Patients taking Phenytoin, better known by its trade name Dilantin, need to be on the lookout for the warning signs of potentially serious side effects, especially those of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS.

SJS is a risk with many medications, including Phenytoin. It is an autoimmune reaction, a medical emergency in which the immune system goes haywire and attacks the body’s own tissues. Many questions remain about how the medication triggers SJS, but the symptoms are well known.

The reaction begins with flu-like symptoms. This is because many diseases — including the flu, have some general symptoms that are caused by the immune system reacting to disease. This includes fever, chills, and aches throughout the body. Since SJS is a relatively rare condition, even physicians mistake the disease for the flu at this stage.

However, anywhere from days to hours after the flu-like symptoms, the disease escalates to an SJS rash. Patients develop blisters, which later progress to sores and then ulcers on their skin. This can also cover the mucus membranes, like those inside the mouth and nose. The eyes may also be included. If a person is taking Phenytoin, they should be aware of this, as SJS is a life-threatening condition, and it can rapidly progress. Within days or even hours, a person can have life-threatening Dilantin skin side effects.

SJS is a life-threatening condition. The damage to the skin can spread to the internal organs and impair their function. SJS forms a spectrum with a related disorder called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, or TEN. The mortality rate for the most severe cases of TEN is as high as 40 percent.

Even survivors of SJS and TEN may face lifelong complications. SJS leaves potentially disfiguring scars all over the body. Additionally, survivors can face permanent blindness and organ damage from the reaction.

A Stevens Johnson Syndrome class action lawsuit investigation has been launched to explore the possibility of legal action over the risk of SJS and TEN associated with Phenytoin. Similar SJS lawsuits over other drugs have alleged that drug manufacturers were aware of the risks associated with their drugs, but failed to protect the general public from these risks, endangering lives for a profit. Lawsuits over allegedly-dangerous medicines typically seek both compensatory and punitive damages. This means that the awards for such lawsuits are based on the direct and indirect costs of the lawsuit, as well as awards designed to punish the defendants and discourage such conduct in the future. The class action lawsuit investigation is currently looking for patients who took Phenytoin (or other drugs) and developed SJS.