PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Drug side effects

meloxicam Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

55,835
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 meloxicam come from 55,835 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 55,835 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for meloxicam (Mobic): 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

55,835

Reports Mentioning Death

3,542

6.3% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

13,382

24.0% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

PAIN
4,670
FATIGUE
4,578
ARTHRALGIA
4,222
NAUSEA
3,807
HEADACHE
3,323
DIARRHOEA
3,226
DYSPNOEA
2,663
DIZZINESS
2,641
PAIN IN EXTREMITY
2,575
MALAISE
2,486
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
2,336
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
2,235
VOMITING
2,234
RASH
2,202
CONDITION AGGRAVATED
2,069
JOINT SWELLING
2,050
ASTHENIA
2,043
PRURITUS
2,032

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 36,971 (72%)
Male 14,619 (28%)
Unknown 82

Age Distribution

0-17 502 (1%)
18-44 5,520 (16%)
45-64 16,457 (47%)
65-74 7,937 (23%)
75+ 4,542 (13%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 3,542 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 979
COMPLETED SUICIDE 484
DIARRHOEA 446
CONFUSIONAL STATE 423
DYSPNOEA 421
FATIGUE 421
ARTHRALGIA 410
ASTHENIA 409
VOMITING 409
MOBILITY DECREASED 405
MALAISE 400
TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS 399
GENERAL PHYSICAL HEALTH DETERIORATION 396
PAIN 393
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER 391
DECREASED APPETITE 391
HYPERTENSION 391
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS 390
NAUSEA 387
DUODENAL ULCER PERFORATION 384

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 13,382 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
PAIN 1,376
DYSPNOEA 1,314
FATIGUE 1,307
PNEUMONIA 1,297
ARTHRALGIA 1,292
NAUSEA 1,252
DIARRHOEA 1,144
VOMITING 1,045
ASTHENIA 1,022
MALAISE 994
DIZZINESS 968
HEADACHE 946
FALL 892
PYREXIA 880
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 850
HYPERTENSION 837
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS 825
ANXIETY 824

Compare meloxicam vs abatacept →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About meloxicam Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 55,835 voluntary reports linked to meloxicam and its brand equivalents (Mobic), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 3,542 (6.3%) listed death as an outcome and 13,382 (24.0%) 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, 72% were female and 28% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 16,457 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is pain with 4,670 submissions, followed by fatigue and arthralgia.

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.