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Drug side effects

thiamine Side Effects

The reactions most often reported to the FDA for thiamine (also sold as Vitamin B1), with demographics, serious outcomes, and reporting trends.

Data updated 2026-05-15

11,724
FAERS reports

Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), 2004 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 thiamine come from 11,724 reports to the FDA, broken down here by frequency, patient demographics, and serious outcomes.

This page analyzes 11,724 reports to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) for thiamine (Vitamin B1): 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

11,724

Reports Mentioning Death

1,816

15.5% of reports — not proof the medicine caused the death

Hospitalizations

6,403

54.6% of reports

Top Indication

Product Used For Unknown Indication

Most Reported Adverse Reactions

NAUSEA
765
DYSPNOEA
736
DIARRHOEA
679
PAIN
668
FATIGUE
620
CONFUSIONAL STATE
617
VOMITING
546
MALAISE
531
DIZZINESS
510
HEADACHE
505
FALL
498
CONDITION AGGRAVATED
497
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY
484
ASTHENIA
444
PNEUMONIA
432
RASH
426
DEATH
383
ARTHRALGIA
382

Who Reports Side Effects

Gender Distribution

Female 4,637 (43%)
Male 5,996 (56%)
Unknown 42

Age Distribution

0-17 193 (2%)
18-44 1,848 (20%)
45-64 3,928 (43%)
65-74 1,845 (20%)
75+ 1,401 (15%)

Reporting Trend by Year

2004 2025

Reactions in Death Reports

Top reactions reported in 1,816 reports where death was an outcome. These are voluntarily reported and do not establish causation.

Reaction Reports
DEATH 380
DYSPNOEA 273
CONFUSIONAL STATE 228
NAUSEA 224
PAIN 201
RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS 199
DRUG HYPERSENSITIVITY 196
PEMPHIGUS 196
RASH 194
SYNOVITIS 194
RHEUMATIC FEVER 193
SLEEP DISORDER 193
SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS 193
INFUSION RELATED REACTION 186
WOUND 185
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 183
SWELLING 181

Reactions in Hospitalization Reports

Top reactions in 6,403 reports where hospitalization was an outcome.

Reaction Reports
NAUSEA 590
DYSPNOEA 549
CONFUSIONAL STATE 506
DIARRHOEA 474
FATIGUE 407
PAIN 407
VOMITING 400
MALAISE 399
FALL 382
ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY 380
PNEUMONIA 372
DIZZINESS 334
ASTHENIA 328
CONDITION AGGRAVATED 321
PYREXIA 317
DRUG HYPERSENSITIVITY 304
RASH 298
HEADACHE 283

Compare thiamine vs ascorbic acid →

What the FAERS Data Reveals About thiamine Side Effects

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) contains 11,724 voluntary reports linked to thiamine and its brand equivalents (Vitamin B1), spanning 2004 through 2025. Of those, 1,816 (15.5%) listed death as an outcome and 6,403 (54.6%) 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, 43% were female and 56% male; age distribution skews toward 45-64, with 3,928 reports in that bracket. The single most reported reaction is nausea with 765 submissions, followed by dyspnoea 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.