Report Identifies Case of Bupropion-Induced Erythema Multiforme

Friday, June 15, 2001

ROCHESTER, MINN. — As bupropion is prescribed increasingly for smoking cessation and not just for depression, physicians need to aggressively follow up complaints of rashes that could be caused by use of the medicine, says a report in the June issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

The case report is what the authors believe is the first case of erythema multiforme, an allergic response, after a 31-year-old woman took sustained-release bupropion for treatment of depression.

The report emphasizes that physicians should immediately discontinue the medication as soon as erythema multiforme is suspected and watch closely for the emergence of potentially life-threatening dermatologic conditions.

In the case of the female patient, she had taken bupropion for 24 days before it was discontinued. Her skin lesions and itching resolved over the next few weeks, although she was left with postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, which had not fully faded after 8 months of follow up.

Contact: John Murphy 507-538-1385 (days) 507-284-2411 (eves)

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