The widely-prescribed medication known as Tegretol has been linked with a dangerous and potentially fatal Tegretol SJS reaction.

Tegretol, also known by its generic name, carbamazepine, is a drug from Novartis Pharmaceuticals prescribed to treat a variety of seizure disorders and bipolar disorders.

Tegretol was introduced to the market in 1968, after a struggle with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval.

Initially, the FDA noted that Tegretol “would appear to be an agent that possesses significant toxicity.”

Indeed, Novartis attempted to have Tegretol approved multiple times, and was finally granted approval only for the treatment of pain from trigeminal neuralgia.

The federal agency did not grant other approval at the time, finding that the drug had very little margin of safety based on animal studies.

Five years after this restricted approval was granted, Novartis began attempting to have Tegretol approved to treat epilepsy. In this attempt to gain approval, Novartis emphasized how safe and non-carcinogenic the drug was.

Eventually, though the FDA was cautious of the drug’s true safety, the agency granted approval for the drug to be used only when patients did not respond to other drugs, as a last resort.

This is dangerous not only because of the deception surrounding this kind of marketing, but also because Tegretol may also be linked with an extremely dangerous Tegretol SJS reaction that many patients may not know about.

Tegretol Side Effects

Most prescription medications come with a range of side effects, from mild to severe, and Tegretol is no exception.

Minor Tegretol side effects include constipation or diarrhea, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, headache, indigestion, itching skin or mild rash, nausea and vomiting.

But Tegretol is not only associated with minor problems—it is in fact also linked with the potentially fatal Tegretol SJS reaction, also known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

In fact, though there are other possible causes of the condition, Tegretol is reportedly one of the most common causes of Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

What is Stevens Johnson Sydrome?

Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, is a very rare and serious skin reaction that essentially resembles a severe burn. Because of the similarities with burns, SJS reactions are often treated in a hospital’s burn unit.

When a person suffers from a Tegretol SJS reaction, the top layer of the skin begins to blister and peel.

Unfortunately, some patients who suffer from a Tegretol SJS reaction end up dying from the condition.

Patients for whom the condition is treatable may still be left with serious complications. Some patients develop severe eye or other kinds of eye problems, secondary skin infections or internal organ damage.

If you or someone you love has taken Tegretol and has since been diagnosed with a Tegretol SJS reaction, you may be able to pursue litigation.