Vivlodex (meloxicam) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) prescribed to treat arthritis, but it can cause side effects, including Stevens Johnson syndrome.

Approved by the FDA in October 2015, Vivlodex is designed to reduce pain, swelling and joint stiffness associated with arthritis.

Common side effects include nausea, dizziness and diarrhea. Vivlodex may also raise your blood pressure.

More serious side effects can include easy bruising/bleeding, severe headaches, and mood changes. Sudden and unexplained weight gain or swelling of the hands and feet can indicate the medication is affecting your kidney function. Vivlodex also can increase the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, ulcers, and tears in the esophagus, stomach or intestines.

Side effects can also include Stevens Johnson syndrome, or SJS.

Vivlodex and Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Stevens Johnson syndrome (SJS) is a severe, horrific hyper-allergic skin reaction that can make a person feel as if their skin is burning from the inside out.

Nearly always as a reaction to a medication, the reaction starts from the inside of the body. A few days before SJS sets in, a person may develop a fever, sore mouth and throat, fatigue, a cough and burning eyes. These indications mimic the flu, and most patients tend to believe the cause is the flu.

But unlike the flu, new symptoms start to appear a few days later, including facial and tongue swelling, hives, skin pain and a red or purple skin rash that begins to spread within days, or even within hours.

Blisters appear on the skin and often on all the mucous membranes, including the mouth, nose, eyes and genitals.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome can become so severe that it shifts to toxic epidermal necrolysis. In both situations, victims may lose large sheets of skin that come off of the body.

People with a Vivlodex rash that develops into Stevens Johnson syndrome sometimes lose so much skin that their bodies look bloody; their skin is so raw, the blood and lymphatic fluid are exposed. Victims are treated in the burn ward of a hospital.

SJS complications can include skin infections that turn into sepsis, a life-threatening infection in the bloodstream that can cause shock and organ failure.

Eye damage can lead to blindness because of the tissue damage and the scarring from blistering. Even skin that grows back is apt to have unusual bumps and coloring, along with scars. Deep tissue damage can cause baldness and irregular growth of fingernails and toenails.

In some cases, SJS causes inflammation of internal organs that can suffer damage. The lungs, heart, kidneys and liver are all at risk.

Be particularly cautious of taking Vivlodex and watching for SJS symptoms if you have any of these risk factors:

• Viral infections: Herpes, viral pneumonia, HIV or hepatitis make these patients more vulnerable to SJS.
• Weakened immune system: Anyone with autoimmune diseases such as lupus or diabetes, or patients who have had organ transplants, are more susceptible to experiencing SJS when taking Vivlodex.
• History of SJS: If you have experienced an SJS reaction to another medication or if you have a family history of SJS reactions, you are more at risk.
• Genetic predisposition: People with a gene known as HLA-B 1502 have an increased risk of SJS. People of Chinese, Southeast Asian or Indian descent are more apt to have this genetic makeup.

Even though only 300 new cases of Stevens Johnson syndrome are diagnosed each year in the United States, many of those are allegedly linked to an allergic reaction to drugs such as Vivlodex. In many instances, a pharmaceutical products liability lawsuit against the drugs manufacturer, in this case Iroko Pharmaceuticals, LLC, may help the victim recover compensation for their injuries and financial losses.