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.
How to Take It
Take one 3 mg Trulance tablet daily. You can take it with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole with water. If you have trouble swallowing, you can crush the tablet and mix it with applesauce or water.
This is a plain-language summary of plecanatide's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
It is not expected that Trulance will harm your unborn baby. Trulance is also not expected to pass into breast milk and harm your baby.
This is a plain-language summary of plecanatide'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, skip it and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses at the same time.
This is a plain-language summary of plecanatide's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Store Trulance at room temperature (68 to 77°F) in a dry place, protected from moisture, and in its original bottle.
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
- Diarrhea
Diarrhea
363 reports
- Feeling sick to your stomach
Feeling sick to your stomach
159 reports
- Having trouble pooping
Having trouble pooping
152 reports
- Feeling tired 106
Feeling tired
106 reports
- Swollen belly 100
Swollen belly
100 reports
- Upper stomach pain 100
Upper stomach pain
100 reports
- Stomach pain 96
Stomach pain
96 reports
- Headache 96
Headache
96 reports
- Pain 95
Pain
95 reports
- Feeling dizzy 87
Feeling dizzy
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) 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?
Is plecanatide safe during pregnancy?
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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 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: April 4, 2024
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