Common antibiotics carry small but serious risks of life-threatening drug reactions, but some are safer than others

Two classes of commonly-prescribed oral antibiotics are associated with the greatest risk for severe drug rashes that can lead to emergency department visits, hospitalizations and even death, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA.

“While rare, these severe drug reactions can be life-threatening. Patients should be aware of rash, fever, and other symptoms, which can start weeks after a prescription has been started and even after the course of antibiotics has stopped,” says Dr. David Juurlink, a staff internist and head of the Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, senior core scientist with ICES and professor of medicine with Temerty Medicine.

Researchers from ICES, Sunnybrook Research Institute and the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine suggest that prescribers should consider using lower-risk antibiotics for their patients when clinically appropriate.

“It’s also one more reason why antibiotics should be prescribed only when they’re truly needed,” Dr. Juurlink adds.

To learn more about the severe drug reactions, the different classes of antibiotics, and key findings from the study, see the full ICES news release.