AskDrKK:What are the most common five drugs which causes drug fever?

Dr KK Answers:

1.    Anticonvulsants like carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital and primidone. It occur in 1/5000 treated patients. Fever starts 5-6m days and often resembles infectious mononucleosis. After the drug is stopped resolution may take 2-6 weeks. Skin reactions often accompany fever.

2.    Minocycline: Febrile reactions can be associated with joint, lung, liver, and skin involvement, and often accompanied by eosinophilia. The reaction may occur many months to years after the drug is introduced.

3.    Antibiotics are also the most common cause of drug fever, accounting for one-third of episodes.  The examples are beta-lactams, sulfonamides and nitrofurantoin.

4.    Allopurinol: is an uncommon cause of drug fever.  The fever is accompanied by hepatotoxicity, renal impairment. severe rash, and eosinophilia (60 percent). The toxicity is more common with concurrent use of thiazide diuretics.

5.    Heparin — Heparin is a rare cause of drug fever. Low molecular weight heparins do not appear to cause drug fever.