PlainMeds provides educational information only. This is not medical advice. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist.

sucralfate Side Effects

Also known as: Carafate

Analysis of 23,037 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA from 1997 to 2025.

Total Reports

23,037

Death-Related

2,262

9.8% of reports

Hospitalizations

8,938

38.8% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

NAUSEA
2,262
FATIGUE
1,733
DIARRHOEA
1,700
PAIN
1,481
HEADACHE
1,381
VOMITING
1,355
DYSPNOEA
1,302
DRUG INEFFECTIVE
1,293
OFF LABEL USE
1,279
DIZZINESS
1,039
WEIGHT DECREASED
1,001
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
984
ABDOMINAL PAIN
983
MALAISE
965
PNEUMONIA
950
ASTHENIA
938
DEATH
882
CONSTIPATION
841
FALL
826
RENAL FAILURE
824

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 14,611 (67%)
Male 7,071 (33%)
Unknown 35

Age Distribution

0-17 491 (3%)
18-44 2,121 (14%)
45-64 5,620 (38%)
65-74 3,727 (25%)
75+ 2,817 (19%)

Reporting Trend by Year

1997 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 2,262 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 879
PNEUMONIA 177
RENAL FAILURE 168
NAUSEA 148
GASTROINTESTINAL HAEMORRHAGE 135
ANAEMIA 130
DYSPNOEA 129
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 123
FATIGUE 122
CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE 121
DIARRHOEA 113
SEPSIS 112
HYPOTENSION 106
RESPIRATORY FAILURE 103
VOMITING 102
CARDIAC ARREST 99
DISEASE PROGRESSION 93
OFF LABEL USE 92
ASTHENIA 91
ABDOMINAL PAIN 81

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 8,938 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 1,051
DIARRHOEA 803
VOMITING 778
PNEUMONIA 762
DYSPNOEA 717
FATIGUE 715
PAIN 702
ABDOMINAL PAIN 607
HEADACHE 580
PYREXIA 577
WEIGHT DECREASED 564
ANAEMIA 561
ASTHENIA 524
MALAISE 523
FALL 515
OFF LABEL USE 486
DEHYDRATION 454
CONSTIPATION 443
DIZZINESS 440
GASTROINTESTINAL HAEMORRHAGE 430

Nearby — Related Medications

Compare sucralfate vs alosetron →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About sucralfate Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 23,037 voluntary reports linked to sucralfate and its brand equivalents (Carafate), spanning 1997 through 2025. Of those, 2,262 (9.8%) listed death as an outcome and 8,938 (38.8%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Product Used For Unknown Indication.

Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 67% were female and 33% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 5,620 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is nausea with 2,262 submissions, followed by fatigue and diarrhoea.

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.