Carbamazepine-induced DRESS Syndrome: A Rare Delayed Hypersensitivity Reaction

This report describes the case of a patient with DRESS syndrome who was evaluated with the RegiSCAR scoring system as a “definite case,” which was possibly induced by carbamazepine prescribed to treat bipolar I disorder. The young female patient was successfully treated with steroid medication after carbamazepine was discontinued. She was prescribed aripiprazole for mood stabilization without a subsequent recurrence of DRESS syndrome. We recommend that, in cases such as described here, clinicians take DRESS syndrome into consideration and provide proper timely management, particularly for patients receiving psychotropic drugs. A brief review of the literature concerning DRESS syndrome associated with psychotropic drugs and its pathogenesis are outlined and discussed.
Source: Journal of Psychiatric Practice - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Clinical Case Discussions Source Type: research