News Tagged ‘drug reactions

Beasley Allen attorney warns public of serious adverse drug reactions

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 , a rare but life-threatening reaction to many frequently used medications.

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Newspaper managing editor calls sister with SJS a hero

Mark Cripps’ sister Lisa has fought for much in her life. She is now in for what may be the fight of her life.

As a young child, Lisa contracted pneumonia and spent a month in the hospital. She grew up with an abusive stepmother and struggled through a difficult marriage. Despite the obstacles, she managed to raise two children and find a career in real estate. But last week, the young woman with an infectious personality, hit another road block. She was diagnosed with Stevens Johnson Syndrome (), an adverse reaction to antibiotics prescribed to her following minor surgery.

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SJS support site offers valuable resources to those affected

If you or a family member has suffered from the rare but life-threatening adverse reaction to medication known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome (), or its most severe form, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), you already may be aware of the value information available at the Foundation site (www.sjssupport.org). Unless you study the site, you may not be away of all the resources available.

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Bear and blanket program gives comfort to kids with SJS

Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and its most serious form Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are serious, life threatening conditions caused by common medication. They are defined as hypersensitivity disorders that affect the skin and mucous membranes, causing the top layer of skin to peel off in sheets and painful blisters to form on the eyes and mouth. It affects people of all ages and genders. Infants and children are not exempt. The drugs most commonly associated with and TEN in children are ibuprofen-based medications such as Children’s Motrin. Other drugs that can cause and TEN include anti-seizure medications and antibiotics.

The Foundation was founded as a community for adults and children affected by the condition. It is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public awareness to adverse drug reactions. Tax-deductible donations help power the organizations Web site and enable its members to raise awareness of the condition and provide much needed support to others suffering from and TEN.

One of the organization’s outreach projects aims to provide comfort to the tiniest sufferers of and TEN. For a tax-deductible donation of $30, the organization provides a plush bear and blanket to a child with and TEN.

For more information about this important cause visit the SJS Foundation’s Donation Center. To participate in the bear & blanket program, send your $30 check payable to the Foundation, P.O. Box 350333
 Westminster, CO 80035-0333,
 USA. Please include Kids Comfort” in the memo section. Other donation opportunities also are detailed on the Web site.

Most emergency visits from drug reactions caused by antibiotics

Adverse reactions to antibiotics send more than 140,000 Americans to the emergency room every year, according to a study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and reported this month by Natural News.

Researchers centered their focus on antibiotics that were either ingested or injected rather than those that are applied to the skin. Data was pulled from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project. The data showed that 19 percent of all emergency visits for adverse reactions to drugs were due to antibiotics.

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Young SJS victim creates Web site for children with SJS

About 300 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) each year. It is a serious and life-threatening disorder often caused by an allergic reaction to prescription and over-the-counter medications, and it can affect people of all ages, including children. Those afflicted by the disease experience severe and often painful inflammation of the mucus membranes and, if left untreated, it can result in blindness, serious health problems, and death.

Julie McCawley became a victim of when she was just 11 months old. Her mother, Jean McCawley, established the Foundation in 1995 to provide the public and medical communities with information about the adverse allergic drug reactions and to serve as a support outlet for victims of and their families. Today, Julie is 14 years old and as a result of has lost vision in one of her eyes.

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Drug reactions bring awareness to Stevens Johnson Syndrome

New reports from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and cancer patients have put Revlimid, an oral medicine given to patients with multiple myeloma, on a list of medications that could possibly cause Stevens Johnson Syndrome when used by itself or mixed with other drugs. is a serious, potentially life-threatening skin disease that can start with flu-like symptoms and eventually cause a rash that spreads and blisters.

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FDA finds link between Revlimid and skin diseases

The FDA’s post-market safety review has uncovered a link between lenalidomide (marketed as the drug Revlimid) and serious skin reactions, including Stevens Johnson Syndrome () and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

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Drug industry seeks tests to spot side effect risks

Seven major pharmaceutical companies are banding together to develop genetic tests that predict which patients will have adverse side effects from drugs. The group, a nonprofit organization dubbed the International Serious Adverse Events Consortium (SAEC), will conduct two studies, one to look at drug-related liver toxicity and the other aimed at a rare drug-related skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

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