA 9
ANXIETY 8
HEADACHE 8
HYPERTENSION 8
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER 7
CONVULSION 7
DECREASED APPETITE 7
ALANINE AMINOTRANSFERASE INCREASED 6

Compare mebendazole vs acyclovir →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About mebendazole Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 762 voluntary reports linked to mebendazole and its brand equivalents (Emverm), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 54 (7.1%) listed death as an outcome and 181 (23.8%) 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, 58% were female and 39% male; age distribution skews toward 0-17, with 182 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is foetal exposure during pregnancy with 56 submissions, followed by nausea and vomiting.

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.

Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume

Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to mebendazole's 762.