There are certain prescription drugs that can induce lupus-like conditions.
As with anything else pertaining to a drug, doctors could overlook this possibility.
I wonder how many people have been diagnosed with lupus and are actually suffering from lupus-like conditions due to a prescription drug they took?

Does anyone know which drugs they are? I've run across that in the research several times, but no one mentions any names. Ann

Her's what Wallace says in his Lupus Book (list is in descending order of greatest occurrence- this is not the list of drugs that may induce flares- these are ones that cause drug-induced lupus )1 out of a 1000:
hydrazoline, procanimide, methydopa, n-pennicilliiimine,(1 out of 10,000 http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gifisoniazid,sulfasalizine,carbama zine, phenothiazines,quinidine, griseofulvin

Jeri

Oh gosh, that's quite a list. I just figured it could be any drug since everyone can have different side effects to just about anything.

I guess we all have to be our own monitors so we can take good care of ourselves.

Thanks for the information

Hi Kathryn,
The list for drugs that can cause flares is even scarier, I mean comonly prescribed stuff. It's a real reminder to us that, if we are not at the rheumatologist's office, we have to assume responsibility and remind our gyn, interniest, dentist, orthopedist, etc., of what we can and cannot take safely. :-{ I ran off a copy of my current meds, laminated it and gave it to my husband. He carries it in his wallet along with copies of my insurance cards.I guess I need to retrieve it and put a list of no-no drugs on the back of it.
I think it was this same rheumatologist that cautioned against anything containing alfalfa.Of course, like all the docs he warned us against eating alfalfa or any other kind of sprouts (cause we are very susceptible to life-threatening infection from e-coli and salmonella since we are immune-supressed)- but he also cautioned that alfalfa-anything could induce a flare. I checked to make sure that my vitamins didn't contain that. I'm not a health-food-person, but I sure have begun to read labels. Don't-need and Don't-want another crisis- I hate pain!!!!
Jeri

what can cause flares? i got worse after having my son and even worse after having immunizations, and then premerin made me even worse than ever. than goodness they stopped that. i am not diagnosed with lupus, but show many symptoms. i get very sick if i take the pill. i am allergic to nearly everything. i never heard that medicine could affect lupus negatively before.

Hi: I saw on your list that griseofluvin can cause lupus syndrome. I took it as a desperate attempt to deal with a skin rash, and six days into it my muscles were killing me so my doc said stop. Now I'm taking doxycycline (spelling) do your list show if tetracycline type drugs can cause a syndrome? Does it say that griseofluvin can cause a flare? My doc has suspected lupus, but I've never met enough criteria. I'm having muscle pain on the antibiotic now, and I'm wondering why I'm so sensitive to so many meds. I'm also allergic to sulfa drugs. any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

Check your foods too! I was looking at a label for peanut butter the other day, some of the ingredients were pretty scary, one of the ingredients was copper sulfate. Now what the heck is something like THAT doing in our food?

We really have to be careful these days.
Take Care now!

Sincerely,
Caring

Sailormoonk

Hormones have something to do with Lupus. That is why so many more women get it then men. I was told definately NOT to take the pill, and if I got pregnant it could get worse.

Yes, alfalfa and sulfer based drugs can cause flares.

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Minocycyline induced lupus is well documented. If the symptoms don't die down when the drug is stopped then it can be treated as clinical " real" lupus.
ANA antibodies might persist for years.
Many common drugs increase photosensitivity. It's possible that this is one way in which they trigger lupus. Sometimes the condition for which the minocycline was prescribed was in fact lupus related ~ very unfortunate.
Not everybody reacts badly to the sulfonamide antibiotics . Care needs to be taken with some diuretics as well.
The "sulfate" in food is completely different.

Good Luck
Cheers
Clare

[This message has been edited by ClareTee (edited 08-02-2003).]