Erythroderma from carbamazepine.

This article reports on a patient who got erythroderma by using carbamazepine. A 20-year-old male had been treated with haloperidol for Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome for 4 years. 18 days prior to consulting the doctors, he began treatment with carbamazepine 600 mg daily. After 10 days on carbamazepine, he developed a maculo-erythematous eruption, involving the whole skin, which became erythrodermatous, beginning periorally and on the extremities. This cutaneous eruption was accompanied by intense itching, fever, sore throat, arthromyalgia and scapulo-humeral weakness. On examination, there was diffuse scaling, bilateral palpebral oedema, pain, scapulo-humeral weakness and recurrent paralysis. He had a leucocytosis, an eosinophilia, and raised transaminases.