Bactrim Septra Sulfatrim Septran SMZ-TMP DS side effects reports
Page 10 of mail to investigative reporter Brian Deer recounting sometimes serious side effects of the antibiotic often known as Septra, Bactrim, Sulfatrim or TMP/SMZ
SEPTRIN: 13 July
Dear Sir,
I have just read articles on the toxic effects of Septrin and wondered if you have any reports of growth problems for children prescribed this drug.
My son, Mark, was prescribed Septrin at the age of 3 months in January 1988. He had kidney problems which resulted in continuous infections until he was 6 months old and had a hemi nephrectomy. Investigations showed that he still had reflux from the bladder after his operation and he remained on Septrin . This was a daily maintenance dose, 5ml every night before bedtime. After his operation he remained fit and well and there appeared to be no side effects from the drug and he continued on the maintenance dose. until he was about 4 years 9 months in 1992. At this point it was decided that he should stop the drug and no further kidney infections occurred.
By the age of about 7 years old it became apparent that my son was far too small for his age. We were referred to Great Ormond Street hospital for further tests. His father is 6′ 4″ tall and I am 5′ 7″, this is considered to be above average for both male and female. A close eye was kept on his growth and although he was very small, he still appeared in proportion and very healthy. Measurements were made of his wrist bones and his predicted adult height was 5′ 2″. This is very small for two such tall parents.
As he approached the time for adolescence to commence there were no developments at all. He progressed to the adolescent clinic at the Middlesex Hospital in London. At the age of 15 Mark was prescribed a monthly dose of Sustanon in order to kick start his body into puberty, an event that showed no sign at all at this stage. Sustanon began the changes needed for Mark and he began to develop into a young man, however, it did not also have the desired effect of helping him to grow. In December 2003 Mark started on a daily injection of Genotropin growth hormone in the hopes that this would increase his statue, unfortunately this has been unsuccessful. His height remains at under 5′ tall and his 17th birthday is in October this year.
Mark’s consultant has no answers as to why Mark is so small. He says that he will revisit Mark’s endocrinology when he has attained maximum growth. Recent x-rays showed that Mark’s bone age is 15 months behind his years and so there is room for improvement. There is a strong possibility that he will have to remain on the Sustanon for the rest of his life. His predicted adult height is still 5′ 2″ maximum but this just may not happen.
My daughter, who is now 20 years old, is the same height as me so there does not appear to be a problem for her. There are no height problems in either of our families, in fact my ex husband’s family are all well above average height, even his sisters, one of whom is 5′ 10″.
Mark is a healthy and well adjusted lad. He has always been aware that he will not be tall and of the problems that he had as a baby. He was born by caesarean section, two weeks early, at a good size, 7lbs 12 ozs. He was a normal size baby and his growth just appeared to slow down after he was about 6 months old.
I may be clutching at straws but I would like to have some answers for Mark. His consultant says that if Mark ever has children they will need to be checked for growth from birth. At the moment we have no idea why he has his growth problem. Maybe it was the kidney problems, maybe something in our families, perhaps it was having a daily dose of Septrin for over 4 years.
Please would you let me know if you have had any other enquires of this sort, it may well help to answer our questions. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you should need more information.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Yours sincerely,
Suzanne T.
SEPTRA: 13 July
I was prescribed Septra for a spider bite. Within two hours of taking one dose my air way and chest felt “tight” and it was very difficult to breathe. I was taken to the emergency and was given steroids and Benedryl for the side effects. I am now taking three different medications for three days just to offset the one dose of Septra. My emergency room doctor and pharmacist did not seemed surprised by the reaction.
Jennifer. Baton Rouge, LA.
SMZ-TMP (VETERINARY): 20 July
Good Afternoon Brian..
I am writing to you to see if you have heard from anyone who has taken SMZ-TMP or has had their veterinarian perscribe this drug to their dog and experienced problems with their thyroid levels dropping well below the extreme lower levels….If so, could you e-mail to me those encounters…This is why…
My 12 pound, 15 yr. old dachshound had symptoms of having a possible urinary stone or infection…His urinary test came back okay but he was urinating more frequently than normal and also while sleeping and seemed to be in discomfort when he went to sit or lie down…So the Vet but him on 480mg. of SMZ-TMP for 14 days, 1/2 tablet twice a day…just in case he had an infection that was not picked up in the UA….The medication made him drowsy during the first week and where normally he is very verbal (not barking…he makes all kinds of verbal noises as if talking) he became very silent…That seemed strange but I thought it was just because the medication made him sleepy…By that Saturday and Sunday he was in such a deep sleep it was scary so I stopped giving him the whole tablet and only gave him the shorter of the half of a tablet once a day on Sunday and Monday…He seemed to improve a very very slight bit…On Tuesday during the day, I called the doctor’s office to be sure this was an antibiotic and that the dosage was correct for Theodore’s size…I was assured all was well…By Tuesday evening when I got home from work, Theodore had much problem standing up without falling to one side or the other…I took him outside to go to the bathroom and he just stood against the little garden fence as though he were still asleep…He tried to eat his dinner but seemed to have much difficulty eating…I called the doctor’s office again…This time they went over symptoms but not the one’s he had…I told them I was going to stop the medication and that was agreeable…My Vet was not in and would not be in until Friday…I was advised that if Theodore was not better in the morning I could bring him in for another Vet to see him that the medication should be totally out of his system by Wednesday evening…He was a little more improved but not enough in the morning so I took him to the Vet’s office and he was seen by another associate. I asked if Theodore’s system could be extremely sensitive to this medication and that would prompt the symptoms…I was again told that this is a very commonly used antibiotic…that the dosage was appropriate for his size and the likelyhood was very small…This vet said he looked good…She did not see a need to give him fluids to flush out his system or to take blood or UA test…I asked if she was sure and she said no…They could observe him if I wanted to leave him but they would not take any tests at this time…I felt that would just ad to his stress and brought him home…He did not improve completely by Wednesday evening so I call my vet…Again I asked if he would be sensitive to this medication, how long before it would no longer be in his system and the symptoms to stop…I was not answered..It was suggested I bring him in on Saturday to see my vet. I did…He took an extensive blood work up and called me yesterday, Monday 7/19/04, to report the following:
The tests revealed emzines in his liver which has caused some damage, his chloresteral was extremely high and his thyroid levels were far below the lowest level point…
I again asked if Theodore could be extremely sensitive to this medication and again was told most likely not but there are exceptions..
Mostly, I was repeatedly told that I had to keep in mind that Theodore was old….I do not accpet that…I am right on top of my dogs’ health and they lack for nothing…These symptoms were not there before he took the medication….I also went through the list of meds the dogs had been prescribed prior for UA infections and bladder infections and found that this very drug had been used on one of my dachshunds who suffered with a brain tumor and was having a repeated problem with bladder infections and the usual antibiotics were not working…She became so lathargic (sp?) that I thought she had died…rushed her to the vet…He flushed her system and she recovered….that was about a year and a half ago and I had forgetten the name of this drug until I fould the bottle with the remaining pills that I had saved so I would not forget and ever have perscribed again…I took those to the doctor’s office with me and showed them to him and his associate and shared to joggle his memory Cricket’s episode…He remembered. Theodore has been almost as lethargic as Cricket but he has moved when I tried to awake him and he could walk somewhat where she could not…Her health problems might have also contributed to her extreme reactions…So now Theodore is on thyroid medication to hopefully bring up his levels….I am to see the vet in a week to review his improvements…If he does not show the improvements the vet thinks he should show then the vet wants to do a two part blood test…
If this drug is this dangerous…WHY IS IT STILL ON THE MARKET!!…Does the medical community have to experience massive deaths before they admit to it’s danger before they remove it from the market!!!!
Theodore seems to be progressing…I do not contribute that to this new medication as he just began it last evening and has only had 2 pills…I think just being off the antibiotic and it slowly leaving his system has allowed for the sightful improvement….I NOW WORRY ABOUT WHAT PERMENENT DAMAGE IT HAS CAUSED AND WHAT MEDICAL PROBLEMS WILL RESULT….
I am taking pages from your website to the doctor’s office for his review in hopes he will stop perscribing this terrible drug….
Many thank yous….
Linda. Baltimore, MD.
SMZ TMP: 21 July
Hello,
I didn’t expect to find this site when I was searching for side effects of SMZ TMP. I am on my second day of 2 pills a day- prescribed for a UTI. Last night I had diarrea, & today I woke up feeling like I have the flu. I have a terrible headache & my neck & back feel achey.
Leah. Texas.
BACTRIM: 21 July
i took 1 dose of bactrim next morning had blisters all inside my mouth,down my throat,on my hands.rash on legs & back,face & lips swelled.pain in left kidney which seemed fine before that dose,its been 14 days my gums are still swollen & kidney hurts severely still.now i’m told i may have a kidney stone which is hard to understand.i wish this medicine was off market it causes so much damage to so many even death.i wish u well with ur health
.thanks for listening.but what can a person do to if the doctors do not listen & understand.its real depressing for me so many have to suffer.
Vickie G.
BACTRIM: 22 July
Mr. Deer,
I really kind of stumbled across your web site…. was recently looking up any info with neuropathy and bactrim when I stumbled on the below information. I had a problem with “cold feet” over the last couple of years (during the winter) and that had evolved into including a usually mild burning / tingling sensation periodically in the feet. Was weird, but the feet themselves felt very cold (at times) while the surface of feet would feel burning (like what has been described as a frost-bit sensation).
About a month ago I had Bactrim prescribed for a chronic case of prostatitis that had suddenly gone into severe symptoms. The Bactrim has been doing a good job with the prostatitis, but I have since noticed that the “cold feet feeling” of the feet has increased ten-fold (and is now permanent rather than occasional!) and that the sensation of burning / tingling in the feet has worsened… and that a “itching / burning feeling” has spread up the lower legs. That has been over the last two weeks.
In addition, that itching sensation (sort of a mild itching and burning sensation like a light sunburn only with more itching) has started into my hands then lower arms, upper arms, my torso (mainly my back), my lower face and my scalp… in just the last 3-4 days.
My doctor has simply diagnosed “peripheral neuropathy” and that “it’s just something that you’ll have to learn to live with” that “there’s not much that can be done”.
In addition, my anxiety problems have greatly worsened (I was already being treated for PTSD and general anxiety).
Obviously I’d like to stop the Bactrim but it has been working with the prostatitis.
Help!
Larry S.
SEPTRA: 31 July
I was prescribed Septra for a bladder infection. Within 30 minutes of taking the first does I started to feel flu-like symptoms come on. My throat and ears started to itch, my sinuses felt like they were swelling and I just didn’t feel well. I called my doctor and he stated that I was probably getting a cold and it was a coquencadence. I didn’t believe him and stopped taking the medication. Well I took it again 9 months later and this time I had a worse reaction. Again within 30 minutes I had the flu like symptoms again but this time my lips, and tongue started to swell.I went to the ER and they stated that I am absolutely allergic to this medication. Now I do not want my children to ever take Sulfa drugs as well.
Am I right in believing that they could potentially have an allergic reaction just because I did. Thank you for you web site. I was so glad to find others whom have had the same experience.
Stacie Anderson, USA.
SMZ/TMP: 1 August
Dear Brian,
I thought I would look up the medicine and read up on it. I found your web site and I am glad I did and I will never never take it ever again. Every since taken this medicine back in 2000 I stay tired and weak alot and feel like I could pass out somestimes, I have problems with my eye sight,I have pain in my arms and legs, I don’t hear good, I have headace that last for days sometimes. My family and I notice that this all started back in 2000 when I started taking the medicine. I don’t think I will ever get better but I hope they take this medicine off the market so that this medicine don’t hurt no one else. Your web site has been very helful to me and I am sure alot of other people.
Donna, TN.
BACTRIM: 11 August
Hi Brian,
I was prescribed bactrim ds 2x/day. the first night I took it, I vomited it up because I was scared of the med. I didn’t know all of the side effects from your website, I was just afraid because they said there were some deaths from it in the pharmacy note that came with the prescription.
The next day I took it in the morning and about 5-6 h later I had a bad smell that wouldn’t leave my nose. I thought it was something at work. It did go away. Then I took my night dose, and I was falling asleep, but I felt like I was melting. Its hard to explain. Not my normal feeling when I fall asleep. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep. The next morning I didn’t take the drug, but I was feeling kind of drugged out. I didn’t take anything else (no alcohol, no other meds) while I was on this drug.
Currently, the smell seems to be diminishing and I no longer feel drugged out.
Shelly.
BACTRIM: 11 August
Brian Deer: Was just recently on your Website and gained some valuable information about Bactrim. To be brief, I visited my GP locally with a supposed Urinary Tract Infection. Was diagnosed with Prostratites and given a nine day regimen of Bactrim in February of 2004. I was on the Bactrim for three days and totally lost my appetite, and my stomach was very upset. I foolishly continued on the nine day regimen and after that my whole world has turned upside down.
I have very much trouble eating, no appetite, nausea most of the time and have lost 30 pounds in the preceding five months. I finally was put on Nexium in Mid-March for Acid-Reflux, had an upper GI, which showed nothing except for a possible Hiatal Hernia. Finally last week was sent to a Gastroentorologist who ordered an Endoscopy, done on 8/3. My Stomach looks like a disaster area, and the Doctor took up to 30 biopsy’s of my stomach tissue. Results of three different tests, including Cancer and e-pylori were all negative. Was given an additional Endoscopy on 8/10, and am scheduled for a CAT scan on 8/12.
I have been distressed with stomach problems ever since I took Bactrim. My stomach is incredibly inflamed.
George P, North Carolina.
SMZ/TMP DS: 12 August
I really wished I had look at your site before taking the above prescription for UTI. It’s unbelievable this product is still killing and maiming people 10 years after exposure if its side effect. Within 2 days (4 pills), I had unusual bruising and blistering on my arm, and days to weeks after quitting the 20 capsule prescription after only 9-1/2 capsules, I was getting rashes on other parts of my body, and then worried about Steven-Johnson Syndrome potential.We humans are obviously ‘expendable’.
AR, USA.
BACTRIM: 23 August
Good Evening…I was just looking over this site as I feel I had a terrible reaction to bactrim…I was taking it for a urinary track infection..I took my first pill on saturday and another on sunday morning and took one on sunday night before I went to bed..I woke on monday and couldnt stand on my feet my calves would just be a terrible breath taking ache..but as soon as I walked I was fine and if I layed down that ache instantly went away…I worked that day and then came home and went to bed…
I did not take anymore bactrim after the one that I took before bed on sunday and after calling the drs they told me that they didnt think that bactrim was the reason so I just went to bed on monday night…On Tuesday I woke up worse and went to the emergency room and spent 3 days in the hospital with them trying to figure out what was going on…They took and MRI..chest x-rays..back x-rays..an EKG and a lot of bloodwork…still whenever I stood up and stayed standing it was a terrible ache that I couldnt continue standing and again I could walk or lay down and the ache totally went away instantly…
I was released from the hospital on Thursday night and started to get a little better as the next 3 days went on…right now it is Monday and I’m feeling ok just very nervous and scared this will come back…I have talked to my primary physician and he said that they didnt find anything and sometimes you have to listen to your patient and if I thought that it was caused by the bactrim them maybe it was…I need to find out if this indeed couldve been a reaction from the bactrim as I’m afraid that it could return at any time…
Heidi.
SEPTRIN: 24 August
Dear Brian,
I’ve just returned from a trip to Germany where I unfortunately suffered from a bout of cystitis (I seem to be prone to the condition). I went to a chemist and bought this drug over the counter. (I had previously been described the drug “Septrin” in England in the mid 90s where it an caused itchy feeling inside near my ovaries). I began taking the tablets on the Friday, and returned to England on the Saturday. I felt very unwell, warm cheeks and felt clammy and developed terrible thrush. The cystitis was no better and had in fact deteriorated. By Sunday my condition had worsened and I was forced to see the emergency doctor. He told me that this drug is illegal in England now and prescribed me something else. I was interested to understand why the drug was illegal in England and that is how I have come across your site. I find it worrying that this drug is available over the counter in Germany and the pharmacist did not tell me of any risks. I still very bloated but this may be due to the other tablets I am now taking. Your site has been extremely useful.
Helen, UK.
SMZ/TMP: 6 September
Hi Brian:
I’m currently just finished a prescription of SMZ/TMP. Luckily for me, I’ve had no problems.
However, my 13-month Golden Retriever was given SMZ/TMP this summer for a skin infection this summer. After being on it for about 7days, he developed a fever of 103 (~100-101 is normal for him), and a really upset stomach. I took him into the vet the next day as I feared a tick-borne illness, since we had been in the woods.
We stopped the SMZ/TMP for a couple of weeks until the skin infections started back up. At that point, I hadn’t realized that the SMZ/TMP had caused his earlier, brief illness. I gave him 1 dose of the SMZ/TMP and within 1 hour he was uncomfortable, and again upset to his stomach. At that point, I realized the medicine was bad for him and threw it away.
2 days later, he had 2 petit mal seizures. They were pretty minor, but a real scare.
He’s absolutely perfectly healthy now, but he will never again have SMZ/TMP! I’ll steer clear of it as well.
Thanks for your site!
Wendy M. Appleton, Wisconsin.
BACTRIM DS: 9 September
Hi,
I am 29 years old and always been extremely active and healthy. In May 04′ my dermatologist put me on Bactrim ds for acne related problems. A couple weeks later a different doctor put me on a hormone balancing medication, all this to stop the acne. By mid-June, I started having severe heart palpitations and my legs were very weak. I’ve even been to a cardiologist three times and had tests done. He said the palpitations are related to stress. I don’t even have a stressful life, until now. I stopped the hormone medication, never thinking an antibiotic would cause those problems. I’ve never been allergic to anything like that before. A few weeks later a constant nasuea came and hasn’t left. I never vomit, I just always feel like I’m about to. And the worst of all is the unreal fatigue. It is an effort just to walk across my house or sometimes to even sit up. It’s affecting my life as a wife and mother because I am so unbelievably tired all the time. For the first time I wondered if it could have to do with the Bactrim. I started researching on the internet and found this sight which is helping me believe I need to get these antibiotics out of my system. The range of symptoms is so huge that it is hard to diagnose if something is really being caused by the bactrim. Thank you for making this site available. I no longer think I’m crazy for the problems my doctors are brushing off.
Laura.
BACTRIM: 9 September
Hello Brian,
I am currently taking Bactrim for a second time and experiencing little effect other than not sleeping very well, although the first time I was prescribed Bactrim I experienced severe digestion problems and heart palpitations and tightness of the chest I actually fainted on my last day of treatment.
I had my heart checked out (echo cardiogram and halter monitor) and it was normal and the only problems found were lower levels of vitamin B12.
As it turns out, after taking Bactrim I had become low in my levels of vitamin B12 in my body for a while as a side effect of the drug. Levels had to be restored to normal by taking supplements. This low B12 could have caused my symptoms, which disappeared after taking B12 and rebuilding levels in my body. I currently take it daily and have taken 200 mg of B12 with every Bactrim pill this time and none of these problems I experienced the first time have occurred this time. I haven t read anything about this and thought I d suggest people to take B12 if prescribed Bactrim. It worked for me, as I am allergic to tetracycline and penicillin and can only take this for my bladder infections.
Just wanted to pass this info and and ask that. Thanks for having your site. I firmly believe that people should be tested for Sulpha allergies before being given them because the reaction people have to them are fatal and should not be left up to chance. They are not common, but are largely fatal.
Thanks,
Heather N, Canada.
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