Lithium-Induced Folliculitis
ARTHUR RIFKIN M.D.1,
STEPHEN B. KURTIN M.D.2,
FREDERIC QUITKIN M.D.3, , and
DONALD F. KLEIN M.D.4
1 Director of the Aftercare Clinic, Hillside Division, Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, P.O. Box 38, Glen Oaks, N.Y. 11004
2 Staff Psychiatrist, Hillside Division, Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, P.O. Box 38, Glen Oaks, N.Y. 11004
3 Medical Director (Evaluation), Hillside Division, Long Island Jewish-Hillside Medical Center, P.O. Box 38, Glen Oaks, N.Y. 11004
4 Clinical Associate, Department of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Twelve patients receiving long-term treatment with lithium developed folliculitis on their extremities and/or trunks. The rash disappeared in three patients who discontinued lithium therapy, and in one patient it reappeared when she again received lithium. The authors concluded that folliculitis is a common, but not serious, side effect of lithium treatment.
