Common drugs that induce fever, by mechanism:
- Hypersensitivity – anticonvulsants, penicillin, minocycline, sulfonamide, allopurinol
- Altered thermoregulatory mechanisms – thyroxine, anticholinergics, amphetamines, cocaine
- Directly related to administration – paraldehyde, pentazocine, amphotericin B, bleomycin
- Direct extension of pharmacologic action – chemotherapy
- Idiosyncratic – succinylcholine, haloperidol, serotonergic
Risk of drug-induced fever increases with the number of medications taken, particularly in older adults and in those with active HIV infection. Patients with cystic fibrosis have a high incidence of drug-induced fever, most commonly from parenteral beta-lactams, piperacillin, and imipenem / cilastatin.