Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are painful and sometimes fatal skin conditions that develop when a person experiences an allergic reaction, typically to certain prescription or over-the-counter drugs.

Some antibiotics like Zithromax have higher rates of SJS or TEN than other medications. Additionally, certain drug manufacturers like Pfizer Inc. have allegedly neglected to make these risks of SJS and TEN known to their consumers.

Patients suffering from Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome often must endure a hard road to recovery from this deadly skin disease. Sometimes, Zithromax SJS recovery can seem like a miracle, given the extreme internal and external trauma a person suffers when their skin cells begin to rash, blister, and even fall off their body.

SJS Recovery

One dramatic tale of SJS recovery involves a patient named Levi G. who was 8 years old when he contracted SJS three years ago. He developed this dangerous allergic skin reaction when taking some prescription medication, which eventually led to organ failure and the peeling of the majority of his skin.

According to medical reports, Levi lost about 85 percent of his skin and, as a result, needed to be hospitalized for six months. Since being discharged and recovering from his ordeal, Levi has undergone 21 surgeries to reverse or manage the damage caused by SJS.

Although 12 of these surgeries specifically concentrated on fixing the damage done to his eyes, an organ commonly ravaged by SJS, Levi has since been declared legally blind.

Levi’s story seems bleak for such a young child, but even though he lost his eyesight, this young patient’s SJS recovery story is still miraculous in that he survived at all. Many SJS victims die from this skin reaction because of the extreme damage it does to the skin, eyes, and surface of a person’s internal organs.

Signs of Stevens Johnson Syndrome

When a patient develops Zithromax SJS or TEN, the topmost layer of skin cells dies, leaving the deeper skin layers and mucous membrane exposed and prone to infection. Due the subsequent pain experienced by SJS victims, hospitalization may be required for weeks to months at a time for constant monitoring and treatment. Some Zithromax SJS patients may even die from the trauma sustained by their body from this skin reaction.

Some SJS and TEN side effects may include:

• Painful blistering of the skin and mucous membrane involvement.
• Flu like symptoms and high fever.
• Skin literally sloughs off.
• Ocular involvement including severe conjunctivis, iritis, palpebral edema, conjunctival and corneal blisters and erosions, and corneal perforation.

While Zithromax is an antibiotic drug effective in combating bacterial infections like pneumonia and bronchitis, it has recently come under fire because of reports of Zithromax SJS. Because of the pain, suffering, and death some patients experience, a number of Zithromax users and their families are filing Zithromax SJS lawsuits or joining Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome class action lawsuits to seek compensation from Pfizer, the drug’s manufacturer.