Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

Last month when Kim Oake was bitten by a feral cat while working as an animal control officer in Canada, she was given Clavulin, a common antibiotic to ward off infection. The antibiotic nearly killed her. Her family wants to know why people aren’t told about the serious, life-threatening reaction that could occur by taking common drugs, according to CBC News.

Kim experienced a rare reaction to the antibiotic that started with a headache and progressed quickly to toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), a severe form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a reaction to medication where the skin blisters and peels off. Ninety percent of the time the reaction is caused by drugs such as ibuprofen, antibiotics and anti-seizure medications.

Kim lost 70 percent of her skin and was put into a drug-induced coma. She was given a 30 percent chance of survival by one doctor. She managed to beat the odds, and was released from the hospital this week.

“Why aren’t people told that they could die if you have a reaction to this drug?” Kim’s father, Art Oake, posed to CBC News.

Nearly one in a million Canadians are treated for SJS/TEN each year. One in six die, according to the story. Toronto dermatologist Dr. Neil Shear urges patients who take antibiotics or drugs used to treat epilepsy to look for signs of adverse reactions, such as fever, tender skin and blistering or sores in the mouth. Patients who experience any reaction should stop taking the drug immediately and call their doctors, he said.

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