Dilantin has been marketed in the United States for more than 70 years, despite numerous documented cases indicating serious side effects. However, Dilantin continues to be one of the most popular antiepileptic drugs prescribed to patients in the United States.

This drug is typically prescribed to patients suffering from grand mal seizures, and often prescribed for off-label treatments for headaches, depression, panic attacks and anxiety. With the many uses the drug has, it is no surprise to many that the drug is so popular with patients and doctors. Unfortunately, there have been many reported cases of Dilantin-induced Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Stevens Johnson Syndrome and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis are severe allergic skin reactions that are specifically caused by an adverse medication reaction. These conditions progressively get worse over time and if not treated, can lead to severe skin burning and even death. Additional SJS side effects include: blindness, scarring, and internal organ damage. Overall, Dilantin is one of the most common medications to cause an SJS or TEN reactions, according to statistics gathered from an SJS lawsuit.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is famously characterized by the red or purple skin lesions that appear on the patient’s body. In most cases, SJS covers 10 percent to 30 percent of skin surface area, with TEN covering up as much as 90 percent.  If patients do have an SJS reaction, it will typically start with a week of flu symptoms and within two weeks of starting the medication. Luckily, Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a very rare occurrence, with only 300 documented diagnoses per year in the United States.

Overview of Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome Risk

The Dilantin SJS lawsuit was filed in December 2010 in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Dilantin’s manufacturing company, Pfizer. The SJS lawsuit was filed by plaintiffs Shirley Johnson, Michael Shepherd and the wife of John Taylor, who died from Stevens Johnson Syndrome on Dec. 31, 2009. The statistics gathered were from reported incidents from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), hospitals, and even the defendant company to show how often Dilantin actually provokes an SJS reaction. The statistics showed that Dilantin is the drug most associated with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and the plaintiffs stated that Pfizer had failed to warn them about the condition as being one Dilantin’s side effects.

A report in The St. Clair Record states that the plaintiffs allege that Pfizer warned Health Canada that Dilantin and similar drugs carried an increased risk of adverse skin reactions. Pfizer warned the health agency when they were looking for approval to release Bextra, but even then, did not expressly warn them about the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome specifically.

As of now, scientists are unsure as to what exactly causes this reaction in some patients, but some data suggests that patients of Asian descent who have the HLA-B*1502 allele could face a much higher risk of contracting SJS. Other theories suggest that Dilantin is most likely to lead to SJS in the presence of another medication, or if the patient already has a pre-existing allergy to a different medication.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome causes severe physical and permanent damage, and can even lead to death if not diagnosed properly.

Pfizer and several other drug companies are facing SJS lawsuits for not mentioning the risk of Stevens Johnson Syndrome on their products’ warning labels.