Stevens Johnson Syndrome be devastating skin reaction from various drugs that has been linked to the epileptic drug Lamictal.

In one example, the Epilepsy Foundation, an advocacy group for epileptics, published an article detailing the risks of Stevens Johnson Syndrome for those taking Lamictal.

The group outlines the early symptoms of Stevens Johnson Syndrome ,or SJS. First, patients develop flu-like symptoms, which escalate into a painful red or purple rash. The SJS rash escalates further, with the spread of blisters.

The Mayo Clinic says that the flu-like early SJS symptoms also includes fever, burning eyes, fatigue, and other symptoms for up to a week before the characteristic SJS rash develops. The SJS rash can begin to appear hours to days after the initial SJS symptoms.

SJS symptoms are the result of a misfire in the immune system. In SJS, the immune system attacks the largest organ in the body — the skin. The characteristic SJS rash starts with red and purple markings, escalating to blisters, then sores and ulcers. The damage can spread to the eyes, causing blindness. In some cases, SJS can also damage the lungs and other internal organs.

Both the Epilepsy Foundation and article touch on the difficulty associated with addressing SJS symptoms, because the cause of SJS can be a bit of a moving target. Nearly all cases of Stevens Johnson Syndrome are caused by reactions to drugs, including Lamictal.

SJS can also be triggered by infection and other diseases, but this is less common. But when a drug like Lamictal is the suspected SJS trigger, the situation gets even more complicated.

One of the few treatments for SJS is to take away the drug suspected of causing it. When the drug is an anticonvulsant like Lamictal, this can cause problems of its own.

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, if someone stops taking a seizure drug, they can suffer “rebound seizures” — a sudden burst of seizure activity. This can be very difficult to control, as doctors will need to avoid any drugs related to the drug that caused the initial SJS symptoms.

The prognosis of SJS varies wildly depending how early doctors realize what they’re dealing with and a person’s own physiology. Treatments for SJS are limited, for the most part include “supportive therapy.”

This term means keeping the patient comfortable and treating SJS symptoms as they come as SJS runs its course. SJS symptoms may cease, and healing may begin in as little as several weeks, but in most cases, it takes months to heal. Some patients suffer lifelong SJS complications like scarring and blindness.

SJS lawsuits have been filed against both drugmakers who make drugs that may cause SJS. SJS lawsuits typically allege that drugmakers have not done enough to protect the general public from the risk of developing SJS from drugs like Lamictal. Other SJS lawsuits have been filed against hospitals who fail to recognize SJS in its early stages, potentially worsening the outcome of SJS symptoms.

Since SJS symptoms may mimic other diseases and SJS is somewhat rare, many medical professionals do not realize what is happening until SJS symptoms escalate beyond the initial stages.