Deadly reactions to acne meds
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Their acne medications set off a rare chain reaction that killed them
Izzy McKinney was a healthy teenager who wrote poetry, played the mandolin and took pride in her flair with an eyeliner pencil. She also had acne.
She tried topical medications and then antibiotics. Two weeks after starting a doctor-prescribed antibiotic — trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole — Izzy came down with a mild fever.
Less than three months later, one month after her 16th birthday, Izzy’s heart failed, and she died.
An autopsy revealed the cause was DRESS — drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms. It’s a rare but deadly condition triggered by medications often used to treat acne, seizures and gout.
Subtle at first and then terrifyingly intense, the syndrome isn’t well known. That makes it particularly dangerous.
“If you know what it is, you can diagnose and treat it,” says Izzy’s mother, Tasha Tolliver. “But it’s so uncommon that many physicians are confused.”
