The popular antiepileptic drug Dilantin has been linked with severe medication side effects, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome, an allergic reaction with a high fatality rate.

Dilantin (also known as phenytoin) is manufactured and sold by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, Inc., and has risen quickly to become one of the most widely prescribed antiepileptic drugs for adults.

Dilantin is used to stop seizures in their early stages. During a seizure, their brain cells’ neurons fire off much more rapidly than they normally do. Dilantin and similar anti-seizure drugs work to control seizures by suppressing the neurons from firing so rapidly, returning their movement to a more normal pace.

When a person suffers from a seizure, the neurons in their brain cells fire off much more rapidly than usual. Dilantin and other anti-seizure medications like it prevent the patient’s brain cells from firing off these neurons at such a rapid pace, which in turn helps control seizures.

Dilantin also works to stabilize moods and can be prescribed for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

Dilantin Medication Side Effects

Dilantin has included label warnings about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome since 2011, as well as the risk of the even more dangerous Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

A more common anticonvulsant medication side effect is a rash, which is a simple drug rash. Symptoms like these are fairly normal, and are not in and of themselves cause for major concern. A Dilantin drug rash will usually go away on its own fairly harmlessly.

However, Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) begins as a rash but quickly progresses into something much more severe and serious, as well as potentially life-threatening.

A Dilantin skin rash is most likely harmless, but wariness of these symptoms is highly encouraged so that, if a patient develops Dilantin SJS or TEN symptoms, patients will seek medical treatment immediately.

Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is a relatively rare allergic reaction, but it is extremely dangerous. In some cases, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome can be fatal. Dilantin SJS causes the top layer of a person’s skin to blister and peel painfully, similar to the effects of a severe burn.

It usually takes just a few weeks for patients to develop SJS after taking Dilantin.

Dilantin SJS rashes can cause intense and life-threatening problems, including:

• intense pain
• eye problems
• secondary skin infection (cellulitis)
• damage to internal organs

Even when a patient heals from Dilantin SJS, they are often left with permanent and significant scarring from the symptoms.

Recognizing SJS symptoms is essential for patients to seek medical attention as soon as they can to avoid severe complications.

SJS symptoms include:

• facial swelling
• tongue swelling
• hives
• skin pain
• a red or purple Dilantin skin rash, spreading within hours to days
• blisters on skin, mouth, nose, and/or eyes
• shedding of skin

When SJS rashes progress to their most severe form, the patient is diagnosed with TEN, or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. Patients who have SJS rashes covering more than 30 percent of their skin have progressed into the TEN stage and are at an even greater risk than SJS patients.

Indeed, the mortality rate associated with TEN is higher than that of SJS. For approximately 40 percent of those diagnosed with TEN, the condition is fatal.

If not fatal, these conditions can still lead to major eye problems, internal organ damage, and permanent skin damage.

Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome Lawsuits

If you or someone you love is taking Dilantin, you should be aware of the anticonvulsant’s potentially serious medication side effects.

Some injured patients and their families have responded to these severe complications by filing Dilantin SJS lawsuits. These lawsuits claim that Dilantin’s manufacturer, Pfizer Inc., failed to adequately warn consumers and the medical community about the link between Dilantin and Stevens Johnson Syndrome, placing consumers at risk.

If you or someone you love has taken Dilantin and later suffered from either SJS or TEN, you may be able to file a Dilantin SJS lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or bring back a love done, but it can help alleviate the financial damages from medical expenses and lost wages.