Children's Motrin causes 7 yr old girl to go blind

[vikivoly]

This is pretty scary. Anyone have more details?

Here's the link to the story.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1508&ncid=751&e=9&u=/afp/20041228/hl_afp/uspharmahealthcompany

[starrynight]

Yikes!! It's scary the stuff that comes out about a drug after it's been on the market for awhile. I can only give Eliza motrin because she is allergic to tylenol, I'm not so sure I should even give her this.

[Emmas Mom]

Ok, I just spent almost an hour reading about Stevens Johnson Syndrome. How scary that it seems so hard for doctors to diagnose. I *think* that it occurs the first time you take a medication. So, if you've given your DC Motrin before, with no reaction, then it's ok. Also, it's not JUST Motrin. It's many different medications. There is a foundation for SJS (www.sjsupport.org) and they have a fact sheet that says:

"WHAT CAN CAUSE SJS? A lmost any medication including over-the-counter drugs, such as Ibuprofen, can cause SJS. Most commonly implicated drugs are anti-convulsants, antibiotics (such as sulfa, penicillin and cephalosporin) and anti-inflammatory medications."

Here's the link to their fact sheet: ETA THERE ARE SOME GRAPHIC PHOTOS ON THIS LINK SO PLEASE BE WARNED!!!
http://www.sjsupport.org/pdf/html/flyer.htm

I'm really glad you posted the link to that article. I'd never heard about it before & now I feel a little more informed.

[SeekerMage]

That is pretty scary. (putting flame proof suit on) Dont Flame me, but I wouldnt really blame the drug company completely. While yes they did know of potential side effects, no one knows what they will be allergic too, or how they will react unless they try it.

Perhaps she had the drug as a child and never had a problem thats why the mom gave it to her. Perhaps the mom gave her a higher dose, heck it could have been triggered by the headache or some other virus already in her system that reacted with the drug causing the disease.

There are a million possibilites and chances we take every day in hopes of doing the best to make our kids feel better. This doesnt mean Im not going to give my children Motrin because they might go blind, heck, Ill take that chance rather then let them suffer with a fever which if left untreated could also cause problems like futher sickness and if I remember hearing correctly blindness or brain damage. We take chances every time we treat our kids....we wont know what they are allergic too food, drug, lotion, or otherwise unless we take that chance.

Unfortunately we live in a parinoid society and due to things like this in the news it makes us second guess everything. Motrin has been around for a while without any problems, or atleast without hearing of any problems. It takes the media sensantaionalizing everything to give things a bad name. Dont get me wrong, I feel for the little girl and wish she could get her eyesite back, but Im not going to get pariniod about possiblities that may never happen, and I pray may never happen to others. There are enough problems around me to worry about...like laundry, teething, cleaning house, paying bills with little money etc. I dont need any more added stress.

(sorry if I upset anyone and seem heartless, but everyone is quick to blame when things dont go the right way. Money doesnt make everything better, it sure wont get her eyesite back will it?)

[missym]

I agree that it's good to be informed about the risks of something like SJS. I also agree that it's easy to become paranoid about relateively rare side effects of drugs. If you want a good scare, pull out the fact sheet on any medication in your cabinet and read the "rare" side effects.

Here are some interesting exerpts from a medical study on SJS:
http://www.sjsupport.org/pdf/sjs.pdf

"The highest rate, for sulfonamides, was 4.5 cases per million users per week. For many drugs, the risk of Stevens–Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis was highest in the first weeks of use."

"Our results indicate that the highest risks are associated with antibacterial sulfonamides, with an excess risk of 4.5 cases per million exposed persons per week. These extremely low risks are consistent with the rarity of these diseases. Given the high morbidity and mortality associated with these conditions, however, prescribing physicians should still consider that alternative therapies have substantially lower excess risks."

Having myself had a severe reaction to Bactrim as a child, I'd already think twice about using sulfa drugs on Gwen unless absolutely necessary. But I feel pretty safe giving her Tylenol or Motrin.

Missy, mom to Gwen 03/03

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_emerald_18m.gif
21 months and counting!

[psophia17]

ITA - You can't not live as a preventative measure for the risks involved in daily life.

Not to minimize the horribleness of catastrophic events, but after being in NYC on 9/11, that's the way I choose to live. People I know have holed up in little worlds of paranoia waiting for the next attack, and I choose not to live like that. This applies to how I see my role as a wife and mother, too. Sure, I'll do my best to make good choices for myself and my family, but I'm not going to bother stressing about something that in reality has a very small chance of happening.

It's horrible for the girl, her family, and for anyone who suffers from this syndrome, and I wish them the best, but it would hurt many more people than it would help for them to win this lawsuit, and that is a shame in my eyes.

[kristine_elen]

Thanks for posting.

[murpheyblue]

In California, as a manufacturer, you usually do not have to warn about idiosyncratic allergic reactions. The general rule in cases involving allergic reactions is that a warning is required when the harm-causing ingredient is one to which a substantial number of persons are allergic.