21-year-old Christopher Wool independently, without a prescription, purchased the drug lamotrigine (used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorders). According to the media, he wanted to improve his health.
One of the side effects of lamotrigine is a rash, but Wool got it very badly. 10 days after taking the medication, he developed flu-like symptoms and then developed a horrific-looking red rash with swollen skin all over his body. As it turned out, the young man was allergic to drugs due to Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare and life-threatening disorder.
Christopher had his first flu-like symptoms on June 28, and the very next day Christopher was at work and his eyes and face began to swell.
- When I got into the car to drive home from work, bloody bubbles appeared on my lips and even in my mouth. It was so scary.
The next day, the rash began to spread throughout the body and the family took Christopher to the hospital. By that time, he had already begun to lose his sight. According to his father Andrew, Christopher's skin was already 40% covered with burns. Soon the skin was 100% affected.
The allergic reaction struck not only the skin, but also the internal organs and doctors at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham had to deal with a number of complications and even resuscitate the guy after a temporary cessation of breathing.
Fortunately, everything worked out and now the guy is recovering in his house, surrounded by relatives. But according to his father, doctors once told parents that their son might not survive.
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“By that time, his entire body was covered with blisters and burns, his eyes were swollen and he suffered from severe pain,” says Andrew Wool. “They shaved off his hair and covered his limbs with bandages. It was like a horror movie in reality, and his body looked like he had been skinned alive. I have never felt so helpless.
The affected skin gradually peeled off and fell off, the cornea of the eyes was damaged, the doctors fought blood poisoning, and Christopher himself lost 25 kg in weight during the treatment. Now he will have a long recovery with special medications, body creams, lotions, eye drops.
- The doctors are glad to see how I get better. The worst thing was when I lost my eyesight, but now I feel lucky, because I managed to survive.
Meanwhile, representatives of the drug lamotrigine expressed their sympathy for the sick Christopher Wool, but stressed that the drug is prescribed by prescription and that no one should ever take any medication on their own. And also that patients should always read the information for use inside the medicine box.