Dilantin Lawsuit Filed by Stevens Johnson Syndrome Victim

According to the Dilantin side effect victim’s father, “Jerra had a grand mal seizure when she was a baby and was in and out of hospital for six years. She needed a blood count every three months to make sure there was no liver damage. Jerra doesn’t remember anything about it, but I do. She suffered terribly from those blisters and her doctor said it was a Dilantin side effect. Jerra is 33 now so these symptoms—perhaps the beginning of Stevens Johnson Syndrome — have been known about for a long time.”

He went on to say, “Jerra still had seizures, but the doctors were trying to find the right level of Dilantin to give her. One neurologist, out of the clear blue sky, said that Dilantin was the wrong medication to give her. It was designed for petit mal, not grand mal seizures.”

As mentioned above, this one doctor’s decision could have saved Jerra’s life because it is believed that the blisters that Jerra had in her mouth were the early signs of Stevens Johnson Syndrome and the continued use of Dilantin could have brought on additional SJS symptoms that are potentially deadly.

Many Dilantin Side Effect Lawsuits Have Been Filed Against Pfizer

A new Dilantin Stevens Johnson Syndrome lawsuit notes anecdotes such as Jerra’s story as evidence that severe side effects of Dilantin have been known for a long time.

In March 2004, a nine-year old child was brought to the hospital after suffering two seizures. After surgery was performed to treat the diagnosis of a brain tumor and hydrocephalus, the child continued to suffer seizures and Dilantin was prescribed, along with Flagyl and Children’s Motrin. In May 2004, the child developed a rash and a fever and was then diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome. The SJS evolved into Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Shortly after, on June 2nd, 2004, the child died as a result of TEN.

In May of 2006, the parents filed a wrongful death Dilantin lawsuit against Pfizer for the death of their daughter. The initial Dilantin lawsuit only mentioned Flagyl and Children’s Motrin. After a change of counsel, the plaintiffs added Dilantin, also manufactured by Pfizer, to the Dilantin lawsuit in September of 2008. The motion to add Dilantin to the lawsuit was initially denied and then appealed.

The Dilantin SJS lawsuit progressed when the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court, First Department, made the decision to address the claim on December 29th, 2009. Interestingly, in September of 2008, discovery was still being conducted and a number of Dilantin lawsuits had already been filed against Pfizer. They actually had so many Dilantin lawsuits filed against them they had established a “Dilantin settlement program.” Because of the number of Dilantin SJS lawsuits, this Dilantin lawsuit claims, “The Pfizer defendants are already aware of the potential issues concerning this drug and can easily compile the necessary documents to respond to plaintiffs’ Dilantin-based discovery requests.”