Are there drug eruptions that are dermatologic emergencies?

Most drug eruptions are relatively benign and consist of a morbilliform or macular erythema that occurs without other signs or symptoms. On occasion, drug eruptions can present as diffuse exfoliative erythroderma, or red man syndrome. In these cases, patients develop a total body erythroderma with pruritus and scaling. In addition to drugs, other causes of exfoliative erythroderma that must be ruled out include psoriasis, lymphoma, and flares of seborrheic or atopic dermatitis. Other types of drug eruptions that can be dermatologic emergencies include toxic epidermal necrolysis, leukocytoclastic vasculitis, and severe urticaria or angioedema.