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Woman's Skin Melts Off From Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

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Snellville, GAA Georgia woman claims that her skin melted off when she contracted Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) after being given an incorrect dosage of an antidepressant by a pharmacist.

Khaliah Shaw, 26, told Atlanta TV News station 11-Alive that "everything was okay" for the first two weeks after she began taking the antidepressant lamotrigine. Then blisters broke out all over her body, accompanied by excruciating pain.

"I felt like I was on fire," Shaw told 11-Alive, which reported that Shaw's fingernails fell off, her sweat glands "melted" and she was placed in a medically induced coma while her skin slowly peeled off for five weeks.

Doctors diagnosed Shaw with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a serious and rare skin disorder that requires hospitalization, often in a burn unit.

“It essentially causes your body to burn from the inside out and you pretty much just melt,” Shaw told 11-Alive. Shaw's previously flawless skin is now "burned and scarred," she is gradually losing her vision, her fingernails will never grow back and her sweat glands are gone, 11-Alive reported.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is typically caused by a severe allergic reaction to a medication, usually beginning with blistering, severe peeling and open sores. Other SJS symptoms include infections, loss of skin and scarring of major organ systems.

SJS, which begins with flu-like symptoms, attacks the skin and mucous membranes and is potentially life-threatening, has also been linked with over-the-counter medications such as Advil, Children's Motrin and Ibuprofen.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has previously linked acetaminophen to SJS, in 2013 issued a Drug Safety Communication (DSC) informing the public that use of acetaminophen has been associated with a risk of rare but serious skin conditions.

In Jan. 2017, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the FDA and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) recommended that users of over-the-counter acetaminophen-containing drugs should be warned in labeling that acetaminophen "may cause severe skin reactions" such as skin reddening, blisters and rash.
Although Shaw's reaction allegedly didn't stem from an over-the-counter drug, her life is forever changed by SJS and the chance of relapse.

“They’re telling me this could happen again, and they’re telling me if it did happen again, that it would be worse,” Shaw told 11-Alive.

Shaw, whose medical bills have already exceeded $3.4 billion, has filed a lawsuit over the alleged pharmaceutical error, according to 11-Alive, which did not name a defendant in the suit.

READ ABOUT STEVENS JOHNSON SYNDROME (SJS) LAWSUITS

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READER COMMENTS

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I'M SO SORRY WHAT HAPPEN 2 YOU, SJS IS A HORRIBLE CONDITION FOR ANYONE 2 HAVE 2 SUFFER THROUGH. I'M A SJS SURVIVOR, IT HAPPEN 2 ME IN 2007, I WAS BITTEN BY A SPIDER AND MY BODY BROKE OUT IN HIVES, VOMITING AND HIGH FEVER. A DOCTOR LOOKED AT ME AND MISDIAGNOSED ME WITH SHINGLES AND I WAS GIVEN THE MEDS FOR THAT. ACYCLOVIR, TO TAKE 5 TIMES A DAY, 800MG. ENOUGH 2 KILL AN ELEPHANT!!! IT JUST ABOUT KILLED ME AND DESTROYED MY WORLD. YOU WOULD THINK THESE DOCTORS KNOW, WHAT THEIR GIVING OUT. MY SKIN WAS BURNED AND BLISTERED, FACE AND EYES SWOLLEN, THROAT CLOSED, 2 THE POINT WHERE I COULDN'T SWOLLEN FOOD FOR 3YRS. I HAD 2 HAVE A G-TUBE PUT IN MY STOMACH, HAIR FELL OUT, BODY WENT FROM 136LBS TO 89LBS. I HATE TALKING ABOUT IT, I RELIVE IT OVER AND OVER IN MY HEAD. ITS BEEN 9YRS NOW AND I'M OK, I RELAPSE NOW AND THEN, NOTHING NEAR THE 1ST TIME. BLISTERING AND RASH, I USE MY BURN CREAM AND THAT HELPS. SEVERE ITCHING THOUGH AND SOMETIME A SWOLLEN AND IRRITATED EYE. LAYING UP ALL THIS TIME, MY BODY HAS ATROPHIED AND I'M BEDRIDDEN. I USE A WHEELCHAIR WHEN I CAN GET OUT, YOU LOSE ALOT, FRIENDS AREN'T HERE LIKE BEFORE. ITS OK NOW, I JUST TRY AND KEEP IT MOVING AND SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT SJS. SEE MY DOCUMENTARY ON YOU TUBE, JEAN POWE STEVEN JOHNSON SYNDROME SURVIVOR! TAKE CARE AND KEEP FIGHTING.

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I contracted steven johnson in April 2012, stayed in hospital,for 6 weeks, burn over 80% of my body, finger nails came off, and had(still have eye problems) Is there anything I can do about this condition now?

Posted by

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My son got steven Johnsons/toxic epidermal necrolysis after taking a generic brand of nighttime daytime medicine he was in the hospital for two weeks with loss of skin on over 90% of his body he was 17 years old when this happendplease help

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