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What the label lists and what reports show

Rifampin side effects

Rifampin's FDA label lists its adverse reactions in its own words. FAERS holds 14,511 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 drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (746 reports).

  • Generic listed
  • In shortage

Check it at the source: the rifampin FDA label on DailyMed (effective February 11, 2026, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.

What does the label list?

From the label: adverse reactions

The following adverse reactions associated with the use of rifampin were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports. Because some of these reactions were reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure. Gastrointestinal Heartburn, epigastric distress, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, jaundice, flatulence, cramps, and diarrhea have been noted in some patients. Although Clostridium difficile has been shown in vitro to be sensitive to rifampin, pseudomembranous colitis has been reported with the use of rifampin (and other broad-spectrum antibiotics). Therefore, it is important to consider this diagnosis in patients who develop diarrhea in association with antibiotic use. Tooth discoloration (which may be permanent) may occur. …

Source: FDA drug label, Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., effective February 11, 2026 (SPL set b56004f0-f23d-47f6-80c7-39884fccbccc), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What do FAERS reports show?

14,511 reports list rifampin among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,483 are coded as a death and 5,858 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, 11 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

  • Drug Ineffective (a use or a product term, not a reaction)1,608
  • Off Label Use (a use or a product term, not a reaction)1,216
  • Drug Interaction (a use or a product term, not a reaction)1,084
  • Drug Reaction With Eosinophilia And Systemic Symptoms (named in the label)746
  • Nausea (named in the label)680
  • Condition Aggravated (a use or a product term, not a reaction)619
  • Product Use In Unapproved Indication (a use or a product term, not a reaction)594
  • Pyrexia571
  • Vomiting (named in the label)485
  • Drug Resistance (named in the label)461
  • Drug Intolerance427
  • Acute Kidney Injury423
  • Dyspnoea414
  • Rash (named in the label)405
  • Diarrhoea (named in the label)404
  • Cough (named in the label)387
  • Paradoxical Drug Reaction (named in the label)386
  • Fatigue (named in the label)366
  • Drug-Induced Liver Injury346
  • Treatment Failure (a use or a product term, not a reaction)331
  • Pruritus (named in the label)327
  • Drug Ineffective For Unapproved Indication (a use or a product term, not a reaction)301
  • Mycobacterium Avium Complex Infection291
  • Thrombocytopenia (named in the label)288
  • Tuberculosis (a use or a product term, not a reaction)266

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

What next?

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