A 19-year-old woman reportedly burned herself from the inside out after suffering from an allergic reaction from a a friend’s prescription medication, according to ABC News.
Yassmeen Castanada reportedly took the medication that was left over from a friend’s previous illness, which caused the woman’s eyes, nose and throat to burn due to an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, her mother, Laura Corona, told the news outlet.
The woman showed continuous signs of an allergic reaction from the medication over the next few days as her body reportedly erupted in blisters.
“Her face changed within four days,” Corona stated.
She addd, “I would wipe her face and all the skin was just falling off.”
Castanada is currently covered in bandages and is fighting for her life in the burn ward at UC Irvine Medical Center in California, according to 6ABC.com.
“It can be considered a burn from the inside out because of mucosal involvement,” stated dermatologist Dr. Lawrence Matt.
Doctors have reportedly diagnosed Castanada with Stevens-Johnson syndrome, a rare but serious drug reaction that can occur even when drugs are taken as prescribed by a doctor, stated Dr. Joshua Zeichner, a dermatology professor at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan who was not involved in treating Castanada.
“Unfortunately, we have no way of predicting who would have this type reaction,” stated Zeichner.
Castanada reportedly has a 4-month-old daughter and is studying civil engineering.
“Heartbreaking, just unreal. Just watching your daughter burn in front of you, literally burn right in front of you,” stated Corona.