Serious Side Effect of Tylenol Causes Burns to Woman’s Body

In a rare but serious reaction to Tylenol, an Indiana woman suffered a skin reaction that caused burns over 40 percent of her body and doctors are fighting to save her eyesight.

Donna Emley was stricken while on vacation near Bowling Green, Kentucky. Emley, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a serious disorder of the skin and mucous membranes. Stevens-Johnson is usually a reaction to medication or an infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. Emley is being treated at the burn unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Mayo Clinic cautions that Stevens-Johnson should be considered a medical emergency. Most people diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson require hospitalization, and many are treated in a burn unit because of the blistering and peeling of the skin. Stevens-Johnson often begins with flu-like symptoms, followed by a painful red or purplish rash that spreads and blisters. As the condition progresses, the skin peels off. Stevens-Johnson also affects mucus membranes and blisters can form inside the body, making it difficult to eat, swallow, and urinate. The condition can affect internal organs and the eyes. Recovery can take months and some people suffer permanent effects.

Emley said, “My eyes and face were swollen, and I had a rash all over my trunk.” Doctors are trying to save her eyesight. Her husband told FoxNews that doctors have put amniotic membranes in her eyes. A 2011 Dutch study found that amniotic membranes have anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring effects, and contain growth factors that promote healing of the eye surface.

A variety of different drugs can cause Stevens-Johnson, including such widely used over-the-counter pain relievers as acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve), and prescription antibiotics and seizure medications.

Causes of Stevens-Johnson syndrome include:

• Anti-gout medications, such as allopurinol
• Pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) and naproxen sodium (Aleve)
• Antibiotics to fight infection, such as penicillin
• Medications to treat seizures or mental illness (anticonvulsants and antipsychotics)
• Radiation therapy

HIV, pneumonia, herpes (herpes simplex or herpes zoster), and hepatitis are among the infections that can cause Stevens-Johnson.

Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious diseases specialist at Vanderbilt University, told FoxNews, “Sometimes it takes these uncommon side effects that are devastating to remind us that over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen must be taken with caution.” In addition to Stevens-Johnson, researchers say more common side effects of drugs like Motrin and Advil and Tylenol are nausea and gastrointestinal bleeding and they advise consumers to be alert for side effects when they take such drugs. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) called for drug makers to place stronger warnings on the labels of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen because these drugs—in both prescription and over-the-counter medications—can raise the risk of heart attack or stroke.

 

 

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