A woman who took the antidepressant Lamictal reportedly developed the potentially deadly skin reaction Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

The Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences published a case study of a 56-year-old woman who was prescribed Lamictal to control symptoms of depression and anxiety. After a serious episode, other antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs had not worked, so doctors added Lamictal to try and alleviate her symptoms.

After a few weeks of treatment with Lamictal, she showed improvement and was discharged. But 16 days after her discharge, the patient began suffering SJS symptoms.

The patient’s SJS symptoms included a painful burning rash on her skin and inside her mouth, with bursting blisters. The layers of her skin began to detach from each other and she required hospitalization. It took two weeks for her to fully recover.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system misfires and attacks the patient’s own body with the same defense mechanisms it usually uses against invading infections.

In the case of SJS, the body attacks its own skin, causing blisters, sores, and ulcers all over the body. Some cases spread to the inside of the lungs and even the surfaces of internal organs. The most severe cases of SJS can escalate to a related disorder called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) is an extreme form of SJS, in which patches of skin begin to die and slough off, leaving burn-like wounds. The wounds from TEN so closely resemble thermal burns that hospitals treat TEN patients in their burn wards.

Though all cases of SJS are potentially life-threatening, the most severe cases of TEN have a higher mortality rate than some strains of the Ebola virus.

Doctors do not fully understand what causes SJS and TEN, but it is known that in many cases, drugs may cause them. Lamictal is among the drugs known to trigger SJS.

It is very difficult to determine who will develop SJS from what drug. In drugs like Lamictal, which may help control seizures, or in this case, provide a patient depression relief for the first time in two decades, doctors and patients may decide the risk is worth the benefits — unless that patient begins to show SJS symptoms.

SJS symptoms are rare enough that many physicians might not realize what’s happening. The earliest SJS symptoms mimic other conditions, like skin infections and mundane allergies.

This can complicate SJS treatment. On top of that, there are few treatments for SJS available, beyond ceasing the drug.

However, a patient should never stop taking Lamictal without talking to a doctor, since suddenly going off seizure drugs or antidepressants can have serious consequences.

SJS lawsuits have been filed by patients who develop SJS after taking various drugs. These SJS lawsuits typically allege that drugmakers haven’t done enough to protect the public from the risk of SJS associated with various drugs. SJS lawsuits may seek to recoup the cost of medical care for SJS symptoms, lost wages during lengthy recovery, and compensation for lifelong complications.