Gout patients who use Zyloprim to prevent attacks may not be aware of their risk for developing Zyloprim Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Zyloprim, which also goes by the generic name allopurinol, is approved by the FDA as a treatment for gout. It works by reducing the amount of uric acid produced in the body.

The same mechanism of action also makes it a suitable treatment for other conditions related to high levels of uric acid, like kidney stones or the side effects of some cancer medications.

Like all drugs, Zyloprim comes with a risk of causing certain side effects. The most common side effects associated with Zyloprim are drowsiness, diarrhea, and upset stomach.

Other, less common side effects reported include fever, sore throat, irritation of the eyes, swelling of the lips or mouth, or skin rash. These particular symptoms may just come and go on their own and never amount to anything serious.

Watching for Signs of Zyloprim Stevens Johnson Syndrome

Those same symptoms, however, can be some of the earliest symptoms of a potentially deadly condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

By attacking the patient’s mucous membranes and outer layer of skin, this condition exposes the patient to a risk of life-threatening systemic infections and organ failure.

The characteristic symptoms of Stevens Johnson Syndrome affect the skin. The patient typically breaks out in a rash, followed by the formation of blisters that grow and combine to form large areas of skin that come loose and peel away.

In its more extreme manifestations, Zyloprim Stevens Johnson Syndrome may be referred to as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis. Both these conditions are considered different variants of each other.

The main difference is in how much of the body surface area is affected. Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis affects 30 percent or more, while Zyloprim Stevens Johnson Syndrome affects 10 percent or less. Anything in between is considered overlap.

Both conditions also affect the mucous membranes, the soft tissue that lines parts of the digestive and respiratory systems. Symptoms here can make breathing or swallowing food difficult. Lesions in the eyes are common, often causing the patient to develop conjunctivitis.

While Stevens Johnson Syndrome is rare, the drugs that can cause it are not. Research suggests that Zyloprim is one of the drugs more frequently associated with this condition.

According to one study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in 2008, “allopurinol is the drug most commonly associated with [Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis].”

Out of 379 patients studied who had been diagnosed with either Stevens Johnson Syndrome or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, 66 cases were linked to Zyloprim. Higher doses of Zyloprim were associated with higher risks of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

The researchers mentioned there had been an increase in cases of Zyloprim Stevens Johnson Syndrome, which they believed was possibly attributable to increased use and higher doses of Zyloprim.

Because Stevens Johnson Syndrome is so rare, patients who take Zyloprim may not be aware of it as a potential side effect. It is the responsibility of the drug’s manufacturer to provide adequate warnings about side effects to both patients and their doctors.

Failure to provide such warnings can be grounds for a pharmaceutical products liability lawsuit.