Lupus Symptoms & Causes Medication-Induced Lupus Symptoms and Treatment By Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH LinkedIn Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH, is a medical writer and program development manager at the Center for Reducing Health Disparities. Learn about our editorial process Updated on November 04, 2021 Medically reviewed by David Ozeri, MD Medically reviewed by David Ozeri, MD LinkedIn David Ozeri, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist. He is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he does research at Sheba Medical Center. Previously, he practiced at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Drugs That Cause DIL Risk Factors Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Drug-induced lupus (DIL) is a rare autoimmune condition caused by a reaction to certain drugs. There are an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 cases of drug-induced lupus in the United States per year. It usually begins after you've taken the offending drug for three to six months. The symptoms of DIL mimic those of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). There are many, including muscle and joint pain, weight loss, and fever. Drug-induced lupus can be life-threatening, but it's completely reversible once you stop taking the drug that's to blame. Daniel Kourey / Getty Images Drugs That Cause Drug-Induced Lupus More than 40 drugs have been known to cause this form of lupus, but several are considered primary culprits. They're mainly drugs used to treat chronic conditions such as heart disease, thyroid disease, hypertension (high blood pressure), neuropsychiatric disorders, inflammation, and epilepsy. The three drugs most often involved in drug-induced lupus are: Pronestyl (procainamide), used to treat heart arrhythmiaApresoline (hydralazine), used to treat hypertensionQuinaglute (quinidine), used to treat heart arrhythmia Classes of drugs that have been implicated in DIL include: Anti-antiarrhythmics (e.g., procainamide, quinidine)Antibiotics (e.g., minocycline)AnticonvulsantsAnti-inflammatoriesAntipsychoticsAnti-thyroid drugsBiologicsChemotherapy drugsCholesterol drugsDiureticsHypertension drugs (e.g., hydralazine, diltiazem isoniazid)PenicillamineProton pump inhibitors Most people who take these medications will not develop the disease. DIL is a rare adverse reaction. Risk Factors Healthcare providers don't know why some people develop drug-induced lupus while taking certain medications and others don't. However, certain factors may make it more likely, including: Other health conditionsGeneticsEnvironmental factorsInteractions with other medications Here's a look at the percentage of people who develop DIL after one to two years of using the following drugs:Procainamide: 20%Hydralazine: 5%Other drugs: Less than 1% Men are more likely to be prescribed the drugs that cause drug-induced lupus, though they develop it at the same statistical rates as women. DIL is most common in people between 50 and 70 years old. It's more likely to develop in White people than African-Americans, as well. Drug-Induced Lupus Symptoms If you're experiencing drug-induced lupus, you may have symptoms that are similar to what people with SLE experience, such as: Muscle and joint painFatigueBlurred visionFeverGeneral ill feeling (malaise)Joint swellingLoss of appetitePleuritic chest painSkin rash across the bridge of nose and cheeks that gets worse with sunlight (butterfly rash)Weight lossPurple spots on the skin (purpura)Red or purple lumps under the skin that are tender (erythema-nodosum) These symptoms can appear gradually or quickly. While SLE can impact major organs, DIL usually doesn't. A clue that you are experiencing DIL and not typical drug side effects is that the symptoms arise after months or years of continuously taking the medication without issue. Regular side effects, on the other hand, usually come on soon after you start taking a new medication. Signs and Symptoms of Lupus Diagnosis Healthcare providers often have a hard time diagnosing DIL because the symptoms are similar not only to SLE but to numerous other autoimmune diseases and chronic pain conditions. If you're having symptoms that are consistent with DIL, be sure to tell you healthcare provider about all of the medications and supplements you're taking. If they believe you have DIL, you will likely need to stop taking the drug suspected as the cause. Staying on the medication will not only make your symptoms worse, but it could also even make the condition become life-threatening. There's no single, specific test for DIL. When considering this diagnosis, your healthcare provider may perform a range of tests, including: A physical examBlood testsChest X-rayElectrocardiogram The four types of blood tests used to diagnose DIL are: Antihistone antibodyAntinuclear antibody (ANA) panelAntineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)Complete blood count (CBC) People with DIL caused by quinidine or hydralazine may have negative ANA results. Treatment You were put on the medication in the first place for good reason. Since staying on it is dangerous, you and your healthcare provider will need to discuss alternative treatments for whatever condition the drug was intended to treat. The good news is that once you stop taking the offending medication, your symptoms should resolve within several weeks to several months. In some cases, however, it might take up to a year for symptoms to go completely away. To help you manage during this time, your healthcare provider may prescribe medication to treat your symptoms. Some options include: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Corticosteroid creams Antimalarial drugs A Word From Verywell While DIL can be a severe and debilitating illness that's hard to diagnose, the good news is that it can be cured by going off the drug that triggered it. Work with your healthcare provider to find the correct diagnosis, an alternative drug, and the treatments that can help you manage the symptoms of DIL until they go away. Once you're off the offending medication, the prognosis is generally excellent. 5 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Merola JF. Pisetsky D, Rameriz Curtis M (eds). Drug-induced lupus. UpToDate. Dalle Vedove C, Simon JC, Girolomoni G. Drug-induced lupus erythematosus with emphasis on skin manifestations and the role of anti-TNFα agents. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2012;10(12):889–897. doi:10.1111/j.1610-0387.2012.08000.x Lupus Foundation of America. What is drug-induced lupus? Hogan JJ, Markowitz GS, Radhakrishnan J. Drug-induced glomerular disease: immune-mediated injury. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2015;10(7):1300-10. doi:10.2215/CJN.01910215 Katz U, Zandman-goddard G. Drug-induced lupus: an update. Autoimmun Rev. 2010;10(1):46-50. doi:10.1016/j.autrev.2010.07.005 Additional Reading Drug-Induced Lupus Erythematosus. MedlinePlus. By Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH Jeri Jewett-Tennant, MPH, is a medical writer and program development manager at the Center for Reducing Health Disparities. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit