Patients taking Norvasc may not be aware of relatively new evidence linking Norvasc and Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Norvasc (amlodipine) is a medication used by itself or in combination with other drugs as a treatment for high blood pressure and angina, or chest pain.

Norvasc is one of a group of medications known as calcium channel blockers.

These meds work by relaxing the walls of blood vessels, reducing blood pressure and relieving cardiac chest pain by increasing blood flow to the heart.

Medical science has relatively recently become aware of a possible link between Norvasc and Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

This condition is commonly thought of as a skin reaction, but it can also affect tissue throughout the whole body, putting the patient at risk for infection, organ failure, and possibly death in the most extreme cases.

The characteristic feature of Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a rash that breaks out on the trunk after a few days of initial flu-like symptoms.

Over the course of hours or days, the rash spreads to the face and limbs.

SJS blisters form within the affected areas, and these blisters can grow to form entire sheets of skin that peel away. These areas of missing skin put the patient at risk for both local and systemic infections.

In its more severe manifestation, Stevens Johnson syndrome may be referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis.

The different name applies once the affected area of skin covers at least 30 percent of the body surface area. Stevens Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis are now believed to be two different variants of the same condition.

Lesions similar to those on the skin can also affect the mucous membranes – particularly the conjunctivae, the mucous membranes that line the insides of the eyelids. Other mucous membranes within the digestive, respiratory or genitourinary systems are also vulnerable.

While there are other possible causes of Stevens Johnson syndrome, it most often develops as a reaction to a medication.

Case Study Relates Norvasc and Stevens Johnson Syndrome

There are over 200 different medications that have been implicated as possible contributors to Stevens Johnson Syndrome, and calcium channel blockers like Norvasc are hardly the most frequent culprits.

But cases linking Norvasc and Stevens Johnson Syndrome are not unheard of.

One case study published in 2011 documents what is believed to be the first published instance of Stevens Johnson syndrome associated with Norvasc treatment.

The patient, a 71-year-old woman being treated for hypertension and diabetes, started taking Norvasc – referred to in the study’s report by its generic name amlodipine – after a different blood pressure medication appeared to worsen her kidney function and elevate her levels of potassium.

After 12 days on amlodipine, she sought medical attention for a rash that had developed on her hands. By day 16, she went to the emergency room with hives and blisters over her trunk and arms, covering about 25 percent of her total body surface area.

She was admitted to a regional burn center for treatment, where the rash ultimately progressed to cover as much as 48.5 percent of her body and caused sloughing on her conjunctivae. A Naranjo causality assessment yielded a score of 5 – suggesting a probable causal link between her Norvasc and Stevens Johnson Syndrome.