In 2011, a simple Ibuprofen tablet overheat forever the life of Jaqueline Gmack. At 18, this Brazilian developed a Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a extremely rare allergic reaction.
An ordinary ibuprofen, irreversible consequences
Like millions of women every month, that day, Jaqueline takes ibuprofen to relieve her painful rules. But a few days later, something unusual was triggered. Her body is covered with blisters and she feels unbearable burns. “It was as if I had been burned from the inside”she testifies today in Surrey Live.
Hospitalized in an emergency, doctors diagnose Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SSJ) and plunge it into an artificial coma for 17 days to try to save her life. But when it wakes up, the consequences are heavy: the disease has destroyed its cornea.
His sight lost forever in the battle
Since then, Jaqueline has undergone 26 interventions, corneal and cell transplants. Before doctors resigned themselves in 2025. At 32, his vision is definitively lost in the right eye. His left eye, meanwhile, allows him to distinguish only a few forms and a little light. “I do not recognize the faces in the street, I can barely see who is next to me. I cannot walk alone because I do not see the steps, the holes or the obstacles“She explains with emotion.
Stevens-Johnson syndrome, an exceptional but serious disease
Dr. Gérald Kierzek, medical director of True Medical, confirms this to us: the SSJ is a serious hypersensitivity reaction, most often triggered by a medication. In France, it is estimated between 120 and 150 cases per year, or 1 to 6 people per million inhabitants.
The main managers are:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen;
- Certain antibiotics (sulfonamides, penicillins);
- Antiepileptics;
- More rarely infections (mycoplasm, herpes, HIV).
The first symptoms appear 1 to 3 weeks after taking: fever, discomfort, pain in the mouth or eyes, then a red rash which evolves quickly towards blisters and a detachment of the skin. In 85 to 95 % of cases, mucous membranes (mouth, eyes, genitals) are affected.
Is ibuprofen dangerous?
But then, do we take a risk of swallowing an ibuprofen cachet, in case of pain? “Severe reactions to ibuprofen remain exceptional”, reassures the expert, “But when they arrive they can initiate the vital prognosis “ . In rare reactions but already seen we can evoke:
- The edema of quincke (swelling of the face and the throat);
- Anaphylactic shock;
- Severe skin reactions such as SSJ or Lyell syndrome;
- The worsening of a preexisting asthma.
Alert signs must therefore be known: fever, discomfort, painful red eruption, blisters, impairment of the mucous membranes. “In this case, the suspicious medication must be immediately stopped and call 15. Hospitalization, often in the center for burnt, is essential”, insists the doctor.
Treatment is based on rehydration, sterile skin care, antibiotic therapy if necessary, and sometimes immunoglobulins or corticosteroids.
No drug is trivial
Even if these reactions are extremely rare, the story of Jaqueline Gmack recalls that self -medication is never without risk.
“Ibuprofen is widely used, but it should not be trivialized. The serious reactions are exceptional, but they exist. And above all, never self -medication if you have already presented a drug allergy”, warns Dr. Kierzek.
Today, Jaqueline uses the Buscopan, prescribed by her doctor, to relieve her menstrual pain. A simple treatment that could have avoided him fourteen years of suffering.