Zithromax is one of the country’s most popular antibiotics, treating millions of adult and pediatric patients.

However a number of these patients have reportedly experienced serious antibiotic reactions, including an extreme allergic reaction called Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Zithromax side effects have long been a concern for parents who opt for the convenient and powerful medication.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome, one possible side effect, is known for leaving permanent skin scarring and being one of the deadliest antibiotic reactions a patent can suffer from Zithromax.

SJS is often characterized by the red or purple skin lesions that cause the infected skin to detach from the body, exposing internal tissue and muscle to possible infection. This is a potentially fatal condition with patients often needing intensive treatment to survive.

While there are other medications that can cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome, it is currently unknown which medications cause them or why SJS only affects certain patients. However, Zithromax is one of the most commonly associated drugs with SJS reactions.

Children are especially vulnerable to the deadly antibiotic reaction, as this condition rapidly progresses and is considered highly aggressive.

Overview of Zithromax SJS in Children

For example, in a recent SJS pediatric case, a toddler named Joel from Leicester, England nearly died from Stevens Johnson Syndrome. According to the March 16, 2016 issue of Mail One, the child was left fighting for his life on a ventilator for nine weeks with doctors unsure if he would survive.

According to the boy’s mother, he was “unrecognizable” at one point and needed to undergo surgery to remove the dead skin from his body.

In other examples, the families of several children who allegedly suffered Zithromax SJS have shared their stories on sjskidsupport.org. Photographs of the damage done by Stevens Johnson Syndrome as well as the children’s stories were shared on the website.

One of these accounts comes from a young boy named Matthew who was prescribed Zithromax to treat his ear infection and fever. Soon after, he developed Stevens Johnson Syndrome and had to be hospitalized to save his life.

Even though the children in these examples survived their ordeals, many are not so lucky. One girl from sjskidssupport.org named Stephanie lost 97% of skin, all of her hair, her nails, voice, and eyesight.

The skin lesions can also affect the mucus membranes of the body, which includes the eyes and mouth. Because of this, vision damage often accompanies SJS.

Even though Stephanie survived her ordeal, her vision has yet to return. It has been nearly 10 years after her SJS ordeal but she is relieved she survived.

The popularity of Zithromax in children stems from the drug’s short prescription regime which only requires five days rather than ten days of treatment. The shortened schedule makes the drug highly effective and convenient for parents who have difficulties making their children take medicine.

However, due to the severity of Zithromax side effects many doctors are becoming increasingly wary of prescribing the drug.

Even though Zithromax SJS can be potentially fatal, Pfizer Inc. and generic manufacturers allegedly failed to warn patients and doctors against the potential side effects.

Potential claimants should contact a specialized lawyer, to determine if they have a Zithromax SJS lawsuit.