Drug reactions

Drug-related eruptions of the skin may be caused by a substance which has been used systemically or one that has been applied topically. The level of severity of a drug reaction will vary; however, in most cases, the only way to resolve the eruption is to remove the individual from the medication that has caused the problem. In this section, a number of different types of druginduced skin eruptions will be considered. For each type, the drugs that are most likely to cause the reaction are listed in the relevant boxes, please note (these are not necessarily comprehensive. It is worth remembering that if an individual is sensitive to a particular drug, they may also react to different drugs that are chemically similar. The skin can respond adversely in a wide, varied way to drugs. Whilst morbilliform type reactions are common, the skin may respond in a number of other ways, e.g. taking on vasculitic or acneiform appearance (Graham- Brown and Bourke, 1998).