Drugs Associated With Drug-Induced Lupus
Causes | Symptoms | Types | Testing | Treatment | Other Illnesses | Quality of Life
Certain drugs and biologic agents have been implicated in activating drug-induced lupus. Not everyone who takes these drugs, however, will develop lupus. According to the Lupus Foundation, only about 4% of people who take the drugs listed below will develop antibodies suggestive of lupus and only a small number of those people will have evident symptoms of lupus. Most of the time, drug-induced lupus goes away when the drug is stopped. This could take a few days or several months.
Five medications have been definitely associated with drug-induced lupus:
- Hydralizine (Apresoline" or Apresazide"), used to treat high blood pressure
- Isoniazid (INH"), used to treat tuberculosis
- Phenytoin (Dilantin"), used to treat seizures
- Procainamide (Procan" or Pronestyl"), used to treat irregular heart rhythms
- Quinidine (Quin-Release", Quinaglute Dura-Tabs", Quinidex Extentabs"), used to treat irregular heart rhythms
The two most common drugs associated with lupus are hydralazine and procainamide. Men are more likely to take these medications and so are more likely to have drug-induced lupus.
Other drugs associated with drug-induced lupus include:
- Chlorpromazine (Thorazine"), used to treat psychotic disorders, nausea and vomiting, and chronic hiccups
- Etanercept (Enbrel") used to treat arthritis
- Infliximab (Remicade") used to treat arthritis
- Methyldopa (Aldomet"), used to treat high blood pressure
- Minocycline (Dynacin", Minocin", Myrac", Solodyn", Vectrin"), used to treat bacterial infections
Written 12/07
