Lamictal, which is used to treat epilepsy, has been linked to the painful and deadly skin reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

While Lamictal is not the only drug that can induce SJS, it is one of the most frequently reported. The connection was known early, with preclinical trials suggesting a correlation.

Clinical trials showed that approximately 10% of all Lamcital patients, experience some allergic skin reactions, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

In the January 2009 issue of Pediatrics, researchers looked into the connections between certain medications that caused children to develop either Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). The study analyzed 80 cases of SJS and TEN.

Other inquiries included two international studies showing a strong association between Lamictal and Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

The drug is more likely to cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome in children, but adults remain at risk, too. Stevens Johnson Syndrome and TEN typically begin with flu-like symptoms and will occur within two to eight weeks of starting a drug.

It advances after that with skin lesions and a reaction to the skin similar to burns. Other symptoms include swelling of mucus membranes, skin scarring, blindness, and organ damage.

SJS patients are often treated in the burn unit of hospitals. SJS and TEN are rare, with only 300 cases diagnosed per year in the United States.

In a recent case,  24 year old college student Khaliah S. suffered SJS after being prescribed Lamictal. Within a month of starting Lamictal, a rash developed on her face and the skin on her lips started to peel.

She went to the local emergency room and was diagnosed with the flu. SJS is often misdiagnosed.

Two days she reported suffering terrible pain with skin falling off her body. After being rushed to the hospital, she was soon diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome and was left with open wounds as her skin continued to peel off in the hospital.

She was eventually put into a medically-induced coma so she could cope with the pain. After five weeks, she woke up breathing through a tube, and learned she lost almost all her skin and hair, her finger nails had fallen off, and she suffered severe vision damage.

While Khaliah survived, she remains nearly blind. She continues to update her blog, warning against Stevens Johnson Syndrome.