Drug profile

The FDA adverse-event record for Methimazole

1,035 adverse-event reports submitted to the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine reference Methimazole. See the species affected, top reactions, and outcomes below.

1,035
adverse-event reports
14.1%
death-coded share
Cat
most-reported species
173
Vomiting - top reaction
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Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
1,035
Total Reports
146
Deaths Reported
14.1%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Methimazole

Administration Routes

UnknownOralTopicalTransdermalOtherAuricular (Otic)IntradermalIntratumor

Species Affected

Cat 1,017
Unknown 16
Dog 2

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 685
Domestic Longhair 96
Domestic Mediumhair 55
Cat (unknown) 46
Domestic (unspecified) 36
Siamese 30
Maine Coon 24
Unknown 17
Cat (other) 15
Persian 4

Most Reported Reactions

Vomiting 173
Weight loss 106
Anorexia 97
Lack of efficacy - NOS 93
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 88
Not eating 86
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in Neurological) 84
Death by euthanasia 82
Ataxia 69
Diarrhoea 68
Behavioural disorder NOS 59
Decreased appetite 58

Outcome Breakdown

Ongoing
382 (38.4%)
Outcome Unknown
233 (23.4%)
Recovered/Normal
218 (21.9%)
Euthanized
83 (8.4%)
Died
63 (6.3%)
Recovered with Sequela
15 (1.5%)

Methimazole Adverse Event Insights

1,035 reports name Methimazole; 146 recorded a death outcome (14.1% of reported events, not a population-level mortality rate). Active ingredient: Methimazole. Administration routes: Unknown, Oral, Topical, Transdermal.

By species: Cat (1,017 reports), Unknown (16 reports), Dog (2 reports). By breed: Domestic Shorthair (685), Domestic Longhair (96), Domestic Mediumhair (55).

Leading clinical signs: Vomiting (173), Weight loss (106), Anorexia (97), Lack of efficacy - NOS (93). Outcome, 994 coded reports: Ongoing leads at 38.4%.

Read these counts as reporting volume, not risk: per our methodology, a widely-prescribed drug will rack up more raw FDA reports in a given year than a rarely-used one at an identical true rate, so we recommend comparing within similar-exposure products rather than across the full 2025 catalog.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine openFDA Animal & Veterinary Adverse Events (CVM AER) · 2025

Every figure on PlainBreed is rendered directly from FDA openFDA adverse event data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FDA openFDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.