For Some, Children's Motrin is a Spoonful of Suffering

Newark, NJImagine a parent's horror upon seeing their child suffering needlessly. It could be you, and it could be your child--too many reports of SJS have been linked to Children's Motrin.

Your child suffering from horrific blisters on her skin, oozing sores that are painful, and itch at the same time. But she can't scratch them, as the act will inflict even more excruciating pain on the poor child.

The blisters are like burns. In fact, patients with advanced Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) are often treated at burn units, given the similarity to SJS symptoms and third-degree burns. Eyes will become red and ooze. Sometimes the child can't even open them.

Sometimes, the child goes blind.

The uninformed could be forgiven for looking at a child suffering from SJS or Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome (TENS) and mistakenly think the child has survived a fire, carried out of a burning building like some smoking ember. And now the child lay in hospital, gravely ill and crying, not understanding what is happening to her, and not deserving any of it.

How could anyone deserve this? The cries of a child subjected to unspeakable pain, and the horror of a parent forced to stand by and try to comfort the wee, tortured life in their care. She's your child. You want to save her from all this. And yet you can't. So you stand by helpless and horrified, attempting to smile and be brave for your diminutive loved one, telling her that Mommy's here and everything will be all right.

"What happened?" a visitor will ask.

"Children's Motrin," will be the surprising answer. "She came home from school with a fever. All I did was giver a little Motrin…"

Sadly, sometimes that is all it takes. And Children's Motrin has been associated with a disorder that kills nearly 100,000 people a year, according to reports.

To be fair, Children's Motrin isn't the only culprit. Other cases of SJS and TENS have been brought on by severe drug reactions to other drugs. There have been links made, it has been reported, to Bextra, Celebrex, Vioxx, Daypro, Bactrim and Sepra.

And—ibuprofen, the active ingredient in Children's Motrin. Ibuprofen is a member of the class of drugs known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. A host of lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson and the subsidiary that manufactures Motrin—McNeil Laboratories—with regard to the needless pain and suffering experienced by countless children.

After all, medicine is supposed to make you better, not make you sick. Children's Motrin is supposed to take away the discomfort of a fever, not replace it with the excruciating pain associated with the sloughing off of entire sections of skin in sheaths. But Children's Motrin, and its ibuprofen backbone, has remained a popular choice for parents of children aged 2 to 11, for the eradication of symptoms stemming from the common cold, or a sore throat, the flu, even a toothache.

Parents of afflicted children have been incensed with regard to the allegation that McNeil Laboratories knew about the potential link to SJS and TENS, but failed in its responsibility to warn consumers. That allegation carries weight in the face of reports that prescription Motrin, prior to its availability as an over-the-counter (OTC) med, duly noted the potential risk for SJS and TENS. However, when the OTC version of Children's Motrin was made available, there was apparently no such warning on the label.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is being lobbied by advocacy groups to force Motrin to include a warning about the risk for potentially fatal adverse reactions to the drug.

That would, at least, allow a parent to know. To choose. To be aware of the risks and make an educated decision on behalf of their child. Better that, than give a teaspoonful of potential trouble to an innocent child complaining of a headache, only to stand over their child a few weeks later, lying in a hospital bed gravely ill.

A sight that would leave any parent seeing red—and seeing their way to court. Compensation might help with the hospital bills. But no amount of compensation will suffice to negate the painful suffering of a child, and the suffering only a parent witnessing the writhing of a child in unspeakable agony, can feel.

If your child has been affected as the result of taking Children's Motrin, please seek the services of a qualified legal professional. For the sake of your child, and all children.