A 24-year-old student suffered a dangerous case of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) after taking the drug Lamictal (also known as generic lamotrigine). The anti-seizure medication allegedly caused the patient to lose 90% of her skin and nearly cost the young woman her eyesight as well.

Khaliah S., a student at Georgia College and State University, began using Lamictal in 2013 to treat her bipolar disorder, since the common anti-epileptic medication was also approved as an anti-psychotic.  After one month of beginning her Lamictal prescription, Khaliah began to develop a rash on her face and experienced peeling on her lips, both common Lamictal SJS symptoms.

Two days after being diagnosed with the flu, the skin on her face, neck, back, and chest began to fall off. Khaliah was immediately taken to the emergency room for diagnosis and treatment.

No one at the ER knew that she had contracted a potentially lethal skin condition, as SJS is extremely rare. As her condition grew worse, she was transferred to a medical center in Central Georgia where she was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Due to the severity of the pain, the young woman was put into a medically-induced coma. She continued to suffer from skin loss and was later moved to a burn unit to treat these severe SJS symptoms. Many severe SJS cases are transferred to burn wards due to the similarity of SJS wounds to fire burns.

Five weeks after her coma-inducement, Khaliah woke up. She had lost her hair, her finger nails, and much of her skin. She also could not see, though her vision began to gradually return after her SJS. Khaliah is still unable to fully see and is currently seeing an ophthalmologist to limit any long term SJS  damages. 

Ultimately, she lost 90% percent of her skin due to Lamictal SJS condition. She continues to wear sun glasses to protect her eyes from the light and has stopped taking Lamictal or any other antipsychotic medication.

Khaliah put her graduate studies on hold while she managed the traumatic side effects of Lamictal SJS. She now blogs about her experience and seeks to raise awareness about Steven Johnson Syndrome.

Lamictal SJS/TEN

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an autoimmune disease that is an allergic reaction to a medication. If a patient loses more than 30% of their skin, the diagnosis is often termed Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis or TEN.

TEN patients, such as Khaliah, can lose 90% of their skin or mucous membranes such as the eyes, throat, mouth, pubic area, and other areas. 

SJS patients may be left with permanent scars, organ damage, blindness, or other long-term side effects. SJS and TEN can lead to secondary infections as well as sepsis.

Though SJS and TEN are relatively rare diseases (some physicians may go their entire career without seeing one case), they can be deadly. 5%-15% of all SJS cases are fatal and the fatality rate rises to 40% for TEN patients. Khaliah S. is lucky to have survived.

Many drugs are currently under investigation for causing SJS side effects. Fluoroquinolone drugs and certain antipsychotics like Lamictal are being subjected to SJS class action lawsuit investigations.