People across the U.S. keep Advil in their home, travel bags, and purses just in case it becomes necessary to treat a headache or cramping. It’s a common enough medication that people generally consider Advil to be extremely safe. Many people who might be warier of a more unknown medication use Advil without much thought given to its possible side effects.

Unfortunately, just like any other medication, Advil comes with certain risks. Most of these side effects are the fairly minor ones you might expect from a common medication, like ibuprofen hives, which will probably go away on their own without further treatment.

But ibuprofen hives carry another risk—they may not be the side effect itself, but a symptom of a more serious condition, Stevens Johnson Syndrome. The first sign of Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a rash spreading across the skin, and a patient may easily mistake the early stages of the dangerous skin condition Stevens Johnson Syndrome with the relatively harmless effects of ibuprofen hives.

Background of Ibuprofen Medication

Ibuprofen is a common over-the-counter medication ibuprofen is marketed under several brand names, one of the most well-known of which is Advil.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved ibuprofen medications back in 1974. Ibuprofen and its brand name medications like Advil belong to a group of drugs known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs.

Advil and other ibuprofen drugs are used as a first step for every ache and pain including headaches, joint pain, menstrual cramps, and injury recovery. But some believe that the unknown risks of ibuprofen drugs like Advil may actually be more severe than the benefits of the drug.

Ibuprofen Skin Side Effects

Of course, any medication will come with some minor side effects, and Advil is no different. Common side effects of ibuprofen include minor problems like nausea, mild itching or ibuprofen hives, and dizziness. But users—even those who have used Advil for years—may not be aware that another, much more serious risk of Advil use is the skin condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome

One of the earliest signs of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is the appearance of ibuprofen hives. Many patients taking Advil may assume these are normal hives that will go away on their own soon, but this may not be the case. In some cases, ibuprofen hives can spread as a red or purple rash, and quickly begin to blister. Skin begins to peel, falling off, and so closely resembles symptoms of a severe burn that many Stevens Johnson Syndrome patients are treated in a hospital’s burn wing.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is reclassified as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis once it covers over 30 percent of a patient’s body. There is a substantial difference in severity, though both are dangerous: the mortality rate linked with SJS is 15 percent, while the mortality rate of TEN is closer to 40 percent.

Patients for whom the condition is not fatal may be left with permanent damage even after recovering from SJS or TEN. Many are left with permanent scarring or discoloration, eye complications, blindness, and more.

If you have taken ibuprofen like Advil and notice ibuprofen hives, keep a close eye on this symptom to ensure it doesn’t turn into something much more serious.

Filing a Stevens Johnson Syndrome Lawsuit

If you or someone you love has suffered from Stevens Johnson Syndrome after taking Advil, you may be able to file an Advil skin side effects lawsuit. While filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of a condition like Stevens Johnson Syndrome, it can help to alleviate the financial burden caused by medical costs and lost wages.