Drug side effects
telmisartan Side Effects
The reactions most often reported to the FDA for telmisartan (also sold as Micardis), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 33,611
- FAERS reports
Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2001 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 telmisartan come from 33,611 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.
This page analyzes 33,611 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for telmisartan (Micardis): 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
33,611
Reports Mentioning Death
3,166
9.4% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death
Hospitalizations
14,967
44.5% of reports
Top Indication
Hypertension
Most Reported Adverse Reactions
Who Reports Side Effects
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Reporting Trend by Year
Reactions in Death Reports
Top reactions reported in 3,166 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| DEATH | 660 |
| SEPSIS | 360 |
| DIARRHOEA | 340 |
| DYSPNOEA | 326 |
| FALL | 315 |
| CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ARREST | 312 |
| DECREASED APPETITE | 283 |
| HAEMORRHAGIC STROKE | 276 |
| DIZZINESS | 275 |
| FATIGUE | 268 |
| ASTHENIA | 267 |
| HEADACHE | 266 |
| ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS | 263 |
| ASCITES | 258 |
| TACHYCARDIA | 258 |
| NAUSEA | 255 |
| ARTHRALGIA | 254 |
| PYREXIA | 251 |
| HAEMATEMESIS | 249 |
| PNEUMONIA | 249 |
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Top reactions in 14,967 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.
| Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|
| FALL | 1,015 |
| PNEUMONIA | 906 |
| NAUSEA | 892 |
| DYSPNOEA | 784 |
| FATIGUE | 777 |
| VOMITING | 774 |
| PYREXIA | 743 |
| DIARRHOEA | 700 |
| MALAISE | 684 |
| ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 678 |
| ASTHENIA | 663 |
| PAIN | 651 |
| HYPOTENSION | 641 |
| HYPERTENSION | 634 |
| HEADACHE | 609 |
| BLOOD PRESSURE INCREASED | 571 |
| ANAEMIA | 533 |
| DIZZINESS | 505 |
Nearby, Related Medications
What the FAERS Data Reveals About telmisartan Side Effects
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 33,611 voluntary reports linked to telmisartan and its brand equivalents (Micardis), spanning 2001 through 2025. Of those, 3,166 (9.4%) listed death as an outcome and 14,967 (44.5%) involved hospitalization. The most common indication reported alongside adverse events was Hypertension.
Demographic breakdowns help contextualize who is being exposed to the drug. Of reports with known sex, 56% were female and 44% male; age distribution skews toward 75+, with 7,961 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is nausea with 2,059 submissions, followed by fatigue and diarrhoea.
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.
Drugs With a Similar FAERS Report Volume
Other medications with a total FDA adverse-event report count closest to telmisartan's 33,611.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.