Adverse response to drugs. - "Like a searing interior burn"
Uncommon yet extremely dangerous, some medications can trigger a reaction in the skin and mucous membranes. These include a variety of anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen and diclofenac, painkillers, such as metamizole, and certain antibiotics. In one out of every ten cases, it's fatal.
The residents of Papanduva, Brazil, might know Jaqueline Gmack's story. In 2011, at the age of 31, Jacqueline shared her experience from her teenage years. At 18, she took ibuprofen for menstrual pains. Shortly after taking it, she felt a burning sensation within her. Within 48 hours, her eyes started to itch and her mouth developed blood blisters. The symptoms escalated, causing her to be hospitalized. The doctors identified her with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and put her into a coma, which lasted 17 days.
Jaqueline reflected on her experience upon waking up, saying, "It felt as though I had been burned from the inside out." She initially couldn't remember anything due to the massive bandages over her body and the haze in her vision, as well as a tube in her throat. The consequences still haunt her, as her vision remains at 40% today, and she continues to undergo procedures to manage the after-effects. The ibuprofen reaction happened out of nowhere, with no previous health problems.
Another unfortunate victim was Charlotte Gilmour, 23, from New Zealand. Her body reacted violently to lamotrigine (used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorders) with excruciating blisters. As she gazed at herself in the mirror, she was overcome with grief. "I believe I unconsciously realized it was something really critical," she shares with 1News. Charlotte recalls the helplessness of the doctors like no tomorrow. "But the scariest thing was the burning sensation from within - it was a progression of the burns on my skin as the inside of me was severely burned and causing the blisters to appear on the skin."
"It was like I had cooked my arm. I could even feel the bone protruding at the top of my mouth due to the dead gums," she remembers. The damage to her digestive tract was so severe that she required artificial feeding. She was terrified of going to sleep, fearing she wouldn't wake up.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome - severe consequences
Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is a rare ailment that can be life-threatening if left untreated. It usually starts with flu-like symptoms, which are then followed by a red or purple rash expanding over the body. There's also the risk of life loss in around one in ten cases. Each year, a million people worldwide are likely to be affected.
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Source: symclub.org
