Eva Uhlin was 15 when a capsule of acetaminophen (sold over-the-counter as Tylenol) caused her face to “turn black and fall off,” according to Natural News. The young woman experienced a serious allergic reaction to the medication called toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), the most severe form of the skin condition Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

Eva’s ordeal began in September 2005, when she took acetaminophen to lower a fever. Instead of making her feel better, the medicine made her even sicker. SJS and TEN causes painful blisters on the skin. Blisters can also form on the eyes, and in the mouth and internal organs exposing the body to life-threatening infections.

For Eva, the blisters on her face and body began to burn, scab and then fall off. Her face was so badly affected that her lips grew together. “I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had taken (acetaminophen) many times before,” she said.
“It was terrifying because at the time they didn’t know what was wrong with me or what would happen to me, When I looked in the mirror … I didn’t recognize myself.”

More than 2,000 over-the-counter and prescription medications have been linked to SJS and TEN. While SJS and TEN are rare reactions to medication – affecting only one in a million people – there is no way of knowing who will experience the reaction or when it may occur. The condition has a 40 percent fatality rate.

Luckily, Eva survived, and four years later she is happy to report that her skin has almost returned to normal. “With this condition you have to just let it run its course because there is no way to stop it,” said Folke Sjoeberg, of Eva’s doctors. “I’m very glad Eva has done so well after all that happened.”

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