Mirtazapine

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2,444 adverse event reports submitted to the FDA

Important: Adverse event reports do not establish that a drug caused or contributed to the event. Consult your veterinarian before making treatment decisions.
2,444
Total Reports
424
Deaths Reported
1730.0%
Death Rate

Active Ingredients

Mirtazapine

Administration Routes

UnknownTransdermalOralTopicalIntradermalAuricular (Otic)OphthalmicOtherRespiratory (Inhalation)Cutaneous

Species Affected

Cat 1,593
Unknown 540
Dog 257
Human 50
Other 2
Tiger 1
Fallow 1

Most Affected Breeds

Domestic Shorthair 894
Unknown 596
Cat (unknown) 210
Domestic Longhair 141
Siamese 68
Domestic Mediumhair 60
Maine Coon 37
Retriever - Labrador 35
Ragdoll 26
Persian 22

Most Reported Reactions

Death by euthanasia 276
Lack of efficacy - NOS 256
Appearance, Abnormal 251
Vomiting 246
Anorexia 201
Weight loss 193
Lethargy (see also Central nervous system depression in 'Neurological') 183
Not eating 148
Diarrhoea 141
Death 140
Application site reddening 139
Decreased appetite 136

Outcome Breakdown

Outcome Unknown
631 (33.1%)
Recovered/Normal
496 (26.0%)
Ongoing
348 (18.2%)
Euthanized
277 (14.5%)
Died
149 (7.8%)
Recovered with Sequela
7 (0.4%)

Data Summary

Metric Value
Total adverse event reports 2,444
Reports involving death 424
Case-fatality rate (reported events) 1730.0%
Distinct species in reports 7
Distinct breeds in reports 20
Distinct reactions reported 20
Active ingredients on file 1

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reporting (CVM AER). Counts reflect voluntary reports only.

Mirtazapine Adverse Event Insights

The FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine database currently holds 2,444 adverse event reports referencing Mirtazapine, including 424 reports in which the animal died — a 1730.0% case-fatality figure among reported events only, not a population-level mortality rate. Active ingredient on file: Mirtazapine. Reported administration routes include Unknown, Transdermal, Oral, Topical. These numbers reflect voluntary submissions from pet owners, veterinarians, and manufacturers and therefore under-represent mild events and over-represent severe ones — a pattern the FDA has documented repeatedly for pharmacovigilance datasets.

The species most frequently named in Mirtazapine reports are Cat (1,593 reports), Unknown (540 reports), Dog (257 reports), with Cat accounting for the largest share. Within those species, Domestic Shorthair (894), Unknown (596), Cat (unknown) (210) appear most often — though breed popularity and ownership density shape these counts as much as any drug-specific sensitivity. This distribution matters because the same active ingredient can behave very differently across body sizes, ages, and species physiology.

The most commonly reported clinical signs associated with Mirtazapine are Death by euthanasia (276), Lack of efficacy - NOS (256), Appearance, Abnormal (251), Vomiting (246). Of the 1,908 reports with a coded outcome, Outcome Unknown is the leading category at 33.1%. Because FDA adverse event data describes correlation rather than causation, these figures are best used to frame informed questions with a veterinarian and to compare reporting patterns across related products — not as a standalone safety verdict on Mirtazapine.

Source: FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine — Adverse Event Reports Data reflects voluntary submissions and may not represent actual incidence rates

Related

Data sourced from official AKC, AVMA, ACVO, and breed-club veterinary references. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainBreed Editorial