While fluoroquinolone drugs like Cipro have become extremely popular antibiotics in recent years, some patients have reported experiencing a serious allergic reaction to Cipro.

Fluoroquinolones are used by millions of Americans each year for the treatment of a wide range of bacterial infections.

Unfortunately, a growing number of adverse event reports are linking Cipro with serious and even life-threatening side effects. These patients claim that these complications make Cipro and other fluoroquinolones simply too dangerous to take when there are other, safer options available.

Most side effects of antibiotics like Cipro are minor, causing no lasting harm and will go away without treatment. However, for some people, Cipro side effects can include a life-threatening allergic reaction to Cipro known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome

While most patients who experience some kind of Cipro side effects, usually a mild rash, will experience no lasting consequences, an allergic reaction to Cipro can develop into something much more serious that requires immediate treatment.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a serious rash that progresses to a point where it essentially acts as a severe burn. Indeed, in many cases, Stevens Johnson Syndrome rashes have to be treated in a hospital’s burn unit due to the similarities.

When a person has Stevens Johnson Syndrome, the top layer of affected skin develops blisters and peeling rashes. If the rashes are treatable, they can still lead to a range of serious complications. These problems include pain, eye problems, secondary skin infection, and internal organ damage.

Additionally, Stevens Johnson Syndrome patients are usually left with severe permanent scarring where their SJS rashes used to be.

Unfortunately, some SJS patients end up dying from these serious complications. This risk is heightened for those whose SJS rashes progress to a condition known as TEN, or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

TEN is a more advanced, severe, and fatal form of SJS. The distinction is in the severity of the condition. SJS patients have rashes covering less than 30 percent of their skin. When a rash extends to cover 30 percent or more of a patient’s body, it becomes known as TEN.

Along with a more severe rash, TEN patients are also at an increased risk of fatality.

A study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology looked at Cipro users and those who used alternative medicines over the course of a dozen years. The study indicated that there was an increased risk of SJS for those who used Cipro.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a drug safety warning, recommending that patients avoid fluoroquinolones like Cipro when there are safer alternatives available for treatment.

Cipro Side Effects Lawsuits

A growing number of injured patients are filing lawsuits after experiencing a severe allergic reaction to Cipro. These lawsuits allege that Cipro, as well as other fluoroquinolone drugs, can cause serious injuries, including SJS, and that drug manufacturers failed to adequately warn about these risks.

Though filing a Cipro lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering from someone who has experience an allergic reaction to Cipro, or bring a loved one back to life, it can help to at least compensate for financial expenses that may have been incurred through medical bills and lost wages.

If you or someone you love has suffered from SJS or another allergic reaction to Cipro, you may be able to file a lawsuit.