A California college student has regained her voice and is recovering at home after suffering from the skin disease Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), brought on by a severe allergic reaction to antibiotics.

Yaasmeen C., a 19-year old Cal State Los Angeles student, contracted SJS in November of last year after taking her friend’s leftover antibiotic pill. Yaasmeen suffered an allergic reaction to the prescription drug, and broke out in massive blisters. The blisters covered her skin and mucous membranes, affecting her mouth and throat. In addition to the scars and injuries common to most patients suffering from this illness, the SJS blisters inside Yaasmeen’s throat left her unable to speak and forced her to undergo a surgery to rebuild her trachea.

According to the Yaasmeen, the SJS rashes and burns she experienced made her feel as if she had been lit on fire. This seems to be a fitting description, as many SJS victims claim to feel as if the skin disease burns them from the inside out. Because of the severity of skin and internal organ damage, the majority of SJS victims are treated in hospital burn wards where they can receive round-the-clock medical care and possibly skin grafts, depending on the severity of the skin rashes and blisters.

Yaasmeen was treated at the UC Irvine Medical Center burn unit. Despite several medical setbacks, she is now recovering in her home and spending time with her 11-month old daughter. Her fragile skin that was ravaged by Stevens Johnson Syndrome requires Yaasmeen to take several different types of medication. Additionally, because of the SJS attacking the mucous membrane in her eyes, she will need a cornea transplant in the future.

Currently, Yaasmeen is looking forward to returning to her undergraduate studies and informing others of the potential dangers of drug-induced SJS.

Background on Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and a related disease known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are serious skin reactions that may occur when a patient has an allergic reaction to a prescription or over the counter medication.

Any medication has the potential to set off a Stevens Johnson Syndrome reaction, although antibiotics are common culprits. Even if a patient has taken a medication in the past and not experienced an SJS reaction previously, there is still a possibility that they will experience an allergic reaction in the future. There are still many unknown factors about what causes SJS, which is why it is critical that drug manufacturers warn consumers about the potential drug side effect.

According to Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuits filed against various manufacturers, the medications most often alleged to cause SJS and TEN include:

• Acetaminophen®
• Aldactone®
• Aldactizide®Advil®
• Allopurinol®
• Altace®
• Ampicillin®
• Arthrotec®
• Azithromycin®
• Azulfadine®
• Cefatoxime®
• Celebrex®
• Cerebyx®
• Cleocin®
• Daypro®
• Diclofenac®
• Diflucan®
• Dilantin®
• Famotidine®
• Feraheme® (ferumoxytol)
• Flector Patch®
• Fentanyl®
• Flagyl®
• Ibuprofen®
• Lamictal®
• Montelukast®
• Misoprostol®
• Motrin®
• Naproxen®
• Norvasc®
• Phenytoin®
• Piroxicam®
• Procardia®
• Protonix®
• Rifampin®
• Tamiflu®
• Tylenol®
• Zithromax®
• Zarontin®
• ZPak®

If you believe you suffered SJS or TEN because of a drug reaction, you may consider filing a Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuit or joining a Stevens Johnson Syndrome class action lawsuit against the drug’s manufacturer.