Utah woman in intensive care after potentially fatal reaction to anxiety medication

A Utah woman is fighting for her life after a potentially fatal reaction to her anxiety medication caused her skin to peel and erupt in painful red blisters all over her body.

Kayla Nelson, 23, had only been taking Lamotrigine, a drug intended to treat her depression and anxiety, for three weeks when she first noticed the symptoms that led her to the emergency room on May 4.

Two weeks later, Nelson is still in the burn unit at the University of Utah after being diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare, serious condition that causes skin to burn from the inside out and can make her blind.

Not only is the once-active woman in extreme pain that has kept her confined to a hospital bed with a feeding tube, she’s had surgery on her eyelids to avoid the risk of losing her sight — and suffers panic attacks about what happens next, said her family.

Nelson is expected to remain in the burn unit for several weeks, where she is being treated for severe burn-like reactions on 30 percent of her body. She also waits weeks of physical and mental therapy before she can work again.

Nelson is still in the burn unit at the University of Utah where she is in extreme pain that has left her confined to a hospital bed with a feeding tube, unable to walk, talk, eat or even see

Even after Nelson is released from the burn unit in weeks, she still has a long road to recovery after what her mother Lindsey Ewing called a “horrific” experience.

“It’s a lot for a 23-year-old because she’s just starting her life,” Ewing said. “She has her life ahead of her, but now we have to deal with this, simply because she wanted to stabilize her mental health.”

Ewing said that while she is grateful for how the medication has helped some with their mental health, she still wants to warn others about the potential risks associated with these medications.

“Why this chance for a family member, a friend, or anyone else to go through this,” she asked. She added that her daughter’s doctor advised patients to stop taking the drug immediately if they noticed a rash.

The National Library of Medicine describes the syndrome as “a rare, acute, severe, and potentially fatal skin reaction” in which the skin peels away from the body in painful blisters and rashes on the inside and surface of the body.

Nelson is an active 23-year-old who enjoys fishing and driving around with friends, but is now unable to work, walk or talk and needs weeks of therapy following the reaction

A GoFundMe created by Nelson’s close friends to help with medical bill expenses points out that the “responses doesn’t just stop on the outside” — and that Nelson has “serious reactions in her mouth, throat, eyes, ears, and it’s also damaging her liver.”

The disease starts as a small rash and develops into blisters, and the blisters begin to peel, leaving exposed tissue and a high risk of infection, not to mention unimaginable pain.”

In the latest updates, on May 11 and 12, the GoFundMe revealed that Nelson suffered a panic attack the night before she underwent eye surgery for skin loss on the inside of her eyelids.

“To avoid the risk of injury to her eyes and loss of vision, they go in and put synthetic skin under her eyelids,” the GoFundMe said.

An update revealed that Nelson’s rreceived a graft of placental tissue in each of her eyes, due to the damage done to her eyelids, as a measure to protect her sight.”

“She wasn’t thrilled, but her mom and dad gave her the comfort and reassurance she needed to get through it strong and strong,” her friend wrote in the GoFundMe update.

‘The operation was very successful and she was already looking around and pointing in her room almost immediately after the operation! Her pain was well managed thanks to her incredible ICU nurses, and she FINALLY had a peaceful night’s sleep after a full week! We thank you all for the incredible support for Kayla on her healing journey. We ask that you continue to pray for Kayla, and share/donate if you would like to contribute!❤️❤️’.