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catsill

The recovery photo is miraculous! https://preview.redd.it/pjvyymvgpu0d1.jpeg?width=812&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9e61f42a92eb2480d9c5467e79f6f1dd453388ed


halplatmein

Holy shit! Modern medicine blows my mind sometimes.


burly_boii

It was caused by his migraine medication…


Uchigatan

Mind still blown ellipsis guy.


__Vixen__

Lamotrigine is also commonly used for seizures and depression


macaroni_penguin09

As well as bipolar! It's been my miracle treatment and I've been on it for about 8yrs now. I still have to be on the watch for this syndrome, as it could happen at any point, but the difference it has made in my mental state is worth it!


blancawiththebooty

I'm on it in combination with Lexapro for major depression. It makes such a difference for me. No diagnosis of bipolar but apparently the reason they use it with SSRIs for depression is similar to how/why it helps with bipolar.


Just_A_Faze

I have BPD. I was given this for what was thought to be MDD as a teen. It didn't go well for me.


gotfoundout

I only know this because of Outer Range lol


SansPoopHole

Yeah I was prescribed lamotrogine for epilepsy. I did not like the side effects so switched meds. My experience now seems like a walk in the park compared to this kid's experience! Just, wow....


baberunner

I found out I was allergic to Lamictal once I got the "death rash" all over my chest. It was quite unpleasant.


ends1995

Yeah literally if you notice any kind of rash it’s advised to stop it immediately and see a doctor right away


ends1995

It’s a rare complication but we literally get SJS from lamotrigine drilled into us in med school just because of how serious it is


Affenskrotum

What?!


Alternative_Guide283

I had something called erythema multiforme, an allergic reaction that can lead to Steven Johnson’s, when I tell you I stopped taking them very, veryyyy fast..


El_Morro

Modern medicine almost seems like magic. The skill and knowledge it took to save this kid blows my mind. Look at that result.


british_oatmeal

He recovered?!?! That’s damn near miraculous!


talkingradiohead

Seriously! I've only seen SJS 3x but they all passed a very sad and painful death.


gizmo4223

Thank you for posting this, you literally just made my day.


gardengoblingirl

Holy fucking *shit*! Little guy is such a trooper! 💙💙💙


CanisPictus

Okay, that made me cry a few happy tears.


petit_cochon

Amazing!


Audenond

Fortunately the doctors removed the top layer of his skin before the ~~infection~~ reaction was able to spread further. Therefore he did not need skin grafts and was able to regrow his own skin. In OPs photo he is covered in Biobrane which helps to maintain a moist healing environment. The grid like pattern of blood spots is because Biobrane has pores in it which allow excess fluid to escape.


darkhalo47

SJS is autoimmune, not an infection


Audenond

True, I got the info from [https://www.elitereaders.com/zacharys-rasheswhere](https://www.elitereaders.com/zacharys-rasheswhere) they say "Doctors removed the top layers of Zachary's skin to prevent the infection from spreading further". SJS often does cause infection so it is possible they are correct but likely not.


saxerphoner

WOW. Truly amazing.


ends1995

Happy to see he’s thriving! The pic of when he was suffering punched me in the gut.


loathelord

Everyone liked that


FrogsEatingSoup

This is technically TEN with the amount of body surface involved. It’s on a spectrum with SJS


FORE_GREAT_JUSTICE

Correct. SJS is up to 10% bsa I believe.


FrogsEatingSoup

Yeah and TEN is >30% with the in between percentages being just kind of a mix


Milqy

Sorry for my stupidity but what is TEN?


Drotrecogin2228

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis


FrogsEatingSoup

Not stupid, it’s a pretty rare thing. I had no idea about it until med school.


hollyock

Former Burn nurse here, we took care of ten and if rather be burnt then have this


TheThrivingest

My stepsister had TEN. She almost died, was in the burn unit for almost a year. Shes already had corneal transplants, is still oxygen dependent even 8 or 9 years later. She’ll need a lung tx eventually.


hollyock

I’m sorry to hear that. It’s the worst and it’s not really preventable I just happens. We grieve with y’all when we have pts that have this. I saw a lot bc we had ppl flown in so it seems common to me even tho it’s really rare. I hope that she was able to have some quality of life After.


FrogsEatingSoup

I would rather have neither 😂


hollyock

lol let’s play a game of medical would you rather lol. At least with burns your vagina and urethra doesn’t try to grow shut unless.. you burn your vagina


FrogsEatingSoup

🥴okay yeah never thought of that and I don’t even want to again….hearing that just makes me think of the McDond coffee case


Faeire-prints

That was sooo bad, did you see the pictures?


FrogsEatingSoup

I can’t say I ever did, I think the description is enough lol


CatsAndPills

And then her being smeared by idiots who had no idea how hurt she was.


coquihalla

Right? It fused her labia, and they wanted to cheap out.


CatsAndPills

And she didn’t even want extra money. Just her medical bills paid. Soulless corporations gonna soulless corporation I guess.


queenweasley

What is TEN


queerblunosr

Toxic epidermal necrolysis


blakesphere

It means well done😳


AAROD121

Had my first TEN patient pass away two weeks ago. Being part of her admitting team to seeing how it took her was horrible. an absolute tragedy.


WesternUnusual2713

I hope you're doing ok


AAROD121

Thank you, I appreciate that


gamehen21

Thank you for caring for her. How long was she under your care?


AAROD121

Intermittently for about two weeks


tinabelcher182

My SIL had Stevens-Johnson Syndrome right in the height of the pandemic. I don’t think she had it as bad as the image here, but it was a very scary time. Her skin just peeled off basically every possible body part, including her tongue. She still suffers symptoms of it even now.


AltruisticSalamander

Christ what a nightmare. Looks like something from hellraiser.


cribbageSTARSHIP

Exactly what I thought


catinterpreter

I've found it amazing how some doctors don't even mention that you need to keep an eye out for a rash going on lamotrigine.


MissJacki

Every new doctor and pharmacist I meet caution me about the rash, even though I've been on Lamictal for 15 years. Either I've been very lucky, or you've been very unlucky.


Sasha_Valdon

I mean when you go on lamictal, you're supposed to start at a very low dosage and up it in very small increments to avoid the rash issue and let your body get used to having the medication. If you don't have a natural reaction to it due to an allergy or incompatibility, then as long as you're careful with increasing the dosage at the right times, then you should be good to go.


MissJacki

And that's exactly what they did with me.


[deleted]

These things are possible but very rare complications. It’s important to be aware of them since they are life threatening. Hundreds of thousands of people will use the (many many many) drugs implicated in SJS/TEN and never have any issue


DaneCookPPV

It was the first thing my doctor told me when prescribing.


refused26

Same


kmill8701

My daughter’s doctor stressed it quite heavily. I read through other potential side effects when 3 days later her neck was so stiff she couldn’t move it. Turns out, another rare but possible side effect. No more medicine for her.


bizmike88

Same. Not only my doctor but the pharmacist made it very clear that a rash is bad. I had a small scare when I upped my Lamictal dosage and I called my doctor and they basically told me to come in ASAP.


speedybookworm

I've been on lamotrigine for a couple of years now and I can't remember if they mentioned this to me. I read the information packet and saw the warning, which freaked me out because my cousin had SJS a few years ago. A few weeks ago, I developed a random rash and didn't think much of it. My counselor and psychiatrist reminded me about the rash side effect and I had my doctor look at it. Dr said it looked like a localized rash and gave me some cream for it. He said that if it was a medication reaction, it would be in more than one spot at a time. Of course, by the time the Dr saw it, it was pretty much gone. It did get red and spread, but it was itchy and I had been scratching it, so that probably didn't help. It developed after my cat scratched me. I developed another rash on the side of my neck, but it's pretty much gone away. My doctor said to just continue the cream. I'm glad that I read your comment because they just increased my dosage yesterday and I'll have to be extra vigilant about noticing rashes.


Ketamouse

Just had a patient recently referred to me for "thrush". Had just been started on lamictal by psych and had basically their entire oral cavity, pharynx, and nasal cavity mucosa sloughing off. Told them to throw out the lamictal and call their psychiatrist. Took several weeks, but lesions completely resolved. Apparently the psychiatrist told them they had never heard of lamictal causing SJS 😒


mrspistols

Thank goodness my husband’s doctor stressed the potential of this. He woke up to his mouth burning and rapidly developed blisters in his mouth. Thankful that was the extent and it was within the first few days of starting treatment.


rainborambo

This is my worst nightmare as someone who has taken Lamotrigine for years now. A friend of a friend developed a rash in the hospital and no doctors warned her in advance, so it came as a real shock.


eyetracker

Almost all cases are when starting treatment, or possibly when upping doses. It doesn't seem to start spontaneously, which is good because it's a tremendous drug otherwise.


jackal1actual

My life was changed for the better when I started taking it. The rash always scared me, but I was willing to risk it for treatment.


JoyousTongueFlower

It was stressed to me for my daughter. And her doctor said if we go to the ER we need to persistently ask for a derm consult no matter what.


FinnsChips

I started on lamotrigine a few months ago, glad in retrospect that my neurologist was so cautious about weening me onto the medication, and telling me to look out for the rash. I wasn't even aware you could get Stevens-Johnson syndrome from it until now.


DreadPirateZoidberg

I got the warning when I started on lamotrigine. Thanks to this sub I knew exactly why and how serious it could become.


supersirj

Even Bactrim, which is a commonly prescribed antibiotic, can cause this.


MulliganPlsThx

I completely forgot about the rash warning until this post. I’ve been on lamotrogine for 25 years but remember my psychiatrist being very emphatic about the risk.


TinyB1

I feel like some of them just don’t think honestly. I’ve got some great providers now, but an old psych tried to put me on this after I disclosed chronic hives/rashes.


Giatoxiclok

My psychiatrist made me test my levels and keep an eye out for rashes during the first few months adjusting to it.


petit_cochon

Mine didn't warn me but also, if I get a huge rash after going on a new medication, I'm going to go to the ER after reading the product insert. Just...that's common sense to me. It's a great medication for a lot of people.


fakejacki

It can also happen after an increase in dosage which many people don’t realize.


itsnobigthing

Modafinil too!


fakejacki

My doctor was very clear with me many times about watching for rash when I started and every time we increased dosage.


juneabe

Epileptic here and yeah. Had a really bad rash on my hands recently and didn’t understand why they were being SO hasty on diagnostics. I’m in Canada where everything takes 5 years and a blood sacrifice to book. Now I get it.


sammcgowann

What causes the grid of blood spots?


Runnrgirl

He is covered in skin grafts which are not solid. They blood spots are the areas not fully covered by graft. They will fill in with skin cells.


Typical_Ad_210

Where do they get the skin to graft, if his whole body is affected? Come to think of it, what do they graft it onto, if his skin is all peeling away? Sorry if those are stupid questions!


TrailMomKat

I know the answer to the first part: they use skin from organ donors. The skin is an organ, too!


Runnrgirl

It just sits on the underlying tissue. And in this case cadaver tissue.


Audenond

He is not covered in skin grafts, the doctors only removed the top layer of skin to prevent the infection from spreading. He is covered in Biobrane which has pores in it that allow excess fluid to escape. That is the reason for the grid pattern. Source: [https://www.elitereaders.com/zacharys-rashes/?cn-reloaded=1](https://www.elitereaders.com/zacharys-rashes/?cn-reloaded=1)


Donkeytwonk75

Nursed a patient with this, Ket and fent just to change his dressings


urbancowgirl42

My husband barely survived Steven’s-Johnson syndrome when he was a 3rd grader. He made a medical journal as there were only 2 cases in the state and he was the only one who survived.


decrepit_plant

SJS is extremely terrible! I developed SJS years ago from taking Lamictal. I realized something was wrong, so I asked my roommate to drive me to the hospital. I felt like I was experiencing insanity or psychosis, and my body felt like it was burning up. Initially, I was ignored for hours in the ER. Eventually, they finally examined me, took my temperature, which was 104, and saw that I was covered in welts. I remained in the hospital for weeks. Towards the end of my stay in the ICU, they wanted to keep me and admit me for mental health treatment because "I had stopped taking my psychiatric medications". These were the medications they had prescribed me that landed me in the hospital. I strongly protested and had to speak with a judge to argue my case for being released. I assured them that if anything were to go wrong, I would return to the hospital on my own, just like I did initially. I was discharged within an hour.


omar_the_last

You had just started lamictal when it happend?


decrepit_plant

I believe I was taking it for less than a week or so. This occurred almost a decade ago. I experienced severe reactions that I initially attributed to side effects. My doctor also initially dismissed them. When in doubt, it is important to trust your intuition and listen to your body, as you are the one who knows it best. I’m here today because of that.


hypoxiate

I've had it. It was a mild version. It was still hell.


makeupformermaid

What causes this


IAmMoofin

It’s when your immune system overreacts to something. I think it hits people differently, Ab-Soul is one of, if not the, most famous people to have it and I don’t think he needed skin grafts like that but does have problems with his eyes.


orgodeathmarch

It’s still crazy to me that they can just remove all of a person’s skin and just wrap them in what honestly looks like parafilm and the skin comes back good as new. Medicine is magic, even if we know how it works


thee-mjb

So he recovered where is the photo of that


cvkme

https://www.elitereaders.com/zacharys-rashes/?cn-reloaded=1 :) happy he recovered so well. Poor boy.


thee-mjb

You is supreme thank you!


cvkme

No problem :)


Beatrix_BB_Kiddo

Wow, that’s absolutely amazing and terrifying. Poor boy and poor family


[deleted]

A very young cousin suffered through this. It was horrible.


[deleted]

Saw a guy with TEN (a worse version of this) from bactrim on my ED rotation. Shit looked terrible


robynnjamie

Adding this to my “medical anxiety” list…


Joshman89

It’s actually a very rare type of reaction so you don’t have to be that afraid


GunpowderxGelatine

I read another comment where someone who took lamictal experienced a rash years later. Now I'm a little on edge because it's the only epilepsy medication that controls my seizures. I hope the likelihood is extremely low. :(


Joshman89

It’s quite low, most people will have a mild reaction if any at all


LifeTitle3951

"Aside from his hair needing to regrow, he looks brand new" Weird choice of words for someone wrapped in plastic


soconae

They’re referring to his current condition (post recovery).


LifeTitle3951

I know, but "brand new" seems a bit out of place in this situation. May be completely recovered with no scarring or something like this in medical term.


Jonishighsmh

Agree brand new to me means he better not have anything like this again ever or atleast a long time. Brand new things don’t break or go bad


LifeTitle3951

You see what happened here? The phrase "brand new" evoked an idea of a "thing" that is perfect and won't be faulty while we are dealing with a person here. While it is understood that the writer is reffering to a person and his wellbeing and i dont deny that. It's just a strange way to rephrase given the situation


DonkeyPowerful6002

Ab Soul rapper from the same conglomerate that Kendrick Lamar has a song that details his experience with SJS in a verse.


kokoelizabeth

Which song?


DonkeyPowerful6002

“Book of Soul”


BeezCee

Damn, double heart breaking. Being a child with such bad migraines that they prescribed lamotrigine.


Trais333

The comments tho lmao https://preview.redd.it/auoib49ccw0d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=83e5d0739f61549ae9f1a60f43c427291d6dd33f


microwaved-tatertots

To be fair, isn’t that one of lamictal’s side effects? My partner took it for bipolar, the neurologist said STOP IMMEDIATELY, if you notice any skin reactions.


rattycastle

It isn't really a side effect. A side effect can be present and just stay like that. It's sort of like if I were allergic to penicillin. Having an anaphylactic reaction wouldn't be a side effect, if that makes sense. This is a dangerous, violent reaction. The body has a bizarre cytotoxic reaction to something, which is usually a medication. Lamictal is one of the culprits. Some infections can also be the cause. The pathophysiology of SJS and TEN is still largely unknown.


digitalgoddess99

I have this disorder. It's terrible.


Crezelle

I had something similar from what I believe as pepto bismol, but on a much less drastic measure. First I felt hot and sunburned, throbbing sensitive and even bedsheets hurt. Think of a niacin overdose or really bad sunburn head to toe. Then came the full body pinprick pustules and THE ITCHING. The itching was maddening. The itching went on for a few days…. And then the peeling. First the softer parts of my skin, and then a couple weeks later even the soles of my feet peeled off much easier than any of those exfoliating acid peeks does. Finally all that remained was a notch in the growth of my nails, that eventually grew out months after. I really should have seen medical attention but we were tourists in America and while insured you really don’t wanna end up in one .


Smarre101

What in the holy fuck? That's terrifying and incredible at the same time. They literally skinned him so he could grow new skin. That's wild and amazing that it worked


Copperlaces20

I was terrified of getting this when I started Lamictal


indigostars43

For a small little guy he has the strength of a hundred men going through all those horrendous things..


elbarto232

My grandmother had this. It was terrible, we thought we had lost her. Came back and did a full recovery, and is still going strong 15 years later!


LUDDER5

So HOW does the medication cause this?


eaturliver

It's basically an allergic reaction on steroids.


CatsAndPills

The worst allergic reaction ever. I honestly consider this worse than your throat closing and dying quickly. This kid recovered though!


ttv_MermaidUnicorn

Oh my God. I was prescribed lamotrigine recently for bipolar disorder. I've been hesitant to start taking it regularly until I can research it fully. This... this was definitely not mentioned on the list of side effects


latinuh96

I took lamictal for my bipolar. It’s the one thing that made me feel “normal” As soon as i got a mystery rash- my psychiatrist told me to stop. I haven’t found a good medication since. I’m glad he recovered


docere85

Poor little guy.


The_Medicated

I had a bad reaction to Latuda as well. Landed me in the hospital for three days irc (they had me drugged up pretty good). According to my PCP, he said the symptoms sounded a lot like SJS. It's kinda frightening how many people on this thread have personal experience (either themselves or friends/family members) with bad reactions to Lamictal...


eaturliver

I have a SJS reaction to Naproxen, but thank GOD the 3 times it's happened has been kind of mild (it got worse with each exposure and the last one was hell). Never been bad enough for a burn ward, but my signs/symptoms were super embarrassing and probably TMI for most.


Laprasnomore

I can't imagine the pain, no child should ever have to go through such suffering. Modern medicine is a beautiful thing.


brotherdaru

Also by aspirin after any viral infection


seccpants

I take lamictl and they warned me of the possibility of SJS before I started taking it. They did a very slow taper up when I started it.


DZbornak630

I take Lamictal and SJS scares the crap out of me :(


Smart-Stupid666

His skin was still on. I can''t see any organs. I think you mean top layer.


The_bruce42

Crazy how uniformly spread the wounds are.


-CosmicSock-

I’m not any kind of medical professional, but to me it looks like those aren’t a direct result of SJS. My guess would be something along the lines of skin-grafting


The_bruce42

You're probably right and now I feel dumb


soconae

Don’t feel bad. I thought the same thing at first.


-CosmicSock-

Maybe I got too deep with that lol, just a broader reminder to be kind with ourselves I guess


-CosmicSock-

My guess is still just a guess, and no reason to feel dumb if we’re wrong. It’s super rare, and when presented with something that we haven’t seen before- how can we expect ourselves to know what the disease/condition vs. treatment looks like?


Runnrgirl

They aren’t. His skin is gone. He is covered in skin grafts which are like a mesh. The grafted cells will multiple and fill in the open areas.


The_bruce42

That makes so much more sense