What medications can cause photosensitivity?

Antibiotics, particularly tetracyclines like doxycycline and fluoroquinolones like ciprofloxacin.
Tricyclic antidepressants like amitriptyline and nortriptyline.
Older antihistamines like promethazine.
Griseofulvin, an antifungal medication.

What is photosensitivity to medication?

What is drug-induced photosensitivity? Drug-induced photosensitivity occurs when certain photosensitising medications cause unexpected sunburn or dermatitis (a dry, bumpy or blistering rash) on sun-exposed skin (face, neck, arms, backs of hands and often lower legs and feet). The rash may or may not be itchy.

What disease causes photosensitivity?

Examples of photoaggravated diseases include lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme, atopic eczema, psoriasis, viral exanthemata, pemphigus, dermatitis herpetiformis and rosacea. Drugs and chemicals may interact with UV to induce photosensitivity.

How do you stop photosensitivity?

Prevention and Treatment

Avoiding overexposure to sun, wear protective clothing, use sunscreens (prevention)
For photosensitivity, stopping drugs or chemicals and sometimes taking corticosteroids.
For solar urticaria or polymorphous light eruption, other specific treatments.

What is photosensitivity reaction?

Photosensitivity is heightened skin sensitivity or an unusual reaction when your skin is exposed to UV radiation from sunlight or a tanning bed.

What autoimmune causes photosensitivity?

Photosensitivity, in which even ambient exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays can result in a blistering or scaly, thickened skin rash, affects 30 to 60 percent of people with lupus. It can also occur in individuals with other autoimmune diseases or dermatologic conditions.

How do you treat Photodermatitis?

Treatment Plan For blisters or weepy eruptions, apply cool, wet dressings. With certain types of photodermatitis, doctors may use phototherapy (controlled exposure to light for treatment purposes) to desensitize the skin or to help control symptoms.

How do you treat photosensitivity reaction?

To treat chemical photosensitivity reactions, corticosteroids are applied to the skin and the substance that is causing the reaction is avoided. Solar urticaria can be difficult to treat, but doctors may try histamine (H1) blockers (antihistamines), corticosteroids, or sunscreens.

What is lupus photosensitivity?

Photosensitivity, or increased sensitivity to sunlight, is common among people who have systemic lupus erythematosus, or lupus. Sun exposure can cause rashes (including the butterfly or malar rash) and lesions or trigger flare-ups of the disease that could affect internal organs, so it is important to protect yourself.

What are signs of photosensitivity?

Symptoms of sun sensitivity are similar to those of a sunburn, and may include:

A stinging and burning sensation.
Rash.
Redness.
Pain.
Blisters.
Inflammation and swelling.
Itching.
Darkening of the skin.

Can drugs cause photosensitivity to the skin?

When taking different drugs, their possible side effects on the skin should be considered, including skin reactions connected to photosensitivity. This photosensitivity caused by drugs can appear as phototoxic reactions (which occur more often) or photoallergic reactions (which occur less often and include allergic mechanisms).

What are the signs and symptoms of a photosensitivity reaction?

The range of skin damage may vary from mild redness to swelling to blister formation in more severe cases. The rash from this photosensitivity reaction usually resolves with peeling and sloughing of (shedding) skin in the affected area within several days. Individuals with photoallergic reactions may initially complain of itching.

What happens if you are photosensitive to the Sun?

Exposure to UV rays can also lead to skin damage and skin cancer. People who are photosensitive may develop skin rashes or burns, even after only limited exposure to the sun. What are the types of photosensitivity? Some chemicals contribute to sensitivity to the sun.

Are some people more prone to photosensitivity than others?

Certain people are more prone to photosensitivity than others. Wavelengths that fall within the 320-400 nm range (UVA radiation) are more apt to initiate drug-induced photosensitivity reactions.