Escitalopram-induced skin rash: Dermatitis medicamentosa

Abstract

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are the most prescribed antidepressant medications for the treatment of depression and other psychiatric disorders due to their efficacy, tolerability, and safety profile. The dermatological side-effects or cutaneous reactions due to SSRI class of antidepressants is rare. Though there were few case reports of SSRI-induced rash due to fluoxetine, paroxetine, and sertraline, the evidence associated with escitalopram, the highly prescribed antidepressant is comparatively less. The identification and reporting of the drug-related side-effects/adverse drug reactions either serious or non-serious is very important as it will be helpful in understanding, reviewing, and educating the drug-related information before starting medication to the patient.

Keywords

• drug reaction
• escitalopram
• exanthem
• skin rash
• ssri-induced rash