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

Cecilia Garcia told the Dallas Morning News she wanted to die because the pain of her skin peeling off in sheets was just too unbearable. But instead, doctors fought to keep her alive by putting her into a drug-induced coma. For three weeks they watched and waited as Garcia’s body made a slow recovery. Garcia was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, a rare skin sensitivity disorder. What caused it, doctors say, was a simple medication to treat the common cold.

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The commercials for the erectile dysfunction (ED) drug Cialis (tadalafil) say an everyday moment can turn romantic at a moment’s notice. But there’s nothing sexy about the new warning on the drug’s label. According to the February 2010 issue of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Drug Safety Labeling report, the drug carries a risk of hypersensitivity reactions, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

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Tibotec Therapeutics, makers of prescription medication Intelence (etravirine) used to control HIV infection in adults, recently notified health care professionals that the medication has been linked to a rare but life-threatening skin condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome, SJS.

Early this year, Intelence was approved by the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of HIV. At that time, data indicated a slight risk of SJS.

SJS, and its most severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis, TEN, are identified by a rash on the skin that blisters over causing the skin to peel off in sheets. The condition is extremely painful and often requires hospitalization to treat the open wounds on the skin, mouth, eyes and other mucous membranes. Complications include infection, dehydration, vision problems, organ dysfunction and death.

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When he was not quite 2 years old, James Lumasag was diagnosed with a rare but life threatening skin condition after receiving a round of antibiotics to treat a cough and fever. The toddler fought for his life in the intensive care unit of a hospital, where he received 22 bags of plasma as his skin peeled away from his body. “His whole body, except his head, looked totally burnt,” his mother Merlyn said. “James suffered too much.”

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“This is not right and could have been prevented,” writes someone who commented on Cloanne Andrus Pesquera’s obituary in The Spectrum. Cloanne, 41, died May 30, 2009, after battling a rare but life-threatening condition called Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS. The woman who commented on the story said she had lost her mother to SJS/TEN in 2006. She believes Cloanne’s death, like her mother’s, could have been prevented.

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The family of a 19-year-old girl who died last March from complications of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) is releasing recordings of songs she performed to help raise money for the critical care unit at Nottingham City Hospital in England, according to This is Derbyshire.

Amy Lightfoot, was diagnosed with SJS in January and spent several weeks in the critical are unit at Nottingham City Hospital until her death last March. SJS is a rare but life-threatening condition in which a rash forms on top layer of skin, blisters over and peels away. Blisters can also form on the eyes, throat, mouth and internal organs. SJS is a severe adverse reaction to medication, such as ibuprofen, antibiotics and anti-seizure medication.

The recordings will be sold along with a CD by the band No Eyed Deer, of which Amy and her boyfriend Lee Brown were members. Amy’s parents say selling the music to raise money for the hospital is a perfect way to give back to the hospital that cared for her.

“The staff who treated Amy at the hospital were just fantastic, but being there for so long makes you realize the cost of the equipment they are using – a ventilator alone costs about 30,000 pounds,” Amy’s mother Carol said.

Carol said she was previously unaware of her daughter’s recordings, which are titled Satellite and Waiting. “They were done while she was studying at the Joseph Wright Centre and we thought releasing them would be a nice way of remembering Amy, while raising money at the same time,” she said.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in partnership with OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Genentech have issued a warning letter to healthcare professionals informing them of new safety information added to the WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS section of the cancer treatment drug Tarceva.

The new information, gathered from a clinical study and postmarketing reports, revealed sometimes fatal incidences of gastrointestinal perforation, bullous, blistering and exfoliative skin conditions including cases suggestive of Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and/or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and ocular disorders including corneal perforation or ulceration.

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Consumers are urged to take a close look at the labels of both over-the-counter and prescription medications and be aware of the potential side effects, according to Frank Woodson, shareholder with Beasley Allen Law Firm. Woodson was quoted in a recent issue of Lawsuit.com, warning consumers about Stevens Johnson Syndrome, or SJS, a rare but life-threatening reaction to many frequently used medications.

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Good news for Canadian resident Lisa, the little sister of Dundas Star News managing editor Mark Cripps. The woman was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) two-plus weeks ago after taking antibiotics that had been prescribed to her following minor surgery. She suffered a rare but life-threatening severe adverse reaction to the antibiotics, SJS, which resulted in rashes all over her body that blistered over and caused her skin to peel off in sheets. After a two-week stay in the hospital, where she was treated as if she had suffered serious burns, the woman was able to go home.

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Here’s an update to a story we brought you Monday about the sister of a newspaper managing editor who was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS). Mark Cripps says in an update column in Ancaster News that his sister Lisa is gradually recovering.

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