Zithromax SJS: “We Didn’t Know If He Was Going to Pull Through”

Scottsbluff, NEWhile most medications are bedeviled by adverse reactions that would cause some to question why they are taking the medication in the first place, Zithromax side effects can translate into much more than mere inconvenience.

It can put you in the hospital with Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

The tragedy is that often a medication such as Zithromax has been well-tolerated previously. When medication is used for the first time there is always extra caution exercised to verify that the patient won’t have an allergic reaction to the medication. Allergic reactions are possible, as are Zithromax reactions.

However, once used successfully without adverse reaction, the wall of caution comes down the next time that medication is required for a recurring or similar problem.

The reality, as it turns out, is even a medication like Zithromax that has proven well-tolerated previously can come back to bite you after the fact, and when you least expect it, as a high school student from Nebraska found out earlier this year.

An allergic reaction from Zithromax can often begin with a Zithromax rash, before amplifying to the far more serious Stevens Johnson Syndrome. In the case of Taylor Nelson, a high school junior from Scottsbluff, his troubles began as sores across the inside of his mouth.

According to the Star-Herald (3/13/13), it was only a matter of time - a few days - before doctor’s diagnosed Taylor as having Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome stemming from the Zithromax he had taken a few days before to fight a sinus infection.

It was determined that Nelson’s Zithromax reactions were due to his use of Zithromax. But here’s the thing - Nelson had used Zithromax previously, with no hint of trouble.

This time, the high school basketball player was hospitalized in dire condition. “It was really hard because we didn’t know if he was going to pull through,” Taylor’s mother Holli said in comments published in the Star-Herald.

Happily, Taylor did pull through. But if Taylor Nelson had used Zithromax previously, why did it not affect him then? Information available to doctors on the Pfizer website suggests that symptoms of an allergic reaction could continue after Zithromax has been stopped. While Taylor Nelson did not have an allergic reaction the first time he used Zithromax, is it possible that remnants of the drug remained in his system and mushroomed into a life-threatening illness after he resumed treatment with Zithromax?

That’s only a Zithromax SJS hypothesis. However, the fact remains that information geared for patients on the Pfizer site for Zithromax, as of mid-March, articulated the possibility for an allergic reaction with Zithromax, including Zithromax skin rash, but was devoid of references to the far more serious Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Potential plaintiffs who allege harm by using Zithromax without being aware of the potential for danger would be well advised to contact a Zithromax attorney.