Motrin Linked to Dangerous Side Effect Stevens Johnson Syndrome

The popular pain reliever Motrin and its generic form, ibuprofen, can result in the potentially fatal skin disease known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) as well as its deadliest form known as Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

These dangerous adverse side effects, although rare, have created some very costly legal battles for Motrin maker Johnson & Johnson.

In February this year, seven-year old Samantha Reckis was awarded $63 million by Johnson & Johnson after developing the more severe form of SJS. She was given Children’s Motrin by her parents in November 2003 after showing signs of fever. What began as an innocuous treatment to a common fever turned into a nightmare that doctors were unsure she would survive. While Reckis, who is now 16, survived TEN, the skin disease left her legally blind.

The Massachusetts court said that Johnson & Johnson did not provide an adequate warning that SJS was a potential side effect to Motrin.

Johnson & Johnson disagreed with the verdict and said that Children’s Motrin is “safe and effective” adding that it believes “the medicine is labeled appropriately.”

Another young girl in Tennessee had a similar reaction when she took Children’s Motrin in November 2000, also to treat a high fever. Brianna Maya was three years old at the time and began to develop a skin rash that was so bad that she was transferred to a burn center at Shriners Burn Hospital in Galveston, Texas. The doctors there concluded that it was the Children’s Motrin that caused the reaction.

“I was astounded,” said the girl’s mother, Alicia Maya Donaldson. “They were telling me it was caused by the medication that her doctor told me I should give her to make her feel better and treat a fever. I know there’s a danger with any drug, but when you think of an over-the-counter medication, you always think of them being the safer ones because you don’t need a prescription.”

Brianna, now 13, was left blind in one eye and has had several eye surgeries because of it. SJS also severely damaged her lungs and left vaginal scarring, which her mother says will keep her from ever being “able to have normal sexual relations or bear children.”

In May 2011, Brianna and her family were awarded $10 million by a Philadelphia court.

SJS and TEN are also a side effect of other medications such as the anti-seizure medications Dilantin and Onfi, the popular antibiotic Zithromax, and the antidepressant Lamictal.

SJS usually starts out with flu-like symptoms such as fever, sore throat, and headache.  The skin rash may initially start out as hives, but blisters will begin to develop on the skin and mucous membranes, especially the mouth, nose, and eyes.  It usually culminates in the shedding of the skin– which means that the top layer of the skin has died.  Eating, sleeping, urinating and even breathing can all become difficult. If blisters develop on the eye– it can cause blindness.

SJS is fatal in about 5 percent of patients who contract it.  Lesions can develop on internal organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, or liver, causing inflammation on those organs.  It can also cause sepsis, a condition in which the bacteria from the infection enters the bloodstream. It can take months to recover from and can leave lasting damage.

SJS can take months to recover from and can leave lasting damage. 

If you or someone you know has suffered from Stevens Johnson Syndrome as a result of taking Motrin, legal options are available. Please visit the Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) & Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) Class Action Lawsuit Investigation where you can submit a claim for a free legal consultation. Experienced legal professionals have access to medical experts to assess whether this anti-seizure medication played a role in your allergic reaction, so act now.