Title:A Routine over the Counter Phenylephrine Causing Rarer Drug Eruption
as Adverse Drug Reaction - A Case Report
Volume: 19
Issue: 2
Author(s): Sree Sudha Tanguturi Yella*, Kota Sesha Brahma Sri Krishna Sasanka, Harminder Singh*Bhumika Meena
Affiliation:
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Deoghar, Jharkhand, India
Keywords:
Drug eruption, phenylephrine, sympathomimetic, adverse drug reaction, pharmacovigilance, levocetirizine.
Abstract:
Background: Phenylephrine is a sympathomimetic, which means it acts analogous to
adrenaline. Phenylephrine can be taken orally to treat nasal congestion symptoms. It is also frequently
mixed with other medicines in products meant to relieve cough and cold symptoms. Given
the widespread usage of phenylephrine, related drug eruptions appear to be uncommon.
Case Presentation: Here we discuss a case of a 19-year-old female patient who reported to our
hospital with blebs on the skin throughout her legs and torso. The drug eruption or adverse drug
response was linked with itching, had a slow beginning, and progressed. Her medical history indicated
that she had been taking phenylephrine 10 mg orally twice a day. On the sixth day, she experienced
an adverse medication response caused by the medicine phenylephrine. Phenylephrine was
stopped immediately and the other medications, such as levocetirizine, montelukast, and nasal
spray, were continued. The patient was told not to use phenylephrine, either alone or in combination
with FDCs. There are no other complaints. As a result, the patient was diagnosed with phenylephrine-
induced eruption.
Conclusion: We present this case to highlight the importance of inspiring a pharmacovigilance
mindset among all clinicians providing care as a routine alert drug, phenylephrine-induced drug eruption.
