A California teenager who ended up in intensive care after taking her friend's antibiotic is expected to recover and her prognosis is good, USA Today reported.
Yaasmeen Castanada, 19, was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnsons Syndrome, a rare and fatal reaction to drugs that causes death in a fourth of adults who get it. After taking her friend's medication, she ended up with an allergic reaction that burned her from the inside out.
While her chances are survival are high, she must still undergo delicate treatment because the syndrome kills and causes the top layer of skin to fall off, leading to open wounds and blisters.
"Patients can experience problems with taste, swallowing, eyesight and sexual functions can be affected," said Dr. Victor Joe of the University of California Irvine Medical Center. "In Yaasmeen's case, we are particularly concerned because her eyes have been affected. This can cause scarring of the corneas, which could lead to permanent blindness. We are trying to prevent that from happening."
Her family's GoFundMe campaign has garnered more than $12,200 in donations for Castanada's health care costs.
"It's heartbreaking," said Laura Corona, Yaasmeen's mother. "(It's) just unreal, just watching your daughter burn in front of you."
Castanada, who has a four-month-old baby, took her friend's leftover medicine on Thanksgiving when she had a sore throat. After taking just one pill, she started experienced the allergic reaction, Examiner reported.
The teen's eyes soon started to hurt and her throat was burning. She was rushed to the hospital when her eyes started turning red. She became covered in large, painful blisters.
"It can be considered sort of a burn from the inside out," said physician Lawrence Matt, a dermatologist in Santa Monica, California.
