"Family Argues Motrin Blinded Child" | Arthritis Information

 

This sounds like a tragic case of a rare side effect, except it looks like they are also contending that negative data was hidden:
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6792926&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

"Malibu -- A Topanga Canyon girl was left blind and scarred by a rare allergic reaction to Children's Motrin, and a Johnson & Johnson drug division "purposefully and callously" hid medical reports about the dangers of ibuprofen from federal regulators, an attorney told a Malibu jury Tuesday to open trial of a product-liability lawsuit." Suzanne2008-06-18 10:43:55You have to look at what good the drug causes in the majority of people vs the very few the drug ever hurts. I wouldn't give my  child anything but tylenol unless the temp was over 102. I am not saying that the parents did anything wrong, I just wish people had more than a basic idea of what to expect from medications. I've been an ER for more than 22 years and have NEVER seen a case of Steven-Johnson syndrome,  that should tell people how rare it is. I am sorry the child went blind. I still believe OTC motrin to be a safe and relieble drug if you follow the directions on the bottle which I am sure say to stop the medication if a rash develops. This is one of those reactions that WILL happen we just dont ever know which person will be hit with it.I agree, Wendy, that these parents did some things I would never do - especially continuing with Motrin after the child developed a rash! (But who knows, maybe they reported the rash to their ped and were told it was nothing, it was okay to keep giving it.....).

The important part of this case, to me, is if they prove medical reports were "purposefully and callously" hidden.  If that is proven, it will have ramifications beyond this tragic case, I believe.
I just looked at our bottle of children's motrin.  It clearly states that you're supposed to stop using it and seek medical help right away if you develop hives, facial swelling, asthma, shock, skin reddening, or RASH.

Ibuprofen is a powerful drug.  It has many potential adverse reactions, ranging from upset stomach to psychosis.

Let's not forget that in the American legal system, the defendant is "innocent until proven guilty."  This applies to corporations as well.
[QUOTE=JasmineRain] I just looked at our bottle of children's motrin.  It clearly states that you're supposed to stop using it and seek medical help right away if you develop hives, facial swelling, asthma, shock, skin reddening, or RASH.Ibuprofen is a powerful drug.  It has many potential adverse reactions, ranging from upset stomach to psychosis.Let's not forget that in the American legal system, the defendant is "innocent until proven guilty."  This applies to corporations as well.
[/QUOTE]

Very good point........It helps if people read the label. I know a lot of people don't, I am thinking about the children's cold medicine fiasco, where parents were overdosing their kids on cold medicine.  I am a label reader, but I know some people who do not even know if a dose of something is one or 2 pills, much less the possible side effects and when to discontinue use and call a Dr. It baffles my mind to think that people think just because something is OTC it is nothing to be concerned about.  People need to realize that Tylenol is actually one of the deadliest drugs there is. It is the leading cause of liver failure in america right now. I don't keep Tylenol in my house. My kids and grandkids never get this drug. I will give Motrin in very limited does and not very often. In the hospital, we do not medicate children unless absolutely necessary. Other measures should be taken before pain meds are given. Think conservative when it comes to medicating children. [QUOTE=lorster]People need to realize that Tylenol is actually one of the deadliest drugs there is. It is the leading cause of liver failure in america right now. I don't keep Tylenol in my house. My kids and grandkids never get this drug. I will give Motrin in very limited does and not very often. In the hospital, we do not medicate children unless absolutely necessary. Other measures should be taken before pain meds are given. Think conservative when it comes to medicating children. [/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more.  When the boys were little, we never kept children's tylenol in the house.  We keep all drugs locked in a metal toolbox, even now.  Once my little one got hold of a bottle of children's motrin and chugged it.  It was a chaotic evening; both boys were sick with a virus and had high fevers, aches/pains, etc... the doctors advised us to give them Motrin.  Somehow in all the chaos the motrin never made it back to the drug box, and the two-year old got the lid off and chugged about 3 ounces.  All I can say is THANK GOD it wasn't tylenol.  Mylicon was a godsend to us with our firstborn.  He had terrible colic; dilute chamomile tea with a couple drops of mylicon in the bottle was the only thing that could soothe his savage belly.  It didn't matter what I ate or didn't eat.  He was miserable.

Our second kid never had a need for Mylicon.  He just ate, slept and pooped.  Often all at the same time. Jas, these moms were stocking up, ready for the first cry......I bet some of 'em were taking it to the hospital.... I have never heard anything bad about mylicon. Is it bad also? [QUOTE=lorster]I have never heard anything bad about mylicon. Is it bad also?[/QUOTE]

It's pretty nontoxic.
I don't think it is bad.  I think the mindset of reaching for a bottle of chemicals right off the bat without thinking is bad. My stepson has Stevens-Johnson syndrome.  It happened when he was 4 years old and he spent a month on a hospital burn unit where most of his skin, lips, eyelids and surface tissue was severely damaged.  He was lucky to live and recover almost 100%.  Unfortunately it has resurfaced in his eyes as a teenager and he is now down to 20/100 in one of his eyes.  Fortunately vision in the other eye is still alright.

They never tied his SJS to a particular med or anything else.  The problem is that it is believed to happen as a potential (but relatively rare) reaction from many different meds and proving it seems difficult.  I think it's a bit like RA...they can't (or won't) really get down to the bottom of the why and how it happens.

I think the scariest thing about SJS is that you can be on a med for awhile with no problems, then develop SJS.  I always thought that an allergic reaction would happen right away, so if it didn't turn up until after few months, it wasn't that.  But we were told SJS can happen at any time.   That is scary, Suzanne.  Just to clarify/add, my stepson hadn't been on any medication at all when his SJS developed, nor when it resurfaced.So what do they think caused it? Can you get it from a certain food? They don't know what caused it and I don't think they tried very hard to figure it out.  This was over 10 years ago and I believe at the time it was even less common and less understood.  Thankfully they found a doctor who diagnosed it pretty quick (it was the only case he'd ever seen) and told them exactly which hospital would know what to do.

 

His current doctor theorizes that it resurfaced (which is unusual) in relation to hitting puberty.  We can only hope it calms down when he is through puberty.  I find it interesting that once again a suspected auto-immune condition seems to be related to hormones.

That's the thing about allergies, you can become allergic to anything at anytime as long as you have been exposed to it or to some part of it of it has more than one chemical in it as most things do. I have patients come in all the time with an allergic reaction to whatever antibiotic they've had multiple times. They don't understand that it's because they've had it before that they can build an allergy to it. I've seen people have allergic reactions to medicines that we give for allergic reactions. I've also had people claim that they are allergic to something that the body produces naturally.
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