A case of sulindac-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) is described; the etiology, symptoms, and treatment of TEN are reviewed; and sulindac's pharmacokinetic characteristics and other adverse effects are discussed. A 62-year-old black woman was given a prescription for sulindac 150 mg twice daily to relieve pain associated with degenerative joint disease. She also had a nine-year history of type II diabetes mellitus that was being managed with tolbutamide 500 mg once daily. After two weeks of sulindac therapy she developed a rash that spread over her entire body. Sulindac therapy was discontinued, and one day later the patient was admitted to the hospital with a temperature of 104.6 degrees F, conjunctivitis, and an erythematous macular rash over 60% of her body. Initially, therapy included prednisone 160 mg orally every day, applications of silver sulfadiazine cream four times daily for two days, and methylcellulose 0.5% ophthalmic solution (two drops four times daily) for the conjunctivitis. She also received intravenous hydration. By the fifth hospital day the patient's skin lesions and conjunctivitis had improved to the point that the prednisone dosage was tapered to 120 mg, then to 80 mg, and then to nothing over the following three days. Her diabetes was managed by short-term treatment with NPH insulin; however, before discharge, tolbutamide therapy was reinstituted, and insulin was discontinued. At follow-up four weeks after discharge, the patient's skin was largely clear. TEN has multiple etiologies, but the basic mechanism of injury is believed to be an immunological reaction directed at the basal cell layer.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)