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What the label lists and what reports show

Propranolol side effects

Propranolol's FDA label lists its adverse reactions in its own words. FAERS holds 71,660 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 nausea (4,552 reports).

  • Generic listed
  • In shortage

Check it at the source: the propranolol FDA label on DailyMed (effective January 15, 2026, Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.

What does the patient leaflet say about side effects?

From the patient leaflet: What are the possible side effects of HEMANGEOL?

See “ What is the most important information I should know about HEMANGEOL? ” HEMANGEOL can cause serious side effects, including: New or worsening slow heart rate (bradycardia) or low blood pressure (hypotension). Call your doctor if your child has any of these symptoms: pale skin color, slow or uneven heartbeats, arms or legs feel cold, blue or purple skin color, or fainting. Breathing problems or wheezing. HEMANGEOL can cause spasms of your child’s airway. Call your doctor or go to the nearest hospital emergency room if your child has breathing problems or wheezing during treatment with HEMANGEOL. Stroke. HEMANGEOL may increase the risk of stroke in certain children who have severe problems with the blood vessels in their brain, particularly if your child has a large hemangioma that affects the face or head. […] HEMANGEOL may make it more difficult to recognize the signs and symptoms of low blood sugar in your child. To help reduce the risk of low blood sugar with HEMANGEOL: Give HEMANGEOL during or shortly after feeding your child. Feed your child regularly during treatment. Tell your doctor if your child has a poor appetite. If your child is not taking feedings, for example, due to an illness or vomiting, do not give HEMANGEOL until your child is taking feedings normally again. If your child has any of the signs or symptoms of low blood sugar listed below during treatment with HEMANGEOL, stop giving your child HEMANGEOL, call your healthcare provider immediately or go to the emergency room. […]

Source: FDA drug label (HEMANGEOL), Pierre Fabre Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective June 25, 2026 (SPL set b6f9dd2a-632b-87eb-70f0-b2064d7ed48a), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What does the label list?

From the label: adverse reactions

The following adverse events were observed and have been reported in patients using propranolol. Cardiovascular: Bradycardia; congestive heart failure; intensification of AV block; hypotension; paresthesia of hands; thrombocytopenic purpura; arterial insufficiency, usually of the Raynaud type. Central Nervous System: Light-headedness, mental depression manifested by insomnia, lassitude, weakness, fatigue; catatonia; visual disturbances; hallucinations; vivid dreams; an acute reversible syndrome characterized by disorientation for time and place, short-term memory loss, emotional lability, slightly clouded sensorium, and decreased performance on neuropsychometrics. For immediate-release formulations, fatigue, lethargy, and vivid dreams appear dose-related. …

Source: FDA drug label, Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., effective January 15, 2026 (SPL set b94dcec7-7633-4a33-9cea-48161adeaf93), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What do FAERS reports show?

71,660 reports list propranolol among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 7,184 are coded as a death and 21,992 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 17 reactions below, 6 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

  • Off Label Use (a use or a product term, not a reaction)7,918
  • Drug Ineffective (a use or a product term, not a reaction)5,616
  • Nausea (named in the label)4,552
  • Headache (a use or a product term, not a reaction)3,962
  • Fatigue (named in the label)3,912
  • Diarrhoea (named in the label)3,294
  • Dizziness3,222
  • Product Use In Unapproved Indication (a use or a product term, not a reaction)3,114
  • Vomiting (named in the label)2,778
  • Dyspnoea2,673
  • Product Use Issue (a use or a product term, not a reaction)2,595
  • Pain2,425
  • Toxicity To Various Agents2,382
  • Anxiety2,284
  • Insomnia (named in the label)2,247
  • Fall2,209
  • Asthenia2,088
  • Somnolence1,991
  • Malaise1,967
  • Condition Aggravated (a use or a product term, not a reaction)1,959
  • Hypotension (named in the label)1,954
  • Drug Interaction (a use or a product term, not a reaction)1,924
  • Completed Suicide (an outcome recorded in the report)1,897
  • Arthralgia1,830
  • Depression1,780

Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026; reactions as MedDRA preferred terms

What next?

Propranolol: the full record
label, generics, price, shortages, recalls
Side effects hub
the most reported medicines and reactions