A 17-year-old girl details a scary encounter with the heartburn medication Zantac Ranitdine, which she says caused her to develop a severe burn-like rash over her entire body that caused her skin to fall off “in chunks.”

Leanne Howes of Britain took Zantac Ranitidine to treat Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a relatively common but uncomfortable condition that many people suffer from. However, soon after beginning the regimen, she noticed a rash across her body. The rash soon gave way to blisters. It was Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a severe skin allergy that can be brought on by a number of common medications such as the one Howes was prescribed.

When SJS spreads to over 30 percent of the body, it’s reclassified as TEN (also known as skin death). SJS spreads quickly and is often misdiagnosed since, in the early stages, it looks like “just a rash.” There is no cure for SJS or TEN. Victims like Howes can only hope that it’s caught in time and that they can be treated, often in a burn unit, well enough so that the body can heal and grow back skin on its own. She lost the majority of her face, chest, back and arms. Additionally, her eyelashes, eyebrows, nails and hair fell away and she lost over 40 pounds.

According to Howes, “I looked like a monster from a Halloween movie. I’m lucky to be alive.”

Other SJS victims aren’t so lucky. Describing her skin as falling off “in chunks,” doctors said she had a 10 percent chance of survival. What’s called a “one in a million” allergic reaction seems to be less common than people think. In fact, so many people in the United States alone have suffered from Stevens Johnson Syndrome that hundreds of SJS lawsuits have been filed against drug makers for failing to adequately warn consumers about this potential side effect. There are many medications which are linked to SJS and TEN, including over-the-counter medications like Tylenol and Advil, and popular prescriptions like the antibiotic Zithromax (Z-Pak.)

The Norwich young woman spent weeks in the hospital, and doctors could do nothing but treat symptoms as TEN ran its course. In the UK, Zantac can be found as a syrup, pill or injection. It’s an over-the-counter (OTC) medication and there are no warnings of TEN on the label. In September 2013, Howes had only taken the pills for a few days before she began to feel ill. At first, she thought it may be a heat rash, but when the itching and rash spread, and blisters “the size of tennis balls” appeared, she knew there was something seriously wrong.

“I’d not felt very well at work, so I went to the chemist to pick up some tablets. Once I got home, I was fine, but when I woke up the next morning, I was tired and nauseous. And then when I looked in the mirror, I saw that I had a terrible rash,” Howes tells the Daily Mail. Her boyfriend Jake Round drove Howes to her mother’s home and the condition got even worse.

There are some cases of children as young as two dying of SJS overnight. The medications which are linked to SJS and TEN are often prescribed to just about everyone, including vulnerable populations. SJS was first discovered in 1922 by pediatricians. The blisters often gather in wet regions, such as the eyes, which can result in permanent blindness for survivors. Treatment includes stopping the drug, IV fluids containing high calorie formulas, and antibiotics to stop related infections. Pain medication is often a must since going through SJS and TEN can cause extreme pain.

At her mother’s house, blisters clustered in Howes’ mouth, throat and tongue overnight. When she woke up, she could hardly breathe. The blisters then spread to the bottom of her feet, and she had to crawl to the bathroom, crying for help.

Her mother, Amanda Corley found Howes on the bathroom floor. She was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where she was given morphine right away. However, as doctors examined Howes, her skin fell away at the touch of their fingers. A couple of days later, most of her face was gone.

“I thought I was going to die. I couldn’t move, and my face was so swollen that my eyes had fused shut. Everywhere was itching, and my skin was weeping a thick, yellow puss. I had agonizing blisters the size of tennis balls, and was slipping in and out of consciousness. When I came round the next day, my mom told me that doctors had said if I got through the night, it would be a miracle. I was just so happy to be alive.”

The Silver Lining

Howes is really lucky to be alive, since she was already in the toxic epidermal necrolysis stage when she was hospitalized. She was hospitalized for four weeks, constantly on a morphine drip, and without the ability to walk or talk. To get around, she used a wheelchair. She relied on a feeding tube for sustenance, and was covered in petroleum jelly numerous times a day. Her mother and boyfriend took turns staying by her side. Finally, she was discharged in October 2013, but at home she struggled to accept her new appearance. She would never look the same way again.

“I’d always been proud of the way I looked,” she says. “I liked taking care of myself, and I followed all of the latest fashion trends. Losing my hair, eyelashes and nails was devastating, but Jake tells me that I am beautiful all of the time, which really helps. When I look back at the pictures of me in the hospital, I can’t believe it’s me.”

Months later, she still has bumpy, dry skin and has to take eye drops daily because the scarring permanently impacted her tear ducts. However, when considering that 40 percent of people with SJS don’t survive, Howes can’t help but reiterate how lucky she is. Today, she’s scared to take medication at all.

“I’m absolutely terrified to take any more medication now. I’m so scared it will happen again and I might not be as lucky.”

Doctors understand Howes’ trepidation. Clive Grattan, MD, says “At its worst, the condition can be lethal. And the reaction is often completely unexpected.”