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“For me, just being here alive is a story to tell,” Karyl Bell told WNYT-TV. In October 2009, the then-17-year-old unexpectedly developed a rash on her face. Her tongue swelled and she had trouble swallowing and breathing. Her condition quickly worsened. Red, painful blisters broke out on her body. Lesions in her eyes caused her eyes to swell shut. All doctors could tell her worried mother was to sit by as the reaction ran its course and, “hope for the best.”

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Kisandra said she felt like a lab rat the day a team of doctors studied the blisters that had sprung up all over her body and pored through thick medical books trying to find what had made her sick. She had just been given Biaxin, an antibiotic, to treat a stomach ulcer. Shortly after starting the medication she developed a fever and blisters on her face, arms, torso and hands.

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The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has issued a warning about the childhood MMRV vaccine for measles-mumps-rubella-chickenpox, saying it may cause the painful and life-threatening allergic reaction known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) as well as other serious reactions.

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Famotidine, the heartburn drug most known by the brand name Pepcid, is yet another drug that has been linked to a deadly skin reaction known as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), the most serious version of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Famotidine is available by both prescription and over-the-counter in either a tablet or suspension (liquid) that is taken by mouth. It is in a class of medications called H2 blockers and works by decreasing the amount of acid made in the stomach. Famotidine is used to treat ulcers, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and conditions where the stomach produces too much acid.

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The passing of former NBA star Manute Bol from an allergic reaction to medication has promoted many people to ask, What is Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and who is at risk? The answers, unfortunately, are not always clear. SJS is a serious skin and mucous membrane condition that has been associated with thousands of medications, both over-the-counter and prescriptions. The most common ones linked to SJS include some of the most widely used medications – ibuprofen and antibiotics. Others on the list are anti-viral and anti-seizure drugs.

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Tippecanoe County, Ind., inmate Charity-Lekiea Brown says she felt ill almost immediately after being given medication to treat her seizure disorder. “I was having hot flashes, I was getting up every 10-15 minutes to go (to the bathroom). I was getting very dehydrated and my migraines were coming back,” she told Fox 59 News. And then she developed a rash all over her body. The rash turned to blisters that spread over her skin, into her mouth and genitals, and made her eyes swell shut. She was rushed to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a severe allergic reaction to medication that affects the skin and mucous membranes.

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Jordan Lewis was just six years old when the medication he took for an ear infection nearly cost him his life. Jordan, now a recent high school graduate, had developed an allergic reaction to the medication, called Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. The little boy broke out in a rash that turned to blisters. The painful sores covered his skin, mouth and eyes. “I remember my mom crying a lot, actually,” Jordan told CBS 2. “There was a lot of that going on.”

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More than 2,000 drugs, including penicillin, antibiotics, some epilepsy drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs including popular OTC brands Advil, Aleve and Motrin, have been linked to a rare but life threatening allergic reaction to medicine known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). When people first present symptoms of the condition, they are most often misdiagnosed until the patient’s health worsens. Though rare, some cases can be fatal. Which is why it is important to understand SJS and recognize its symptoms so that medical attention can be sought early.

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Retired NBA player Manute Bol is in the hospital with kidney failure and Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS), a life-threatening skin condition. The former Washington Bullets center was hospitalized in Northern Virginia after spending several months in his hometown of Sudan. Bol was building a school there through the group Sudan Sunrise. According to Bol’s facebook page, the former NBA player developed SJS after taking medication.

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It’s been almost a year since we last checked in on Rachel Corley-Gutierrez, better known by her YouTube moniker, SpunkyRachel. The young woman was diagnosed with the rare but life threatening allergic reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) just two weeks after taking ibuprofen for a headache. Her YouTube video diaries track her long and painful road to recovery. Her latest update is encouraging.

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