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Drug side effects

plecanatide Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

1,831
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2016 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 plecanatide come from 1,831 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 1,831 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for plecanatide (Trulance): 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

1,831

Reports Mentioning Death

72

3.9% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

254

13.9% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

DIARRHOEA
363
NAUSEA
159
CONSTIPATION
152
FATIGUE
106
ABDOMINAL DISTENSION
100
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER
100
ABDOMINAL PAIN
96
HEADACHE
96
PAIN
95
DIZZINESS
87
DYSPNOEA
68
MUSCLE SPASMS
68
MALAISE
67
ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT
66
FLATULENCE
64
RASH
62
VOMITING
61
DEATH
60

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 1,154 (79%)
Male 302 (21%)

Age Distribution

0-17 9 (1%)
18-44 176 (19%)
45-64 347 (38%)
65-74 217 (24%)
75+ 157 (17%)

Reporting Trend by Year

16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 72 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 60
CONSTIPATION 5
ASTHENIA 3
FALL 3
HALLUCINATION 3
TREMOR 3
ABDOMINAL DISTENSION 2
ANKLE FRACTURE 2
CARDIAC ARREST 2
CARDIAC DISORDER 2
COLITIS ULCERATIVE 2
DYSPNOEA 2
FATIGUE 2
GAIT DISTURBANCE 2
INSURANCE ISSUE 2
LACTIC ACIDOSIS 2
LUNG DISORDER 2
MOBILITY DECREASED 2
MUSCULAR WEAKNESS 2

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 254 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 33
FALL 31
DIARRHOEA 30
CONSTIPATION 25
FATIGUE 24
HEADACHE 24
HOSPITALISATION 24
DIZZINESS 21
PAIN 21
COVID-19 20
DYSPNOEA 18
MALAISE 16
PNEUMONIA 16
URINARY TRACT INFECTION 16
ABDOMINAL PAIN 15
ILLNESS 14
VOMITING 14
ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER 13

Compare plecanatide vs alosetron →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About plecanatide Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 1,831 voluntary reports linked to plecanatide and its brand equivalents (Trulance), spanning 2016 through 2025. Of those, 72 (3.9%) listed death as an outcome and 254 (13.9%) 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, 79% were female and 21% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 347 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is diarrhoea with 363 submissions, followed by nausea and constipation.

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.