Over-the-counter medication · Vitamin D2 Supplement
ergocalciferol
Also sold as Drisdol, Calciferol. This medicine treats conditions caused by low vitamin D levels.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 366,491
- FDA reportsHeavily reported
- 1
- Recall record
What the data shows
ergocalciferol (Drisdol) is an over-the-counter Vitamin D2 Supplement, in the top 5% of tracked drugs by FAERS report volume (366,491 FDA reports).
Reporting volume reflects how widely a drug is used and studied, not how dangerous it is, a FAERS report documents a temporal association, never proof of cause.
ergocalciferol (Drisdol) is an over-the-counter Vitamin D2 Supplement. This medicine treats conditions caused by low vitamin D levels.
Ergocalciferol is a vitamin D2 supplement. It helps your body absorb calcium and phosphorus, which are important for strong bones.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
What it does
This medicine treats conditions caused by low vitamin D levels.
Common side effects
No common side effects listed.
Key warnings
The range between helpful and harmful doses is very small.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from ergocalciferol's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Ergocalciferol is a synthetic form of vitamin D2. It helps your body absorb calcium from the stomach and intestines. It also helps regulate calcium levels in your blood.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 366,491 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for ergocalciferol, by number of reports
- Fatigue
Fatigue
36,312 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
27,026 reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
25,824 reports
- Headache
Headache
24,768 reports
- Pain
Pain
23,207 reports
- Dyspnoea
Dyspnoea
19,350 reports
- Arthralgia
Arthralgia
19,251 reports
- Dizziness
Dizziness
18,673 reports
- Asthenia
Asthenia
16,525 reports
- Fall
Fall
16,406 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for ergocalciferol each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where ergocalciferol sits
ergocalciferol has more FDA adverse-event reports than 98% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is ergocalciferol; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 366,491 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 1999–2025.
Total Reports
366,491
Reports Mentioning Death
21,613
5.9% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
98,409
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FATIGUE | 36,312 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 27,026 |
| 3 | DIARRHOEA | 25,824 |
| 4 | HEADACHE | 24,768 |
| 6 | PAIN | 23,207 |
| 8 | DYSPNOEA | 19,350 |
| 9 | ARTHRALGIA | 19,251 |
| 10 | DIZZINESS | 18,673 |
| 11 | ASTHENIA | 16,525 |
| 12 | FALL | 16,406 |
| 13 | VOMITING | 15,063 |
| 14 | PAIN IN EXTREMITY | 14,394 |
| 15 | MALAISE | 14,135 |
| 16 | RASH | 13,482 |
| 17 | PNEUMONIA | 12,872 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
The range between helpful and harmful doses is very small. Your doctor needs to closely supervise your dosage. Too much vitamin D can cause serious side effects, including kidney problems and tissue damage.
Common Questions
What is the strength of each capsule?
How often will I need blood tests?
Can I take this with other medications?
What should I do if I experience side effects?
How will I know if the medicine is working?
Can I drink alcohol while taking this medicine?
What happens if I take too much?
Is there a generic version of this medicine?
How long will I need to take this medicine?
What should I avoid while taking this medicine?
What drug class is ergocalciferol?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for ergocalciferol?
Has ergocalciferol been recalled?
Active Recalls
Defective Delivery System: Leakage observed after oral solution was repackaged into unit-dose syringes.
Safecor Health, LLC
Related Medications in Vitamin D2 Supplement
Other drugs grouped near ergocalciferol - same-class peers and common alternatives.
ascorbic acid
Vitamin C
This medicine is a Vitamin C supplement.
Compare with ergocalciferol →
biotin
Vitamin B7
Dialyvite with Zinc is a prescription vitamin supplement.
Compare with ergocalciferol →
calcitriol
Rocaltrol
Calcitriol is a form of vitamin D that helps your body absorb and use calcium.
Compare with ergocalciferol →
calcium carbonate
Tums, Caltrate
Calcium carbonate is a medicine that can relieve heartburn and upset stomach.
Compare with ergocalciferol →
cholecalciferol
Vitamin D3
PNV-DHA is a multivitamin with minerals and essential fatty acids.
Compare with ergocalciferol →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for ergocalciferol: nearest FDA FAERS report volume and nearest death-report share among drugs with at least 1,000 logged reports, excluding same-class neighbors listed above. Counts reflect reporting volume, not proven individual harm.
Similar FAERS report volume
Nearest drugs by total FAERS reports. This record: 366,491.
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 5.90%.
- vortioxetine Δ 0.00 pts · 16,243 reports · Serotonin Modulator 5.90%death share
- dicyclomine Δ 0.01 pts · 13,367 reports · Anticholinergic / Antispasmodic 5.91%death share
- chlorthalidone Δ 0.05 pts · 11,035 reports · Thiazide-Like Diuretic 5.94%death share
- ezetimibe Δ 0.05 pts · 70,203 reports · Cholesterol Absorption Inhibitor 5.84%death share
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What the FDA Data Shows for ergocalciferol
The FDA label for ergocalciferol (sold under brand names such as Drisdol, Calciferol) classifies it as an over-the-counter product in the Vitamin D2 Supplement class. This medicine treats conditions caused by low vitamin D levels. Labeling covers dosing, contraindications, and monitoring requirements derived from clinical trials.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 366,491 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. Acquisition-cost data is surveyed weekly by CMS and updated as manufacturers report changes.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history (currently 1 recall record on file), and patent information are separate source-record fields. This page is a public FDA/CMS registry and does not provide medical, treatment, substitution, or medication-change directions.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: January 31, 2025
PlainMeds is rendered directly from FDA openFDA/FAERS extracts, DailyMed labels, and CMS drug-pricing files, no number is typed in by an editor. FAERS counts, recalls, shortages, and price figures on this page are queried live from those federal extracts. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-05-15. Primary sources: openFDA / FAERS, DailyMed and CMS Part B ASP.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled from the source snapshot dated . See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a data issue.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages