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Pepcid Side Effects
Most people tolerate Pepcid well. If side effects do occur, they are usually mild and do not require treatment or can easily be treated. A few of the more common side effects seen with Pepcid include headaches, dizziness, and diarrhea. Some serious side effects that you should report to your healthcare provider include seizures, arrhythmias, symptoms of liver problems, and signs of an allergic reaction.
As with any medicine, side effects are possible with Pepcid® (famotidine). However, not everyone who takes this drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate Pepcid quite well. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider.
(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Pepcid. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Pepcid side effects with you.)
Pepcid has been studied thoroughly in clinical trials. In these studies, the side effects that occur in a group of people taking the drug are documented and are then compared to side effects that occur in another group of people not taking the medicine. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.
Based on these studies, some of the most common side effects of Pepcid include:
- Headaches -- in up to 4.7 percent of people
- Diarrhea -- up to 1.7 percent
- Dizziness -- up to 1.3 percent
- Constipation -- up to 1.2 percent.
In studies of Pepcid for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in infants less than one year old, agitation was a reported side effect in 5 out of every 35 infants who were given the drug (about 14 percent).
Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD