Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Tell your caregivers at once if you have:
a fast, slow, or uneven heart rate;
excessive bleeding long after childbirth;
severe headache, blurred vision, pounding in your neck or ears; or
confusion, severe weakness, feeling unsteady.
Oxytocin may cause serious or life-threatening side effects in the newborn baby, including:
slow heartbeats or other abnormal heart rate;
jaundice (a yellow appearance of the baby's skin);
a seizure;
eye problems; or
problems with breathing, muscle tone, and other signs of health.
Talk with your doctor about the risks of using oxytocin. In most cases, the benefits of inducing labor with oxytocin will outweigh the risks to the baby.
Common side effects may include:
nausea, vomiting; or
more intense or more frequent contractions (this is an expected effect of oxytocin).
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
 Oxytocin side effects (more detail)
