Prescription medication · Guanylate Cyclase-C Agonist
plecanatide
Also sold as Trulance. Trulance treats chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C).
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 1,831
- FDA reportsRarely reported
- $17.84
- Brand price (NADAC)
plecanatide (Trulance) is a prescription Guanylate Cyclase-C Agonist. Trulance treats chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C).
Trulance is a medicine that helps adults with certain bowel problems. It helps your bowels move more regularly.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Brand Price
$17.84/unit
Generic Available
No
SALIX
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Trulance treats chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C).
Common side effects
Diarrhea
Key warnings
Trulance can cause serious dehydration in children under 6.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from plecanatide's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Trulance is a guanylate cyclase-C agonist. It works by increasing fluid in your intestines. This helps to soften stool and make bowel movements easier.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 1,831 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for plecanatide, by number of reports
- Diarrhoea
Diarrhoea
363 reports
- Nausea
Nausea
159 reports
- Constipation
Constipation
152 reports
- Fatigue 106
Fatigue
106 reports
- Abdominal Distension 100
Abdominal Distension
100 reports
- Abdominal Pain Upper 100
Abdominal Pain Upper
100 reports
- Abdominal Pain 96
Abdominal Pain
96 reports
- Headache 96
Headache
96 reports
- Pain 95
Pain
95 reports
- Dizziness 87
Dizziness
87 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 plecanatide 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 plecanatide sits
plecanatide has more FDA adverse-event reports than 11% 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 plecanatide; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 1,831 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2016–2025.
Total Reports
1,831
Reports Mentioning Death
72
3.9% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
254
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DIARRHOEA | 363 |
| 2 | NAUSEA | 159 |
| 4 | CONSTIPATION | 152 |
| 5 | FATIGUE | 106 |
| 6 | ABDOMINAL DISTENSION | 100 |
| 7 | ABDOMINAL PAIN UPPER | 100 |
| 8 | ABDOMINAL PAIN | 96 |
| 9 | HEADACHE | 96 |
| 10 | PAIN | 95 |
| 11 | DIZZINESS | 87 |
| 13 | DYSPNOEA | 68 |
| 14 | MUSCLE SPASMS | 68 |
| 15 | MALAISE | 67 |
| 16 | ABDOMINAL DISCOMFORT | 66 |
| 17 | FLATULENCE | 64 |
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
Trulance can cause serious dehydration in children under 6. You should not give Trulance to children under 6 years old. Avoid using Trulance in patients 6 years to less than 18 years of age.
Common Questions
What is the dose of Trulance?
Can I take Trulance with food?
What should I do if I get severe diarrhea?
Can I give Trulance to my child?
How should I store Trulance?
What if I have trouble swallowing the tablet?
Can I mix Trulance with other foods or liquids?
What if part of the crushed tablet is left in the cup?
Is Trulance safe to take during pregnancy?
Can I take Trulance while breastfeeding?
What are the common side effects of plecanatide?
What drug class is plecanatide?
What pregnancy or breastfeeding source fields are listed for plecanatide?
Related Medications in Guanylate Cyclase-C Agonist
Other drugs grouped near plecanatide - same-class peers and common alternatives.
alosetron
Lotronex
Alosetron (Lotronex) is a medicine for women with severe diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Compare with plecanatide →
aprepitant
Emend
Aprepitant (Emend) is a medicine that helps prevent nausea and vomiting.
Compare with plecanatide →
bisacodyl
Dulcolax
Bisacodyl is a medicine that helps you have a bowel movement.
Compare with plecanatide →
bismuth subsalicylate
Pepto-Bismol
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is a medicine that can treat diarrhea and upset stomach.
Compare with plecanatide →
cimetidine
Tagamet
Cimetidine (Tagamet) reduces stomach acid.
Compare with plecanatide →
Compare beyond drug class
Nationwide peers by FAERS volume & death-report share
Two PlainMeds-derived comparison paths for plecanatide: 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: 1,831.
- albendazole Δ 2 reports · Antiparasitic (Benzimidazole) 1,829reports
- levomilnacipran Δ 27 reports · Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor (SNRI) 1,858reports
- netarsudil Δ 34 reports · Rho Kinase Inhibitor (Ophthalmic) 1,797reports
- brodalumab Δ 59 reports · Anti-IL-17 Receptor Monoclonal Antibody 1,890reports
Similar death-report share
Nearest drugs by FAERS death-report share. This record: 3.93%.
- desonide Δ 0.02 pts · 4,709 reports · Topical Corticosteroid 3.95%death share
- oxaprozin Δ 0.03 pts · 2,050 reports · Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) 3.90%death share
- mefenamic acid Δ 0.08 pts · 2,104 reports · Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) 3.85%death share
- travoprost Δ 0.10 pts · 8,423 reports · Prostaglandin Analog (Ophthalmic) 3.83%death share
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What the FDA Data Shows for plecanatide
The FDA label for plecanatide (sold under brand names such as Trulance) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Guanylate Cyclase-C Agonist class. Trulance treats chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C). Official labeling lists 1 commonly reported side effect, including Diarrhea.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 1,831 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS.
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 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). 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. This registry does not provide medication decisions.
Last updated: April 4, 2024
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