What the label lists and what reports show
Ropivacaine side effects
Ropivacaine's FDA label: “Table 2 Adverse Events Reported in ≥1% of Adult Patients Receiving Regional or Local Anesthesia (Surgery, Labor, Cesarean Section, Postoperative Pain Management, Peripheral Nerve Block and Local Infiltration) NAROPIN total N=1661 Bupivacaine total N=1433 …” FAERS holds 2,349 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 vomiting (575 reports).
- Generic listed
- In shortage
Check it at the source: the ropivacaine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 6, 2024, Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.
What does the label list?
From the label: adverse reactionsTable 2 Adverse Events Reported in ≥1% of Adult Patients Receiving Regional or Local Anesthesia (Surgery, Labor, Cesarean Section, Postoperative Pain Management, Peripheral Nerve Block and Local Infiltration) NAROPIN total N=1661 Bupivacaine total N=1433 Adverse Reaction N % N % Hypotension 536 (32.3) 408 (28.5) Nausea 283 (17) 207 (14.4) Vomiting 117 (7) 88 (6.1) Bradycardia 96 (5.8) 73 (5.1) Headache 84 (5.1) 68 (4.7) Paresthesia 82 (4.9) 57 (4) Back pain 73 (4.4) 75 (5.2) Pain 71 (4.3) 71 (5) Pruritus 63 (3.8) 40 (2.8) Fever 61 (3.7) 37 (2.6) Dizziness 42 (2.5) 23 (1.6) Rigors (Chills) 42 (2.5) 24 (1.7) Postoperative complications 41 (2.5) 44 (3.1) Hypoesthesia 27 (1.6) 24 (1.7) Urinary retention 23 (1.4) 20 (1.4) Progression of labor poor/failed 23 (1.4) 22 (1.5) Anxiety 21 (1.3) 11 (0.8) Breast disorder, breast-feeding 21 (1.3) 12 (0.8) Rhinitis 18 (1.1) 13 (0.9) Table 3 Adverse Events Reported in ≥1% of Fetuses or Neonates of Mothers Who Received Regional Anesthesia (Cesarean Section and Labor Studies) Adverse Reaction NAROPIN total N = 639 Bupivacaine total N = 573 N % N % Fetal bradycardia 77 (12.1) 68 (11.9) Neonatal jaundice 49 (7.7) 47 (8.2) Neonatal complication-NOS 42 (6.6) 38 (6.6) Apgar score low 18 (2.8) 14 (2.4) Neonatal respiratory disorder 17 (2.7) 18 (3.1) Neonatal tachypnea 14 (2.2) 15 (2.6) Neonatal fever 13 (2) 14 (2.4) Fetal tachycardia 13 (2) 12 (2.1) Fetal distress 11 (1.7) 10 (1.7) Neonatal infection 10 (1.6) 8 (1.4) Neonatal hypoglycemia 8 (1.3) 16 (2.8) Incidence <1% The following adverse events were reported during the NAROPIN clinical program in more than one patient (N=3988), occurred at an overall incidence of <1%, and were considered relevant: Application Site Reactions - injection site pain Cardiovascular System - vasovagal reaction, syncope, postural hypotension, non-specific ECG abnormalities Female Reproductive - poor progression of labor, uterine atony Gastrointestinal System - fecal incontinence, tenesmus, neonatal vomiting General and Other Disorders - hypothermia, malaise, asthenia, accident and/or injury Hearing and Vestibular - tinnitus, hearing abnormalities Heart Rate and Rhythm - extrasystoles, non-specific arrhythmias, atrial fibrillation Liver and Biliary System - jaundice Metabolic Disorders - hypomagnesemia Musculoskeletal System - myalgia Myo/Endo/Pericardium - ST segment changes, myocardial infarction Nervous System - tremor, Horner's syndrome, paresis, dyskinesia, neuropathy, vertigo, coma, convulsion, hypokinesia, hypotonia, ptosis, stupor Psychiatric Disorders - agitation, confusion, somnolence, nervousness, amnesia, hallucination, emotional lability, insomnia, nightmares Respiratory System - bronchospasm, coughing Skin Disorders - rash, urticaria Urinary System Disorders - urinary incontinence, micturition disorder Vascular - deep vein thrombosis, phlebitis, pulmonary embolism Vision - vision abnormalities For the indication epidural anesthesia for surgery, the 15 most common adverse events were compared between different concentrations of NAROPIN and bupivacaine.
From the label: adverse reactions, continuedReactions to ropivacaine are characteristic of those associated with other amide-type local anesthetics. A major cause of adverse reactions to this group of drugs may be associated with excessive plasma levels, which may be due to overdosage, unintentional intravascular injection or slow metabolic degradation. The reported adverse events are derived from clinical studies conducted in the U.S. and other countries. The reference drug was usually bupivacaine. The studies used a variety of premedications, sedatives, and surgical procedures of varying length. A total of 3,988 patients have been exposed to NAROPIN at concentrations up to 1% in clinical trials. Each patient was counted once for each type of adverse event. Because clinical trials are conducted under widely conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. …
Source: FDA drug label, Fresenius Kabi USA, LLC, effective August 6, 2024 (SPL set 23d2d448-a744-4877-9f2d-7e57c198da89), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show?
2,349 reports list ropivacaine among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 118 are coded as a death and 642 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 23 reactions below, 12 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
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026; reactions as MedDRA preferred terms
What next?
- Ropivacaine: the full record
- label, generics, price, shortages, recalls
- Report a side effect to the FDA
- MedWatch
- Side effects hub
- the most reported medicines and reactions