Rashes from Drugs

New drugs, new cures, new side effects, including rashes. This is Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, Speaking of Health. It is almost axiomatic that any medication that works also has potential side effects. Such side effects can impact virtually every body organ, most of which, like the liver, kidneys or nervous system, are unseen. But drugs can also adversely affect the body’s largest organ, one that covers two square meters of surface area and is seen every day. The human skin not infrequently displays adverse drug effects in a variety of ways.

For example, numerous medicines, from penicillin to barbiturates to cardiac agents can cause crops of whelps on the skin known as hives. Drugs can cause rashes which look like measles, like rings or bull’s-eyes, or cause blisters, scaling, or pink, itchy patches.

Much of the time someone taking a drug knows intuitively that this new rash is due to their medication. But drug eruptions are not always straightforward. They can start weeks or months after the drug was begun and persist as long as it’s taken or go away while the drug is continued. For those on multiple drugs it can be difficult to figure out which one of those agents is causing the rash.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that many products consumers may not remember are drugs – like over-the-counter pain killers, laxatives and vitamins – can cause drug rashes too. Unfortunately, drug rashes are one of the most common reasons medicines have to be discontinued. But today’s pharmacopoeia is so broad that effective substitutes that will not cause the same rash can usually be found. For a copy of this script access of our web site, speakingofhealth.com. Speaking of Health, I’m Dr. Steven Andrew Davis, for CBS News.