Bactrim Sulfatrim Septra Septrin TMP/SMZ side effects
Page 7 of mail to investigative reporter Brian Deer recounting sometimes serious side effects of the antibiotic often known as Bactrim, Sulfatrim, Septraor TMP/SMZ
SEPTRA: 25 January
Hi,
I just wanted to share my almost immediate response to ONE Septra. I was prescribed it yesterday for a sinus infection, and though I’d mentioned that I’d had a skin reaction to Amoxicillin as a child, the doctor and pharmacist didn’t mention anything to me that alarmed me. I took the one pill at night and then woke up about five hours later and my cheeks were all red and warm. This is a similar reaction to the one I get when I drink sake or beer (I’ve suspected it, but now I’m pretty sure I have a sulfite allergy). I called my father, who is a pharmacist, and he told me to stop taking it, and to take some benadryl to stave off the allergic reaction. Today I’m lightheaded and feel generally out of it. I called the advice line through my healthcare provider and am waiting for a doctor to call me back.
Reading over this site, I can’t believe doctors prescribe something like this without more questions, restrictions, information.
Thanks,
Amy
SMZ/TMP: 27 January
I have just found your site and its not a day too soon. I have been prescribed smz\tmp other wise known as bactrim for a throat infection that zithromax could not cure. Bactrim has cured my sore throat but brought along with it lots of side effects. I have a kidney transplant and I have been very fatigued as well as had a tingly sensation thru out my body. The fatigue has gotten worse every day I have taken it.
Thank GOD i have found this site I will stop taking this medication as of today.
I now know the reason for all my fatigue and the tingly feeling I have through out my body.
BACTRIM DS: 1 February
I just took Bactrim DS for the first time in my life (I am a Diabetic, Asthmatic (chronic mod. severe w/ acute flareups) and I have moderately severe allergies (skin tested @ 1/5th the normal testing doses and still blew up off the chart) and allergic to sulfites and hemp rope besides every item I was tested for.
I went to the ER with a rapidly progressing UTI, (the first in my life) and the ER doc prescribed me Bactrim DS.
I had been having moderately severe cramping, nausea, and some fatigue, however I thought it was related to the UTI as these were present at onset. Only the flank pain, the pain on urination and the urinating of blood deceasedand abated. On the 8th day, I presented with a rapid onset of severe rash which spread from my elbows to the rest of my body except my face and neck within 12 hours.
When I was in the ER the rash and elevated Blood pressure and high pulse were the only symptoms noted and I was released with a regimen of benydryl, pepcid, and prednisone. I am very worried that this is not the right course of action as the rash is still continuing. This is NOT a normal rash – it looks like a rash. however it feels like millions of tiny blisters as they burn and itch.
I am trying to go see my regular DR tomorrow whom I hope has the proper resources to assist me as I am very concerned that this could develop into a more serious issue as the rash has yet to abate and indeed has continued to progress. I also have joint pain and occasional chills.
If you have any additional links that may be of assistance to my doctor I would appreciate the forwarding of such to this email Address.
Thank you so much for the help you have already provided.
Kathie F, Oklahoma City, OK
BACTRIM: 2 February
Brian:
Thanks so much for your website. I had two different urologists prescribe Bactrim to me for a total of 24 days in September of 2003. I had a prostate infection. Towards the end of the 24 days I started to notice almost arthritis-like pains in my joints and bad muscle pains in my legs. Insomnia was a problem all of a sudden. Pain in my left arm had me in the emergency room twice. Electrocardiograms were normal both times. A severe depression came upon me. By the time I ended up in a psychiatric hospital I hadn’t slept in 54 hours. Stomach problems started before I even got into the hospital. Constant diarrhea and stomach pain. I got out of the psychiatric hospital after one week and immeditely went to sent a gastro doctor. He said that my stomach problems were caused by the Bactrim and that I probably had swelling of my intestines because the Bactrim destroys all of the “good” bacteria in your gut and causes the swelling. I’m feeling better physically the more distance I get from the time I took Bactrim. My stomach still isn’t the way it was before I took Bactrim but I’m hoping that in time it will be back to normal. Oh yeah, before I took Bactrim I was running about 20-25 miles a week and fortunately had never had any serious medical problems. Thanks for making people aware of the dangers of this drug. I’ll never take it again.
Tim W, Atlanta, GA
SULFATRIM: 8 February
Hi,
I am just writing to let you know that I have a pet guinea pig suffering from the symptoms described in the side effects described. I am fascinated. Although it is not a human, it is still a young helpless creature that I care about. The vet is totally baffled by the ulcers-nose, eye areas, feet, anal area and her ears. She is off the med and we are treating the wounds with warm wet compresses and an antibiotic ointment.
It kills me how I received Bactrim oodles of times for sinus infections and some UTIs. I stopped using it because I thought that my bacteria were resistant to it. I try to ride out the sinus infections or use something else. Although this isn’t related to your info exactly, I thought I would share it.
Mary Ellen C, Wallingford, CT
BACTRIM: 11 February
This drug is very very dangerous and should be taking off the market!!! I took the drug for a urinary tract infection in July 2003 and very very ill with flu like symptoms that had me in the bed for a week. I don’t remember all the details at this point, taking that medication could have cause to me have memory black outs and forgetfulness. HOWEVER…..
My husband is a healthy 55 year old man that take no medication. He was prescribed this medical on Feb 3, 2004. He too was felt like he was developing a urinary tract infection and his dr decided to give him “The Deadly Bactrim Pill” to head it off since he had a urinary tact infection a year ago and was prescripted Cripro (which is a strong drug that again had him in bed for sometime.) Well, right away my husband began to get very sick he vomited two or three times. He had chest pains and stomach pains and shortness of breath. This was on a Tuesday evening at work…..he called me on the phone vomiting and I had to go get him from work. He decided to drive home some two hours later when he got himself together. He was sick Wed, Thur and by Friday morning I found him on the floor thrashing around trying to catch his breath and complaining of chest and stomach pains.
He asked for something to drink and I have it to him and then helped him onto the bed. He colasped on the bed and begin to have something that look like a stroke. His eyes were topping out of his head and the white of his eyes turned blood red. His tongue was rolling around his mouth and he had his hands in a fetal position and took one last big breath and urine and defecated on his self. I called the paramedic who revived him and to this day he is still in the hospital. He is recovering slowly but he does remember what happen from Friday until today. Each day he is getting better as he had hundreds of people praying for him. The doctor cannot find anything wrong with him and don’t know why is had what he had. But after reading these articles and as well as a friend finding an article in a supermarket magazine about a women “Kathy” who had the same symptoms…..it is no doubt that “The Deadly Bactrim Pill” is the culprit. We are prayerful that he recovers his memory. We own a printing business and he is community leader that would be sorely missed if he doesn’t fully recover. His memory was his strong point. AND THE DOCTOR ARE STILL SAYING “THE DEADLY BACTRIM PILL” IS NOT THE CAUSE.
Dee B, Boston, MA
BACTRIM: 11 February
Hi Brian,
My 33 year-old sister was diagnosed with a UTI on January 26, 2004. She was prescribed Bactrim. Two days after starting this antibiotic she developed flu-like symptoms (fever, vomiting, aches, and pains). She went to the emergency room three times in the past 2 weeks because these symptoms did not go away. She was admitted to the hospital on Feb 6 and has been there since. Doctors are all baffled as to why she is still sick and why they cannot figure out what s causing it. She is now presenting with low platelet count and fluid around the lungs (small amount). She has severe coughing attacks and is using a nebulizer to help her breathing since she has shortness of breath. Do you think this whole presentation of illness can be caused by taking Bactrim? Any suggestions or advice would be welcome as my sister is suffering.
Thank you,
Charmaine C.
Brian
A team of doctors have just told my sister that they think her problems are due to Bactrim. She was given a medication that brought her platelet count back up overnight, which led them to look at the possible antibiotic connection. Now they will do tests to determine if there are any long-term ramifications of this treatment. I will keep you updated.
Charmaine
APO-SULFATRIM: 12 February
Hi. My husband was prescribed APO-SULFATRIM DS800/160MG on Jan 22/04 for a possible urinary infection. A few hours after taking just one dose, he developed chills, sore achy joints, very bloodshot eyes, and a severe headache. Virtually incapacitated by what we thought was the onset of the flu, this normally healthy man was bed-ridden. Approximately 24 hours after taking that first dose, he requested that I take him to the hospital. The doctor immediately put him on IV fluids and tried to treat the main source of his discomfort – the blinding headache. They weren’t really sure what was causing the problem. A few hours later, after administering a IV painkiller, he was well enough to go home.
The doctor scheduled a CAT scan as a follow-up and also suggested not taking any more of Sulfatrim until feeling better, then trying again. This is what he did. A few hours after taking the pill the same symptoms appeared. So we could now conclude that this was the source. Needless to say, he did not, and will not take this drug again. He still has a residual headache from time to time (very rare for him before). After reading the fatal reactions that others have had, we were thankful that it wasn’t worse.
Regards,
Lucky R and Kim F, Ontario, Canada
BACTRIM: 19 February
I just got home from a 3 day hospital stay with my husband. He saw a vascular doctor, dermatologist and infectious disease doctor. They are saying he had a reaction to Bactrim. His toes turned blue and his penis has pus and skin like burns on it. Just wonder if you have seen these symptoms before. The doctor said it was a good thing he sought help or he could have died. He has been through tons of blood tests, cultures, sonograms, etc. to try and figure out what this was. He took Bactrim only for a sinus infection and a day later, his toes were blood red and very painful. A few days, his penis became involved. What an ordeal!
Susan C.
BACTRIM DS: 24 February
I took my first dose of a generic of Bactrim DS on last Sunday evening (to treat a bladder infection). I was to take one pill twice a day for five days. For the first few doses, things seemed fine. Then, last Wednesday, I developed a fever. It broke by the next morning, when I took my next dose. By that evening (Thursday evening), my fever returned and reached 103 degrees, accompanied by chills, fatigue, and intense muscle pain throughout my back. I went to the emergency room, where I was checked for everything but allergies. After a few hours, the fever broke and the doctors insisted that I was healthy, that the fever must have been caused by a virus. I went home and took another pill (the ninth of the ten I had been prescribed), and in the middle of the night the fever and chills returned with a vengeance. In the morning, I decided that I was suspicious of the antibiotics and refused to take my final pill. I turned to the Internet to see if I could find any information on Bactrim. I was stunned to see that signs of allergy included “drug fever.” I didn’t need to check a medical dictionary to see what that meant — I was sure that I had lived through it.
The fever subsided by Friday night, but was replaced by a burning rash that covered every part of my body except my hands and my feet. I would not go back to see another doctor about the rash — I knew the cause, and I was perfectly capable of taking Benadryl. After taking five full doses of Benadryl between Saturday morning and Sunday morning, most of the rash was gone from my torso, though as of now (early Monday evening) the redness remains in my cheeks and nose, and my arms and legs remain covered in red and purple spots.
I am angry to see that my symptoms are relatively mild compared to what could have happened to me. I am angry that the doctor in the emergency room did not recognize an allergy when adverse reactions to Bactrim seem so common. I am angry that the pharmacist did not give me any warnings about side effects. And I am especially angry that this drug is still commonly prescribed, when there seem to be so many reasons to choose other drugs. I will admit that my bladder infection cleared completely — but the havoc I endured was not worth the cure.
Eureka, Los Angeles, CA
SULFATRIM: 24 February
Hi Mr. Deer,
I am letting you know how it is going with our guinea pig that I wrote to you about. She is coming along fairly well. Although I have not mentioned it to the vet, I have added a .05 % hydrocortisone cream to our guinea pig’s treatment, which seems to be making a big difference. I took a shot a trying this because things seemed so awful to not try it.
Although I am not a nurse, I work in a nursing home and have some experience and understanding in how they treat pressure wounds and ulcerative wounds. I have followed the vet’s instructions along with picking up some ideas and some better understanding of how to approach treating the wounds. Your website and the links proved to be a helpful resource. Although the vet wouldn’t state that the source of the problem was from the Bactrim, he did say he felt more sure of it after several visits.
At this point she is nearly all healed, though will never be the same. She is most likely blind in both eyes and will at the very least need moisturizing drops several times a day. At least blindness won’t affect her as much as humans in life style needs. Her skin, ears and those other areas won’t be the same and are scarred. She has actually lost part of her actual outer ears, but still seems to hear well. She also has lost toenails that they feel will not grow back.
The rest is not so bad looking and appears normal. Thanks again for all your research, ect. Thanks also for your quick response.
I wish our country had someone like you right now. It seems that the media has sold its soul to “evil incarnate” George W. Bush, and that no one will question him. Not that I am fond of Mr. Blair either, right now, but at least we can find out what is closer to the truth in the USA as well as the world by checking out your media on the web.
God Bless You,
Mary Ellen C, Wallingford, CN
SEPTRA: 25 February
I am taking Septra for an infection of my kidney, my urologist prescribed me the double strenght because I am due to go into surgery tommorow morning and they just found the traces of bacteria in my urine sample. so this is the plan I guess. I have had a hard time with it. upon taking it I noticed nothing notable but about an hour later I began to feel flushed in my face and hot and cold sweats and while in the middle of cooking dinner had the first of Many instances where I just kinda zoned out. I had to stop and think where am I and what am I doing. I had logged on looking for information for sideeffects since my husband is in the military and I have four young children to take care of. I wanted to know what more to expect!
Thank you VERY much for the information you have provided. I had been looking forward to this surgery to aleve the pain but I am VERY temped to stop taking the medication and just postpone the surgery! Thank you for your informative page
K G.
SEPTRA: 26 February
Hi Brian,
I have been taking Septra for a couple of years (on and off) for acne. It seems that other antibiotics do not work to clear my face. However, Septra seems to give me good control. Unfortunately, I have noticed that I have been very anxious around the same periods (weeks, months) when I taking this antibiotic. I have also notice increase hair loss and I am in my mid 20s.
Can you please tell me other antibiotics that work in similar ways to Septra that I can try. I have not had much luck with tetracycline, erythromycin, amoxicillin. Do you think it is likely that the Septra is causing me to be extra nervous and losing hair at an accelerated rate? Thanks. Bless you for your kind work.
Sincerely,
Jon
TRIMETH/SULFA: 4 March
My 11 year-old niece who lives with me was prescribed this drug for a UTI. I had never heard of this medication and didn’t question the doctor. She took ONE pill after dinner and within 1 hour broke out in a terrible rash starting at her feet and making it’s way up her leg. I am allergic to sulfur and have has a similar rash to a sulfur based acne wash and so I looked at the prescription more closley. Judging by the name “sulfa”, I presumed that it was possible for her to be allergic as well. To make sure my hunches might be right, I went on the internet to see if there was a sulfur component to this antibiotic and found your website. I must say that I am outraged that with such unbelievably severe reactions to this drug, that my doctor gave this to my Rachel. She is at this very moment in the emergency room with her father, because I will not take any chances on this reaction being passed off as a little rash. Thank you for this site and I pray that no one else gets hurt by this drug. I will surely pass on the word. Let’s hope Rachel will be ok. Thanks again.
Sincerely,
Michele H.
RELATED:
Bactrim-Septra: a secret epidemic
Chronology of a newspaper campaign
<<< Go to the first page of mail <<<
>>> Go to the next page of mail >>>
SYMPTOM SEARCHER: This site has hundreds of visitors’ experiences. Enter Bactrim and your keywords in the SEARCH BOX on any page