Washington, DCWhen Stevens Johnson Syndrome rears its ugly head and plunges a patient into a nightmare of blisters and burn-like symptoms from which there appears little escape, the last thing on a person's mind would be the cause: rather, the focus is on the nightmare at hand, not the possibility of Zithromax side effects serving as a contributing factor to Zithromax SJS.
Other drugs—including over-the-counter (OTC) medications—have been previously linked to SJS (Stevens Johnson Syndrome). Motrin is one, but there have been others. Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome often doesn't register, given its fairly recent appearance on the SJS horizon.
But it is there, and consumers are now starting to pay attention. Zithromax is an antibiotic with the potential to trigger Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a rare but devastating skin disorder, in some patients.
Zithromax (azithromycin) is a powerful antibiotic brought to bear on serious infections caused by bacteria in adults and children.
It is children, in spite of the rarity of SJS, that give us pause for the most concern given the indications for which Zithromax is prescribed. Pneumonia is one indication—but so are middle ear infections and tonsillitis, two fairly common conditions afflicting children.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), there is a documented case of Zithromax SJS in a child. It is not known if the child survived, however the devastation wrought from Stevens Johnson Syndrome often brings a patient close to death given the blisters and burn-like wounds that can affect the major expanse of an SJS patient's body.
The other documented case of Zithromax Stevens Johnson Syndrome is that of a 62-year-old adult taking Zithromax for an upper respiratory tract infection. The patient began developing a skin rash about ten days following her initial exposure to Zithromax.
Beyond Zithromax side effects encompassing SJS, is the increased chance for deadly heart problems, according to a 14-year study. The Bismarck Tribune (5/22/12) reported that researchers at Vanderbilt University scoured the health records and related data tied to millions of prescriptions provided to 540,000 Medicaid patients from Tennessee in the 14 years ranging from 1992 through 2006.
Various antibiotics were targeted, one being Zithromax. The study found that amongst the Zithromax camp, there were 29 heart-related deaths following only five days of treatment. Looking at the Zithromax reactions for the purposes of the study, researchers determined the risk for a serious heart issue—and indeed, the risk for death—was double that of patients taking a placebo, or another antibiotic.
Given, therefore the possibility of sudden heart defects and Zithromax rash related to a diagnosis for SJS, the potential for a Zithromax lawsuit is very real.
Especially once a Zithromax skin rash and subsequent boil over to full-bore SJS has worked its way through a patient. Once the crisis is past, then comes the question of "what caused this?
"And should I be contacting a Zithromax lawyer?" Perhaps…
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