After surviving and extreme allergic drug reaction she alleges was caused by taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) and Motrin (ibuprofen), a college student is now awaiting the results of a legal settlement reached by her attorneys and the makers of the drugs.

Plaintiff Jasmine B. filed a lawsuit against McNeil Consumer Healthcare, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, when she developed a rare and potentially life-threatening reaction after she took the common over-the-counter drugs.

In May 2011, Jasmine was in the end of her junior year at age 16 when she was rushed to the local hospital and spent weeks in its burn unit.

A few days after she was admitted, her doctors diagnosed her with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a severe allergic reaction that is mostly caused by the ingestion of various pharmaceutical drugs.

Specifically, Jasmine suffered an acetaminophen SJS reaction after taking Tylenol.

Initially, Jasmine did not suspect an acetaminophen SJS reaction, as most individuals are not even aware that this condition exists, much less that it can be caused by common over-the-counter drugs.

“I never, ever thought it would be something like this. I just thought it would be like chickenpox or something,” Jasmine stated in 2011.

Jasmine’s body swelled to three times its normal size and she lost nearly all of her skin layer, hair and nails as the result of her severe acetaminophen SJS reaction. This intense allergic reaction nearly cost Jasmine her life.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome has no cure. Patients must stop the medication that is causing their symptoms and be treated in a hospital to stabilize their condition.

Like in Jasmine’s case, many patients are treated in the hospital’s burn unit, as blistering makes their skin appear to look as if it has been burned.

Pain management, nutrition and hydration, infection prevention and wound care are typically the only interventions that can be undertaken as patients, family and medical personnel wait for the reaction to subside.

Jasmine and her parents state that McNeil Consumer Healthcare never listed Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) as a potential side effect on the warning label of the pain relieving medications nor in their marketing campaigns. The family alleges that the company chose to conceal these dangers from consumers in order to maximize profits.

McNeil Consumer Healthcare has maintained that it has followed warning label guidelines set forth by the FDA by stating the symptoms of an acetaminophen SJS reaction on its labels, which include redness, rash and blisters.

The company also stated that viruses can cause SJS and that Jasmine previously took the medications for many years without developing an acetaminophen SJS reaction.

Jasmine’s attorneys argued that an acetaminophen SJS reaction can happen at any point in time that individuals take Tylenol. It can happen the first time or any time the drug is taken even if a patient has not ever had prior problems with its use.

Nearly any medication can trigger Stevens Johnson Syndrome, but there are certain drugs that are more commonly seen as triggers.

Antibiotics, anti-seizure medications and common over-the-counter painkillers such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen and naproxen (Aleve) are some of the drugs more likely to be associated with this condition.

Jasmine has sued the makers of Tylenol and Motrin for a total of $56 million to cover past and future medical care and damages. She continues to endure surgeries of her eyes, skin and genitalia, with additional surgeries planned in the future.