Drug-induced aseptic meningitis after amoxicillin use

Drug-induced aseptic meningitis (DIAM) is a noninfectious meningitis related to a drug exposure. Diagnosis requires exclusion of infectious meningitis. Patients with DIAM will exhibit rapid improvement after discontinuation of the offending drug. Most patients will develop recurrent symptoms after repeat exposure to the offending agent. The clinical features of DIAM are indistinguishable from infectious meningitis and the recurrent symptoms often are identical to previous episodes of DIAM. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, co-trimoxazole, and penicillin are the medications that most commonly cause DIAM with use. This article describes a patient who was admitted to the hospital with meningoencephalitis after taking prophylactic amoxicillin for a dental procedure.