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What the label lists and what reports show

Succinylcholine side effects

Succinylcholine's FDA label lists its adverse reactions in its own words. FAERS holds 3,844 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 hypotension (310 reports).

  • Generic listed
  • A presentation discontinued
  • Boxed warning

Check it at the source: the succinylcholine FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 18, 2026, Hospira, Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.

What does the label list?

From the label: adverse reactions

The following clinically significant adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling: • Ventricular Dysrhythmias, Cardiac Arrest, and Death from Hyperkalemic Rhabdomyolysis in Pediatric Patients [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] • Anaphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] • Hyperkalemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] • Malignant Hyperthermia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5) ] • Bradycardia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] • Increase in Intraocular Pressure [see Warnings and Precautions (5.7) ] • Prolonged Neuromuscular Block due to Phase II Block and Tachyphylaxis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.8) ] The following adverse reactions associated with the use of succinylcholine were identified in clinical studies or postmarketing reports.

Source: FDA drug label, Hospira, Inc., effective August 18, 2026 (SPL set fb08161e-7711-406d-e7b3-ea4515c07983), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed

What do FAERS reports show?

3,844 reports list succinylcholine among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 390 are coded as a death and 1,395 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 18 reactions below, 9 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)443
  • Hypotension (named in the label)310
  • Hyperthermia Malignant287
  • Cardiac Arrest (named in the label)260
  • Drug Interaction (a use or a product term, not a reaction)225
  • Anaphylactic Shock220
  • Anaphylactic Reaction (named in the label)184
  • Pain139
  • Renal Failure (named in the label)137
  • Maternal Exposure During Pregnancy (a use or a product term, not a reaction)132
  • Rhabdomyolysis (named in the label)131
  • Bradycardia (named in the label)127
  • Foetal Exposure During Pregnancy (a use or a product term, not a reaction)125
  • Anxiety120
  • Renal Impairment112
  • Serotonin Syndrome112
  • Tachycardia (named in the label)111
  • Death (an outcome recorded in the report)105
  • Injury (named in the label)104
  • Emotional Distress95
  • Unevaluable Event95
  • Off Label Use (a use or a product term, not a reaction)91
  • Exposure During Pregnancy (a use or a product term, not a reaction)90
  • Fear89
  • Hyperkalaemia (named in the label)87

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

What next?

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