Bactrim Septra Sulfatrim Septrin TMP/SMZ side effects reports
Page 5 of mail to investigative reporter Brian Deer recounting sometimes serious side effects of the antibiotic often known as TMP/SMX, Bactrim, Septra or Sulfatrim
SEPTRA: 17 October
Brian, I am writing to you from the U.S. I was subscribed Septra for a prostate infection. I had taken it for ten days or so, when I began to itch all over my body. By the end of the day my face and lips had swollen so badly that my co-workers demanded that I go to the Emergency Dept. at the nearest hospital.
By the time I arrived my hands were also swelling, and my right hand showing small blisters. When I swallowed it was as if I had a huge lump in my throat. I immediately had an I. V. tube inserted in my arm and was injected with steroids, antihistamines, and adrenaline. I spent five hours being treated, and after debating amongst themselves, the doctors decided I should go home, rather that stay overnight for observation.
I was given antihistamines, and prednisone to take for the next few days. The following day things seemed to be under control. However I woke up this morning with swollen beet red hands, my face was swelling again, as well as my feet. I had broken out all over with red, incredibly hot to the touch welts on my back, underarms, around my waist, under my legs, in my groin, and on the tops of my feet and hands. I also experienced terrible chills.
I went back up to the hospital immediately, where I first heard about the possibility of Stevens-Johnson syndrome. As my primary care physician is out of town, I now have to report to the Emergency Dept. daily for the next few days to monitor my condition, and perhaps have a biopsy done on the welts or lesions.
When I found your website, I was relieved, but also incredibly angry. I pray this goes away. I’m printing out some of your web pages to give to the Dr. tomorrow when I visit. Thanks for listening.
Kent L, Salt Lake City, Utah.
SMZ/TMP: 18 October
I just recently saw your website. I was searching for more information on the drug SMZ/TMP after my fiance had the pre-mature birth of our son at 6 months old. She was perfectly healthy as was the baby up until a urinary tract infection. We went to the hospital where they monitered her and the baby, she recieved 3 shots to slow contractions and our doctor never came to examine my fiance. After orders from the doctor over the phone we where told to take the prescription for SMZ/TMP. After a week of severe abdominal pains and reassurances from our doctor that the drug was going to help and that the pain was normal we delivered our dead son. If you could in any way send me more info or direct me to anyone who could help us understand this better we would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Joe L.
BACTRIM: 18 October
Dear Brian,
I’ve had trouble with allergies and an ongoing sinus problems for the past two months. After a recent move and switch to a new health plan, the doctor I saw last week prescribed Bactrim to me, for sinusitis. Previously I’d taken cipru and zythromax for this problem (I’m allergic to penicillin), but the new doctor specializes in urinary tract infections, and I suppose bactrim was her favorite antibiotic. On Thursday (10/16/03) I took my first pill and noticed an extreme fatigue. I thought this was an effect of the flu. On Friday I took the drug twice, and both times I noticed the return of this incredible fatigue. There was also a feeling of heaviness in my chest. I felt too weak to walk around outside, or to take a shower. But the doctor had advised that by taking a full dose of a stronger antibiotic, I could kill this sinus infection that just wouldn’t go away. I imagined my body must be engaged in a fight to kill the bacteria. On Saturday (10/18/03) my ears were ringing when I woke up, and rather than feeling rested, I felt incredibly weak. Two hours later, I took my fourth Bactrim pill.
I was sitting on the sofa, editing a text. Within ten minutes, I felt an incredible weakness fall over my body. I could not hold my pen. My head felt like lead. My chest was tight, as if there were a large rock holding me down. I told my husband, and walked to the phone and tried to find the phone book, to call a health hotline or something. But I couldn’t dial. I also couldn’t stand up again. I crawled into the bedroom, fell onto the bed, and my husband put my shoes on and drove me to ER. I had trouble speaking, extreme light sensitivity, problems moving my limbs, and the feeling that I should hold my head very still. I concentrated to keep myself calm, and not to lose consciousness. By the time the doctors in ER saw me, more than one hour had passed since the allergy shock began, and my symptoms had significantly subsided.
I described the symptoms in detail to the nurses and doctors–ringing ears, tight chest, heaviness in my head, problems speaking, incredible fatigue. They did a CAT scan, blood tests, ekg. They found nothing. They made me feel as if I’d exaggerated, and dismissed my insistence that I was having an allergic reaction to bactrim. They said that if I were, I would have broken out in a rash. I heard this dismissal from staff at least 4-5 times. No rash, no allergy to antibiotics. They gave me a prescription for Zyrtec, and told me to see an allergist.
Today (10/19/03), I am still incredibly weak. I have a headache, dizziness, my ears are ringing, and I am too weak to stand without leaning. I spoke with my mother on the phone, a pharmacy technician. She was very upset to hear that I’d taken bactrim, which she explained was a sulfite-antibiotic. She said that I’d had a strong allergic reaction to sulfite-antibiotics as a child. Unfortunately, I seem to have forgotten about this. My father said he was also allergic to sulfite-antibiotics, and that he’d visited the emergency room after taking one as a teenager. I also called the ER today, and left a message for the resident and staff physicians who treated me. I want to be sure that they are informed that their diagnosis was wrong. I feel as if I came close to death perhaps, yesterday, and then had the added humiliated of being treated by the medical staff as if I were merely hysterical.
Thank you for creating this website, and for making information accessible to me to find, the day after this incident took place. I wish I knew what to do about my current symptoms. Thus far, I can only think to take Benadryl, against the possible inflammation/swelling of an allergic reaction. When I see my new doctor on Monday, the one who specializes in UTI, I don’t suspect she’ll have any useful assistance.
Angela J, Ypsilanti, MI.
SEPTRIN: 28 October
Brian,
I have just been reading your anti-Septrin campaign. It is very sad indeed that so many people have these bad reactions and these deaths have ocurred.
However, as a someone with a chronic urine infection I have to take Septrin whenever my condition flares up – and when it does it can get really serious including kidney infection, bleeding and severe fever.
Septrin has been the only drug to effectively control these flare-ups. I am pretty much sure that were it not for this drug I would not be alive today.
There must be many people like me who have been saved with Septrin, probably more than those allegedly killed.
It sounds to me that the need for an allergy test might be more useful to the world community as a whole than a banning of this drug which has helped millions.
David C.
SEPTRIN: 2 November
Hi Brian
Very intrested in your story. I am currently undergoing Chemotherapy for Hodgkins Disease have had 11 sesssions of Chemo, 1 to go then the big scan. I developed problems after 4 sessions of Chemo and the doctors were unsure if I had Pneumonia, an infection associated with my daughter who had Chicken Pox at the time or if it was an adverse reaction to a chemo drug called Bleomycin.
As a precaution they took me of the Chemo Drug bleomycin and started me on Septrin my Dosage was 22 x 480mg tablets a day taken in 3 lots of 6 and 4 at night time. Subsequent tests have confirmed that the chemo Drug Bleomycin caused the problems and has caused fibrosis to my lungs which will hopefully be recoverable. I have to accept this as it was noboddys fault.
I believe that at this point I should have been taken off Septrin as it was being used to treat Pneomonia which I did not have.
However after about 4 weeks of being on the drug Septrin I started to develop a red rash on my inner thighs, breathlessness and thrush in my mouth and throat. I was continuing to take a high maintenance dose of Septrin and the rash breathlessness and thrush was getting worse by the day.
My symptons were described to a GP, Chemotherapy Nurse twice and the chest specialist who was treating me. None of them suggested that the Septrin could be causing the problems.
I finally decided to look up the effects of Septrin on the net and was astonished that its side effects were exactly the same as mine. I continued with the drug and made an appointment to see my GP. After reading the fact sheet she immeadately took me of Septrin.
At one point I thought I was losing my mind as I could not concentrate or sit still or relax.
Can you tell me if there are any long term side effects from the drug Septrin and whether I have a case to go legal ?
Many Thanks
Andy
SEPTRA DS: 10 November
Hello from across the pond,
I am a legal nurse consultant who is researching a case where there was a fetal demise during a pregnancy with twins. The mother was prescribed Septra DS twice for urinary tract infections during her third trimester. Do you have any references for fetal death or birth defects associated with Septra? I would be most appreciative if you could share them.
Sincerely,
Kristin G.
SMZ/TMP: 14 November
Last week I began taking a prescription of the above antibiotic prescribed to me for a sinus infection. Neither the prescribing doctor or the pharmacy warned me about any side effects. I failed to read the information given to me with the prescription because I just assumed it was another antibiotic and I have never had a problem with antibiotics. The second day on the antibiotic I had a guest over for dinner and we drank several glasses of wine. That night I was awake most of the night with a splitting headache. I assumed it was the wine. The next morning I had diarrhea for hours and then I got nauseated and threw up quite violently. I remained in bed for the rest of the day. The following day I resumed taking the antibiotic. I have had almost a constant headache and nausea all week. Then two nights ago after getting in bed, I began shaking from the inside out. I was so cold I could not go to sleep. My head and neck ached so bad I began to think I might be dealing with meningitis. I put on my sweats, put extra blankets on the bed, put my heating pad in bed with me and turned up the heat. I finally went to sleep at 5:00 am and needless to say was unable to go to work the next day (which cost me $200 as my boss does not pay for sick leave. This was the first time in 3 years that I had to miss a day of work because of sickness. I have always been very healthy). While being at home I started wondering if all this sickness might not be side effects from the antibiotic since it all started right after I began taking the prescription. After going on the Internet today and reading about all the side effects and peoples ruined health, I am very upset. I am wondering now if I might end up with long term health problems. I don’t know what to do next – if anything. Do you give advice?
Thank you,
Sandy T.
SEPTRIN: 15 November
Hi Brian
I am allergic to Septrin and after taking it when I had pleurisy quite a few years ago I became quite ill.
I was diagnosed with Lupus in 2001 and Septrin is one of the drugs that can induce a flare-up of Lupus. All patients of the Lupus Clinic at St Thomas’ hospital in London, where I received my diagnosis, are strongly advised not to take this drug. I hope this information is useful
Hazel E.
TRIMETH-SULFA: 16 November
Our son Thomas was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection in August of 2003. Trimeth-Sulfa was prescribed on 8/16/03. He took one dose, one tablet before bedtime on Saturday the 16th. When we awoke on Sunday the 17th we found him on his bedroom floor, gasping for breath, with some blood around his mouth and nose area. Doctors later speculated that he might have bitten his tongue while vomiting. His brain swelled (like meningitis) and he died on Tuesday August 19th. After reading your web site and some of the side effects, it could very well be that Thomas had a severe reaction to this medicine. Have you heard of this type of reaction from others?
Thomas was only 16. In excellent health. He was a special needs child, developmentally delayed and small in size. But nothing prepared us for this.
I don t know if you even have this email address anymore, but wanted to inform you of what happened to us. Are there any groups or discussion groups regarding this problem?
Thank you for your time.
Michael P. Spokane, WA.
TRIMETH-SULFA: 16 November
Mr. Deer: Thank you for such a quick response. We just went to Tommy s gravesite today to visit. It was a pleasant surprise to find your note.
We did discover your site by looking up the drug, because, quite frankly, there was not anything else we could think of that would have caused his death. He was perfectly healthy before taking the drug. However the doctors told us sulfa was harmless and they could not imagine how just one dose would cause these problems. I think they are wrong.
I do have to add that the doctors fought a valiant battle with Tom, and were very supportive to us. But his brain swelled so much that as soon as we took him off the respirator he passed on. Even though we have other children that are older, this tears a hole in your heart and soul. If we had just questioned more or watched him closer we might have caught him sooner.
We have not been able to find anything in the states that address this issue, nor support or on line groups that discuss this problem. So far your site has the only info that links trimeth-sulfa with such adverse effects. I did see on one other site side effects that said in RARE cases Tommy s reaction could happen.
Anyway your column was an eye opener. We are going to pass this information along to the pediatrics unit here in Spokane so they might be able to react sooner in the future.
Again Thank you for writing. I m going to print this off to show my wife. And Thank You for making this information and research of yours available to the public.
Sincerely;
Mike P. Spokane, WA.
SMZ-TMP (VETERINARY): 18 November
Dear Brian,
We have a Golden Retriever who is eight months old. Up until two weeks ago he would wake up (after sleeping in his crate all night) about 6:30am and go pee in a dirt spot on the side of our house, come in and eat, then immediately go back to his spot for number two. He’s been doing so great.
When the California fires were burning we noticed that his eyes weren’t looking right, so we took him to our vet who said they were infected because of the smoke. He prescribed SMZ-TMP. The day after he started this medication he refused to go pee in his spot, but if you took him on the grass he would go right away. Everyday has gotten worse to the point that he wouldn’t pee for hours, even on the grass. When he did go it didn’t seem to hurt, so we didn’t think it was a bladder infection. He wouldn’t even sniff around. It’s like he was afraid of the dirt or something… very strange. He was acting normal otherwise; very playful and eating fine.
We asked the doctor about side effects and he said that this has nothing to do with the antibiotic. Although, he said the dog may be “rebelling”. That didn’t seem right because we usually gave him the pill mixed in with food or with a treat. He eventually got exited when he saw the medicine bottle.
The Vet initially prescribed about 10 days worth. After one week we went back for a checkup and he prescribed 10 more days. After about 15 days we really started to worry and wanted to do more research. We called the Vet again to ask for the official name of the drug and they gave us the run-around, saying “Oh, it’s such a long name, I can’t even pronounce it… come in for a brochure… etc”. It immediately raised a red flag.
Finally, after getting a little nasty with them, they gave the name. I did more research and found this site. We immediately stopped giving it to the dog and the next day he was back to normal, going to the right spot on the side of the house.
Thanks for posting all of this information on your site. Our dog seems to be fine, but I still wish I would’ve found your site a little earlier.
David G.
BACTRIM: 19 November
I can only tell you that my kidneys are in such pain , I was prescribed bactrim just yesterday. I hurt so bad. I have M.S., take copaxone. I stopped taking it I fear my kidneys will get damage , The doc has me on it for bronchitis . Let me know if you have ever heard of this drug effecting the kidneys.
Lynda.
BACTRIM: 23 November
Bio: Retired 72 year old male, in generally good health.
I located this site when I recently suspected I was having “side-effects” from a new prescription I was taking for a UTI. I have had these infections in the past, but had never received this particular medicine before. Because of a esophageal problem, my doctor usually tries to give me liquid form antibiotics, e.g. Augmentin, etc. My regular GP was away, and his assistant prescribed a generic form of Bactrim Pediatric suspension (Sulfameth-Trimeth Suspension).
By the second day, I was very uncomfortable with body aches, especially my back, and the beginning of leg pains, especially in the calves. By the end of the fourth day, I suspected some kind of severe allergic reaction as my legs were very swollen, walking was extremely difficult, and very painful. I had to take about 1000mg of tylenol every 4-6 hours to make the pain tolerable, but this was of limited value. At the end of this fourth day, I stopped taking the meds, and called the physician’s assistant (The doctor was still away) to tell her that I suspected I was experiencing side-effects that were like phlebitis, or some vasculitis and muscle problem, but something clearly was amiss. After two days, or no improvement, I got back in to see the physician’s assistant, who said this was an allergic reaction to the meds as I suspected. She immediately got me on a prednisone pack ( MethylPrednisolone Tablets USP 4 mg -21 tablets) which I am still taking, but within an hour of the first dose, I could feel an improvement starting.
Frankly, I was shocked to see the very poor history of this “medicine” that was revealed so many years ago in the British Press and some of the medical literature there over the years, and the seeming lack of awareness here in the USA in 2003,— in fact, surprised that it was still being sold here with such a checkered past!
I for one am grateful to have found this reference and some early support it gave for my suspicions of allergic reactions that hopefully saved me and my family a lot of further anguish.
DFH, Ph.D.
SMZ/TMP: 25 November
Hi Brian,
I am emailing from the U.S. and read your site regarding the side affects of smz/tmp. I am having considerable hair loss and am a healthy 22 year old female. I was wondering if you have had similar reports regarding this specific side affect. More information on this would be extremely helpful. By the way, I am taking this medication for treatment of acne. I soon have a doctors appointment in association with this and would like your opinion before I go.
BACTRIM: 30 November
I have been searching the web for information on my 2 and 1/2 year old cough which followed upon 5 days in the hospital with peripheral neuropathy, evidently due to Bactrim since no other cause could be found in spite of blood tests, scans, etc. Neurontin took care of the neuropathy for the most part, although I still have sudden pangs, furious itches, and tingling from time to time.
But nothing gets rid of the cough. I have been examined inside and out, upside and down — no luck in finding a cause. I think it must be nerve damage in my throat from the Bactrim, and the doctors agree that my diagnosis is as good as anything.
Have you heard of this? More important, have you heard of any treatment? I would appreciate any references or help you can give. Thank you for doing the investigation, but I’m sorry to say the stories don’t seem to have been read by doctors in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Best regards,
Valda C, CA.
RELATED:
Bactrim-Septra: a secret epidemic
Chronology of a newspaper campaign
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