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Drug side effects

ramelteon Side Effects

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

Data updated 2026-05-15

7,215
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2005 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 ramelteon come from 7,215 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 7,215 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for ramelteon (Rozerem): 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

7,215

Reports Mentioning Death

784

10.9% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

2,039

28.3% of reports

Top Indication

Insomnia

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

INITIAL INSOMNIA
447
SOMNOLENCE
411
MIDDLE INSOMNIA
390
INSOMNIA
388
NAUSEA
327
FATIGUE
283
DIZZINESS
268
HEADACHE
254
POOR QUALITY SLEEP
218
DIARRHOEA
212
FEELING ABNORMAL
208
FALL
203
ANXIETY
189
PNEUMONIA
182
PYREXIA
182
VOMITING
179
ANAEMIA
150
DECREASED APPETITE
149

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 3,870 (58%)
Male 2,736 (41%)
Unknown 88

Age Distribution

0-17 311 (7%)
18-44 878 (19%)
45-64 1,498 (32%)
65-74 855 (18%)
75+ 1,203 (25%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2005 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 784 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 115
PNEUMONIA 69
INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE 52
RESPIRATORY FAILURE 49
ANAEMIA 44
PNEUMONIA ASPIRATION 41
COMPLETED SUICIDE 38
PYREXIA 33
MALIGNANT NEOPLASM PROGRESSION 32
CARDIAC ARREST 31
DECREASED APPETITE 30
CARDIAC FAILURE 29
DIARRHOEA 29
PLATELET COUNT DECREASED 29
SEPSIS 29
DISEASE PROGRESSION 25
DISSEMINATED INTRAVASCULAR COAGULATION 25
RENAL IMPAIRMENT 25
HEPATIC FUNCTION ABNORMAL 24

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 2,039 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
PNEUMONIA 134
FALL 129
PYREXIA 129
DIARRHOEA 116
NAUSEA 98
DECREASED APPETITE 95
ANAEMIA 90
INSOMNIA 89
VOMITING 83
DYSPNOEA 75
PNEUMONIA ASPIRATION 72
PAIN 66
SOMNOLENCE 63
URINARY TRACT INFECTION 63
INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE 62
MALAISE 62
DEPRESSION 60
FATIGUE 60
HEADACHE 60

Compare ramelteon vs eszopiclone →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About ramelteon Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 7,215 voluntary reports linked to ramelteon and its brand equivalents (Rozerem), spanning 2005 through 2025. Of those, 784 (10.9%) listed death as an outcome and 2,039 (28.3%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Insomnia.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 58% were female and 41% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 1,498 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is initial insomnia with 447 submissions, followed by somnolence and middle insomnia.

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.