Shocking photos shows woman’s horrific reaction to ibuprofen that left her ‘burning from the inside out’
THESE shocking photos show a woman's horrific reaction to ibuprofen - which left her "burning from the inside out".
Yothika Kaewkham, 25, bought the over-the-counter tablets from a pharmacy after suffering with toothache.
The shop worker, from Chonburi, Thailand, took one pill in the morning of May 19 and then another after lunch.
But within hours her skin had broken out in painful hives, rashes and blisters.
She asked her husband, Sorasak, to take her to hospital after the burning pain across her body became unbearable.
A doctor immediately admitted her to the intensive care unit (ICU) where she spent seven days receiving treatment for an allergic reaction.
Yothika spent another seven days being monitored by medics before she was finally allowed to return home this week.
Lessons learned
Speaking today, she said the ordeal had taught her to never take medicine without a prescription.
She said: "After 14 days of treatment and agonising pain, this has taught me that taking medicine without prescription can be a dangerous thing to do.
"The allergic reaction has eased but the doctor has said it will take a long time for my body the recovery to how it was before.
"There is still some pain but it is much less.''
Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, the deputy secretary of Thailand's Food and Drug Administration, said Yothika's reaction to ibuprofen was severe.
He said she was lucky not to have died from the drug allergy.
Dr Tangwiwat said: "People are more likely to suffer allergies to the ibuprofen painkiller than a steroid painkiller or paracetamol.
"In some serious cases, patients can die from the allergy which is why it is important not to take any drugs without prescriptions."
Extremely rare
According to the American Food and Drug Administration, symptoms of allergic reactions to ibuprofen include hives, facial swelling, asthma, skin reddening, rashes, blisters, and shock.
However, in extremely rare cases, some people may exhibit severe allergic reactions to ibuprofen.
In 2012, an 11-year-old boy from from Littleport, Cambs, almost died as a result of taking Nurofen for Children - a brand of ibuprofen.
Calvin Lock had been suffering from the flu when his mum gave him the painkiller.
But five days later he woke up with a burning ear and rashes on his face and stomach.
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Doctors said he suffered a rare reaction to the medication and he was taken to intensive care where he ended up on a life support machine.
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Incredibly, Calvin pulled through and was transferred to a specialist burns unit to recover, where doctors diagnosed him as having Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome (Tens) - a more severe form of Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS), which is a rare but severe allergic reaction to drugs.
Professor Naguib Ed-Muttard, who was in charge of his care, said cases of SJS and Tens were "extremely rare" with only two to three cases for every million people in Europe.