Lamictal Side Effects Cause Teen To Suffer Severe Skin Injury

The side effects the antipsychotic and antiseizure medication Lamictal may have caused a teenager to experience a severe reaction, known as Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), causing her skin to virtually melt off, according to various media reports. 

Ashley Silverman, a freshman at North Hollywood High School in Los Angeles, California, developed Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) from Lamictal after the medication was prescribed by a psychiatrist working at a clinic associated with the Los Angeles Unified School District. As a result of the reaction, she spent two weeks in an intensive care unit (ICU), leading her family to warn others about the potential risks associated with the drug.

Stevens Johnson Syndrome is a reaction that can be caused by several medications, where the skin begins to burn from the inside out, producing blisters, severe rash and the skin may separate from the body. When the skin lesions affect more than 30% of the body, the condition is typically referred to as toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN).

Did You Know?

Change Healthcare Data Breach Impacts Millions of Customers

A massive Change Healthcare data breach exposed the names, social security numbers, medical and personal information of potentially 100 million Americans, which have now been released on the dark web. Lawsuits are being pursued to obtain financial compensation.

Learn More

Treatment for Stevens-Johnson syndrome or toxic epidermal necrolysis typically involves inpatient care at a hospital ICU or burn unit, and the conditions can result in death in more serious cases.

In a 2012, report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) indicated that side effects of Lamictal were linked to 119 cases of severe cutaneous adverse reactions, a category that can include 46 different skin reactions. However, 86 of those reports were specifically linked to SJS or TEN.

Skin reactions from Lamictal have been a concern for years. Even though the medication has only been available since 1994, Lamictal has been linked to more cases of SJS and TEN than any other drug on the market from 1968 through 2009. One study suggests that taking Lamictal increases the risk of SJS and TEN by a factor of 14.

Silverman told Fox 11 in Los Angeles that she was prescribed the drug for abnormal mood swings. However, Lamictal is only approved for the treatment of bipolar disorder, seizures, and epilepsy, meaning she was prescribed the drug off-label. In addition, Lamictal carries a black box warning on the risk of serious rashes and skin reactions, but the psychiatrist told Silverman and her father that the drug was safe to use.

While Silverman suffered from SJS she was unable to breathe or eat without assistance and suffered rashes which became bubbling severe skin reactions on her face, neck and chest.

In April 2018, the FDA issued a drug safety communication warning that Lamictal had been linked to cases of severe inflammation throughout the body. It added new warnings to the drug.

The warning was similar to one issued by the FDA in 2010, when it indicated that Lamictal had been linked to asceptic meningitis as a potential side effect. Lamictal side effects has also been linked with increased risk of suicide.

Healthcare professionals and patients have been urged to report any adverse events or side effects linked to Lamictal use to the FDA’s MedWatch adverse event reporting program.

1 Comments

  • MarilouDecember 19, 2019 at 3:11 pm

    I have hyperpigmentation on my face. I have had it for over 6 months. My doc never told me about the side effects even when I told him that I felt the hyperpigmentation was due to Lamictal. Also I am very sensitive to heat beside sunlight.

Share Your Comments

I authorize the above comments be posted on this page*

Want your comments reviewed by a lawyer?

To have an attorney review your comments and contact you about a potential case, provide your contact information below. This will not be published.

NOTE: Providing information for review by an attorney does not form an attorney-client relationship.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Top Stories

Bard Settlement Reached To Resolve Hernia Mesh Lawsuits, With “Multi-Year” Payout Structure
Bard Settlement Reached To Resolve Hernia Mesh Lawsuits, With “Multi-Year” Payout Structure (Posted today)

Lawyers have reached a confidential settlement agreement to resolve tens of thousands of Bard hernia mesh lawsuits after six years of litigation, but individuals must still agree to participate and settle their claims.

Class Action Claims Over Hair Relaxer Risks Cleared To Move Forward by MDL Judge
Class Action Claims Over Hair Relaxer Risks Cleared To Move Forward by MDL Judge (Posted yesterday)

Court rejected a motion to dismiss the hair relaxer class actions lawsuits, which seek economic damages for consumers exposed to toxic chemicals in the products, which are now known to increase the risk of uterine cancer, ovarian cancer and other injuries.