Prescription medication · Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID)
etodolac
Also sold as Lodine. Etodolac treats the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 5,880
- FDA reportsLightly reported
- 10
- InteractionsSeveral interactions
- $0.28
- Generic price (NADAC)
What the data shows
etodolac (Lodine) is a prescription Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID), reported less often than most tracked drugs (5,880 FDA reports), with 10 documented drug interactions.
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.
etodolac (Lodine) is a prescription Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID). Etodolac treats the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Etodolac is a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory medicine. It helps reduce pain, swelling, and stiffness caused by arthritis and other conditions.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.28/unit
Generic Available
Yes (13 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Etodolac treats the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Common side effects
Upset stomach, Constipation, Diarrhea
Key warnings
NSAIDs like etodolac can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, which can be fatal.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from etodolac's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Etodolac is an NSAID, which stands for Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug. It works by reducing substances in the body that cause pain and inflammation. It can help to reduce fever as well.
How to Take It
Take etodolac exactly as your doctor tells you. For pain, you may take 200 to 400 mg every 6 to 8 hours, up to 1000 mg per day. For arthritis, the starting dose is usually 300 mg two or three times a day, or 400-500mg twice a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose based on how you respond to the medicine.
This is a plain-language summary of etodolac's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. Etodolac may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if etodolac passes into breast milk.
This is a plain-language summary of etodolac's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about pregnancy or breastfeeding on this medication.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule.
This is a plain-language summary of etodolac's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Store etodolac at room temperature, away from heat and moisture.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 5,880 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for etodolac, by number of reports
- Pain
Pain
350 reports
- Feeling sick to your stomach
Feeling sick to your stomach
290 reports
- Joint pain
Joint pain
284 reports
- Tiredness
Tiredness
273 reports
- Headache
Headache
239 reports
- Diarrhea
Diarrhea
235 reports
- Difficulty breathing
Difficulty breathing
224 reports
- Feeling dizzy
Feeling dizzy
208 reports
- Skin rash
Skin rash
201 reports
- Pain in your arm or leg
Pain in your arm or leg
174 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 etodolac 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 etodolac sits
etodolac has more FDA adverse-event reports than 27% 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 etodolac; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 5,880 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
5,880
Reports Mentioning Death
459
7.8% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
1,943
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | PAIN | 350 |
| 3 | NAUSEA | 290 |
| 4 | ARTHRALGIA | 284 |
| 5 | FATIGUE | 272 |
| 6 | HEADACHE | 238 |
| 7 | DIARRHOEA | 234 |
| 8 | DYSPNOEA | 223 |
| 9 | DIZZINESS | 207 |
| 10 | RASH | 201 |
| 11 | PAIN IN EXTREMITY | 173 |
| 12 | FALL | 170 |
| 13 | PYREXIA | 165 |
| 14 | MALAISE | 164 |
| 15 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 162 |
| 16 | PRURITUS | 152 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
NSAIDs like etodolac can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, which can be fatal. This risk may happen early in treatment and increases with longer use. You should not take etodolac if you are having heart bypass surgery. NSAIDs also increase the risk of serious stomach problems like bleeding and ulcers, which can be fatal. Older adults are at higher risk for these stomach problems.
Known Drug Interactions
Warfarin The effects of warfarin and NSAIDs on GI bleeding are synergistic, such that users of both drugs together have a risk of serious GI bleeding higher than that of users of either drug alone. Short-term pharmacokinetic studies have demonstrated that concomitant administration of warfarin and etodolac results in reduced protein binding of warfarin, but there was no change in the clearance of free warfarin. There was no significant difference in the pharmacodynamic effect of warfarin administered alone and warfarin administered with etodolac as measured by prothrombin time.
Mechanism: Both drugs increase the risk of bleeding, and taking them together makes a serious stomach bleed much more likely. Etodolac also changes how warfarin travels through the bloodstream.
What to do: Be very careful when taking these drugs together and watch for signs of unusual bruising or bleeding. Your doctor may need to check your blood more often.
Diuretics Etodolac has no apparent pharmacokinetic interaction when administered with furosemide or hydrochlorothiazide.
Mechanism: These drugs do not significantly change how the body absorbs or processes each other.
What to do: You can usually take these together, but you should still have your blood pressure checked regularly.
Diuretics Etodolac has no apparent pharmacokinetic interaction when administered with furosemide or hydrochlorothiazide. Nevertheless, clinical studies, as well as postmarketing observations have shown that etodolac can reduce the natriuretic effect of furosemide and thiazides in some patients with possible loss of blood pressure control.
Mechanism: Etodolac can stop your water pill from removing salt and water effectively, which can cause your blood pressure to rise.
What to do: Monitor your blood pressure closely and tell your doctor if you notice any swelling or weight gain.
Aspirin When etodolac is administered with aspirin, its protein binding is reduced, although the clearance of free etodolac is not altered. The clinical significance of this interaction is not known; however, as with other NSAIDs, concomitant administration of etodolac and aspirin is not generally recommended because of the potential of increased adverse effects.
Mechanism: Taking these together changes how the medicine travels through your blood and increases the chance of harmful side effects.
What to do: This combination is generally not recommended, so talk to your doctor about safer alternatives for pain relief.
Cyclosporine, Digoxin, Methotrexate Etodolac, like other NSAIDs, through effects on renal prostaglandins, may cause changes in the elimination of these drugs leading to elevated serum levels of cyclosporine, digoxin, methotrexate, and increased toxicity. NSAIDs, such as etodolac, should not be administered prior to or concomitantly with high doses of methotrexate. NSAIDs have been reported to competitively inhibit methotrexate accumulation in rabbit kidney slices.
Mechanism: Etodolac can slow down how fast your kidneys remove methotrexate from your body, which causes the drug to build up to unsafe levels. This buildup can make the side effects of methotrexate more dangerous.
What to do: Do not take these two medicines together, especially if you are taking a high dose of methotrexate. Your doctor may need to check your blood levels or change your treatment.
This is a plain-language summary of interactions documented in FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before combining medications.
Common Questions
Can I take etodolac with other pain relievers?
How long does it take for etodolac to work?
Can etodolac affect my blood pressure?
Can I drink alcohol while taking etodolac?
What should I do if I have severe stomach pain while taking etodolac?
Can etodolac affect my kidneys?
Is it okay to take Etodolac before surgery?
Can etodolac cause allergic reactions?
Does etodolac interact with any other medications?
Can I drive or operate machinery while taking etodolac?
What are the common side effects of etodolac?
Does etodolac interact with other medications?
What drug class is etodolac?
Is etodolac safe during pregnancy?
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Medication Guides
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Common Drug Interactions
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What the FDA Data Shows for etodolac
The FDA label for etodolac (sold under brand names such as Lodine) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) class. Etodolac treats the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Official labeling lists 16 commonly reported side effects, including Upset stomach, Constipation, Diarrhea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 5,880 voluntary reports. The database also lists 10 documented drug interactions derived from FDA labeling, with the top-flagged interaction rated moderate severity. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.28.
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, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: January 13, 2026
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 and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
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