Clomid Overdose: Symptoms, What the Label Says and What to Do

A Clomid overdose means taking more clomiphene citrate than prescribed, either at once or over a longer period. For ovulation, the FDA label sets the standard course at 50 mg a day for 5 days, with a second course of 100 mg a day for 5 days if needed. It states that increasing the dose or duration "beyond 100 mg/day for 5 days is not recommended." Anything above the prescribed dose, or a child taking tablets by accident, is a reason to get advice.

The label is short on overdose data. It states plainly that "the toxic dose in humans is not known." It also notes that it is not known whether clomiphene can be removed by dialysis. What it does give is a list of symptoms and a general treatment approach, both covered below.

The Clomid label lists the following signs of overdose:

These are the same effects that appear as side effects at normal doses, only more likely and more intense. In the label's data from 8,029 women at standard doses, ovarian enlargement occurred in 13.6%, hot flushes in 10.4%, nausea and vomiting in 2.2% and visual symptoms in 1.5%. Full details are on our Clomid side effects page.

Two of these deserve particular attention. Visual symptoms may be permanent: the label warns that visual disturbances "may be irreversible, especially with increased dosage or duration of therapy." And ovarian enlargement can be part of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, which the label says can progress rapidly, within 24 hours to several days.

The label's treatment advice is general: "Appropriate supportive measures should be employed in addition to gastrointestinal decontamination." There is no specific antidote. In practice, that means a medical team decides whether to try to limit absorption, depending on how much was taken and how long ago, and then treats symptoms as they appear.

Animal data give a sense of scale but cannot be applied directly to people. The label reports an acute oral LD50, the dose that kills half of test animals, of 1,700 mg/kg in mice and 5,750 mg/kg in rats. These figures are far above any human dose, but because the toxic dose in humans is unknown, any overdose should be assessed by professionals rather than judged at home.

Clomid also stays in the body for a long time. About half a dose is excreted within 5 days, and the zuclomiphene isomer was still detectable more than a month after a single dose in label studies. Symptoms can therefore develop or persist after the last tablet. See how Clomid works for the details.

Call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) for advice after any extra dose, or if a child may have swallowed tablets. Go to emergency care or call 911 if any of the following appear:

Bring the medicine container so the team knows the drug, the strength (Clomid and generic clomiphene come as 50 mg tablets) and how many may have been taken.

Men who take Clomid off label for low testosterone usually take 25 mg daily or 50 mg every other day in published studies. Taking more than prescribed raises risk: according to the label, visual side effects become more likely with higher doses and longer use.

A published case report (Alizadeh and colleagues, 2021) describes a 33-year-old man who developed sudden vision loss from optic nerve damage on day 14 of 100 mg daily taken for fertility. That dose is two to four times the amounts used in most male studies. For safer dosing ranges and what the evidence shows, see Clomid for men and the PCT guide.

Clomid.org is an independent educational resource. We are not affiliated with any pharmaceutical manufacturer, compounding pharmacy, telehealth company or healthcare provider. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Images on this site are illustrative artwork made for editorial purposes; they do not show real products, packaging or labels and are not an advertisement or an offer to sell.