Adverse cutaneous reactions to antidepressants

The authors review the literature on adverse cutaneous reactions to antidepressant medications. The prevalence of rashes ranges from approximately 2% to 4% but is higher for certain antidepressants such as maprotiline and carbamazepine. Antidepressant drug reactions result in a variety of cutaneous morphologic patterns, but the majority of eruptions are exanthematous. The patterns of these reactions are similar whether the pathogenesis is mediated by immunologic or nonimmunologic mechanisms. The management of patients with adverse cutaneous reactions to antidepressants is discussed, and various recommendations are given.