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. 2025 Jul 30:16:1645114.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1645114. eCollection 2025.

Identification of potential drug-induced neuralgia signals through disproportionality analysis of the FAERS database

Yating An  1 , Ying Zheng  2 , Ziwei Jiang  3 , Meng Meng  2 , Jintuo Yin  2 , Yahui An  2
Affiliations

Identification of potential drug-induced neuralgia signals through disproportionality analysis of the FAERS database

Yating An et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Background: Drug-induced neuralgia is a common and significant adverse reaction. This study analyzed the United States food and drug administration adverse event reporting system (FAERS) database (2004-2024) to identify relevant drugs and potential mechanisms.

Methods: We conducted an association analysis between drugs and neuralgia using the FAERS database. Disproportionality analysis methods, including the reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), and empirical Bayesian geometric mean (EBGM), were applied. Data from 2004 to 2024 were analyzed to identify drugs potentially associated with neuralgia.

Results: Among the 103,678 reports of neuralgia-related adverse events, 60.29% involved female patients, and 30.40% were aged between 41 and 64 years. The most common underlying medical conditions were plasma cell myeloma (14.28%) and multiple sclerosis (10.65%). The analysis revealed significant associations between neuralgia and several classes of drugs, including chemotherapeutic agents, certain antibiotics, and immunosuppressants, potentially attributable to neurotoxicity, immune-mediated mechanisms, or metabolic disruptions. Notably, lenalidomide exhibited the strongest association with neuralgia, followed by sodium citrate. These findings underscore the importance of early recognition, safer prescribing strategies, and further investigation to mitigate neurotoxic risks.

Conclusion: This study identifies key drugs, including chemotherapeutics, antibiotics, and immunosuppressants, associated with drug-induced neuralgia through FAERS data analysis, highlighting the need for early detection, safer prescribing practices, and further research into mitigating neurotoxicity.

Keywords: FAERS database; adverse drug event; neuralgia; neurotoxicity; signal detection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The number of reported cases of neuralgia from 2004 to 2024.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Top 30 medications with the most number of reported neuralgia cases. (A) The number of cases of the top 30 drugs. (B) The drug categories of the top 30 drugs and the percentage of total neuralgia events associated with each drug.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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