Allergic to sulfa drugs symptoms and conditions

I began taking SMZ on the evening of 11-16--09. 2 a day for the duration. On thursday afternoon my hands began to quiver and shake and I felt very week. I was dizzy and could barely walk. I usually read the side effects of drugs but I have had the same doctor for 20 years and didn't much think that he would prescribe such a menace to society. That evening I went to the ER and my symptoms were "flu-like" but I had no fever, BP was fine and EKG was OK. I got on the net and discovered side effects that exactly matched what I was experiencing. I felt fine saturday and worked around the house. Later, the symptoms started again (my last dose was thursday evening) only this time my insides were quivering and I had palpatations. What the hell was the FDA thinking with this stuff? Someone got a new car in the driveway. Has anyone died because of this crap? My whole life I have never been allergic to sulfa drugs. Could be the PABA. Remember years ago when they had to remove it from sun protection products because it caused a severe rash? I think it's the same product. Coppertone advertised "PABA free products" and was successful in overcoming a possible problem.

Ed from Columbia

I have been on this for 6 days for a UTI. I personally am not allergic to sulfa drugs and have had absolutely no problem while on it so I can't speak to specific side effects but I do have something to say about it. I'm a little confused as to why so many of you believe that this drug should be taken off the market. Surprise, a lot of people are allergic to sulfa drugs which accounts for the vast majority of adverse events described by nearly everyone on this post. And guess what, every single drug comes with side effects (Tylenol, Advil, Tums, etc. are no exception) and you accept the risk of those side effects when you put it in your body and weigh that risk against the possible benefits. It's not your doctor's or the drug company's fault you're allergic! Antibiotics, including this one, have saved millions upon millions of lives. It seems intuitive but it evidently must be said: if you're allergic to it STOP TAKING IT and call your doctor so he can prescribe a different antibiotic. Seriously people, it's not rocket science. Hives are a pretty straight- forward symptom of an allergy and one that can be diagnosed by the lay person. I am a medical professional, but even if I wasn't, you don't need an MD behind your name to figure that one out. Why would you continue to take it after having an obvious reaction? (a reaction that, by the way, is a well documented, clearly stated possible side effect of this particular medication if you'd taken the time to ask any questions whatsoever regarding your own health, not a surprise adverse event of a bad drug) It's not rocket science, it's common sense people. When I'm prescribed something I'm not familiar with, my first question is, "What do I need to know about this." Even after a satisfactory explanation, I look it up before taking it. In fact, that's how I found this post. Which brings me to my last point, why is it that people blindly put things into their bodies that they know nothing about. If the pharmacist doesn't explain drug information to you in person, that's what the little drug safety pamphlet attached to your Rx is for. Read it, that's why it's there. OR, there's always the option of using this wonderful resource called the internet. Use your brains for god sake and take a more active, responsible, and informed role in your own healthcare process. You are ultimately responsible for your own health, and to be completely honest, you're one of the only people who actually cares about it (guess what, your doctor probably isn't one of them because he has a hundred other pain in the ass patients with no common sense to keep track of). Think people...

i grew up with many differently bladder problems. and almost every time when i was younger i was given bactrim for a uti or kidney infection. well eventually i was put on this medication so much i became immune to it so they stopped giving it to me for like ten years to see if i could continue using it. since that ten years has passed every time i now take bactrim i have a very strange side effect that i have never in a million years experienced before. after bactrim is in my system for about 24hrs i develop a rash. i know what your thinking normal but no not really. this rash like "burn" only shows up in my pubic area on the right side toward the top of where my pubic hair grows. and it itches like crazy. but whenever i go to itch it then it burns so badly it brings tears to my eyes it hurts. this "mark" only shows up in that spot. they have finally come to the conclusion that i am allergic to sulfa drugs. but even with that being said why doesn't the rash spread any where else. it is kinda embarrassing that it only shows up in that spot. now i'm concerned the ob-gyn wants me to get the gardasil injections and i was reading the ingredients in the vaccine and it contains hydroxyphosphate sulfate which i am concerned may be a sulfa drug which means i might not be able to have that vaccine.

I was prescribed 750 mg per day yesterday for 5 days for bronchitis. I took my second pill today and I cannot bare weight on my legs, the achiness and knee pain is excruciating. My husband called my brother-in-law to help get me to the car so we could go to the emergency room. While we were waiting for him, I looked at my prescription info because that was the only thing different. I am also allergic to sulfa drugs and thought it could be a reaction to the meds. I called the pharmacist and was told this was not a common side effect but definitely could be from the drug and to stop taking it. We didn't go to the er but decided to wait and see if this would become better. I can't walk and I'm 42 years old! After 2 pills!!!

i have been taking this medication and ive been itching .
nearly scratching my arms off
and making me throw up .
and get sicker than i was

First I am someone who believes in the less drugs a person has to take, the better off they are. I will go days with a headache before I take an asprin. Recently, on Oct 19, 2008 I was prescribed Bactrim DS and Keflex for what DR. said looked like staph infection in ear. I had a cyst or a pimple or something in my ear that burst the night before so I went to the Urgent care to have it checked out (should never have gone to the doctor for this). Against my better judgment I filled the prescription and took the antibiotics for the first 6 days out of the 10 day course. Honestly I think hydrogen peroxide would have been fine for the ear issue and no need for overkill with antibiotics. I informed this Doctor that in 2005 I had been bitten by a dog and was given a double dose of antibiotics for that, I had a slight reaction and I wasn't sure he should be putting me on another double dose of antibiotics because of this. He went on and on about drug resistant staph strains these days. I stopped taking the drugs on day 6 as I could tell I was going to have problems. The next day my left eye swelled and I was itchy all over my body. The day after that, woke up, left eye swelled again and still really itchy all over. I tried calling the Urgent Care no one answer the phone. Called the pharmacy told them what was happening. They told me to stop taking the drugs which I already had done and to take benadryl. Started benadryl. Next day swollen left eye, itchy all over and now I had two hives, one on my upper left leg/pelvic area, and on on the right side of my waist. Went back to the Urgent Care I told them this is due to the antibiotics they prescribed, note it in my chart and find out what they prescribed 3 years earlier when I was bitten by the dog. Was told to take benedryl or Claritin and work on this from the inside and use hydrocortizone creams and oatmeal baths for the itching on the outside. Started all of this, but nothing helped with the itching. Next morning woke up, my eye was not swollen, but I had hives all over my body (mainly on my butt, legs, lower torso, and scalp) and really intense itching everywhere. My skin temperature felt extremely warm when I touched myself. I also started wheezing a bit but grabbed an outdated inhaler for Provental took a few puffs and the wheezing went away. Next morning, woke up now the hives were on the left side of my face, back, moving onto the chest, a few on the stomach, lower torso covered, legs covered, moving onto my ankles, scalp covered, and the left side of my bottom lip was really swollen. My left ear was flaming red (both ears hurt badly) and was swollen to twice it's normal size. The itching was unbearable. I took photos of myself, popped a Claritin, and a benadryl and knocked myself out for 4 hours. When I woke up I still looked the same (like s*#t) but the itching was finally gone. I took myself and the photos back to the Urgent Care. The doctor could not believe I looked like that as he had seen me two days prior with only two small hives and a slightly swollen eye. I was given a shot of epinephrine and am now taking prednisone and was told if I have any more breathing issues go straight to the ER. That night the hives moved to my wrist and palms of my hands. The palms were extremely painful, swollen, and flaming red. They were itchy, but if I touched or rubbed them, they burned like they were on fire. Pretty much over the course of this, any of the areas that were nuclear red burned like they were on fire (one day it was my knees, one day my ankle, three or four times it was the ears, the palms continuous for two days). I went to bed that night with my palms resting on bags of ice. Yesterday woke up, had small hives all over my face (luckily no swollen lip or eye), hives were now on my neck, moving onto my arms, hands, and feet, a couple on my chest, and they are still all over the rest of my body. At lunch time yesterday (Friday I started sweating behind my neck and I took it as a good sign since I had not broke a sweat in the past 5 days and my skin did not feel like it was 5, 10, 15 degrees hotter then normal when I touched it (other then my flaming red palms and ankle which still really hurt). It is Saturday November 1, 2008 and this is my first day (trial day) not taking Claritin or Benadryl but still on the prednisone. I still feel very drained due to the previous six days of hell (sinus hurts as well). I am pretty ticked off as I missed a concert on Thursday night because of this. Couldn't exactly go to the event with hives all over my body, especially on my face, swollen lip, and feeling really drained.

The Urgent Care got back to me on Friday regarding the antibiotics I was prescribed when I suffered the dog bite. I was prescribed Augmentin and Bactrim DS. I am trying to find out from an ear nose throat doctor what he prescribed for me right after the dog bite and I will have a list of all the antibiotics to potentially stay away from. After the dog bite incident and taking the antibiotics to clear up the infection in my leg it felt like I was having sinus issues (in hindsight I thing it was an antibiotic reaction as I am having those same symptoms now) so I went to a sinus doctor. He prescribe and antibiotic thinking I had a sinus infection. I told him I just finished a few days before a double round of antibiotics for a dog bite (how on earth could I possibly have a sinus infection?). Stupid me I should have waited for the lab results to come back before I started taking that third round of antibiotics. Of course I did not have a sinus infection. Took a round of antibiotics for nothing, but then had a swollen eye issue for the next 6 to 9 months to deal with along with trying to get all the residual antibiotics out of my system, get rid of the yeast infections I now had due to the antibiotics killing everything good in my body, and reestablishing the good flora and fauna back into my intestinal system. It took months to recover from that.

I am concerned how many months or years will I be suffering from the consequences of this unnecessary round of antibiotics? Will my eye periodically swell for the next 6 to 9 months? Will I continue to get hives? Have I suffered any permanent internal organ damage due to this? Will I die the next time a doctor prescribes me antibiotics? Pretty positive I will not let any doctor prescribe to me the Bactrim DS ever again as that one looks like it could be the one I am allergic too, but I do not know if I am allergic to the others.

Pretty much people If any DR tries to prescribe to you Bactrim DS or one of it's relatives under a different name, my advise is to insist on some other type of antibiotic as this one the harmful side effects outway the good.

I broke out in a slightly raised rash that started on my chest and spread to my arms, stomach and legs. I thought I had fifths disease except that there was no fever or runny nose before the rash appeared. According to the pharmacy - you can have a severe reaction to it if you are allergic to sulfa drugs (which I am). Next time I won't be so quick to believe everything my doctor says before trying something new..

I have been on Diovan for a couple of months. I am allergic to sulfa drugs and for the past 4 days have been experiencing tremendous itching on my upper back, face, arms and now it is spreading on to my legs. My chart at the doctors office says what I am allergic to and I have told my doctor several times but she told me Diovan did not contain sulfa and if it did it had very little and would not effect me. I am off dairy products and I don't know what is causing this terrible itching but I cant stand it any longer. I think I will discontinue this med for a while to see if my rash goes away and the itching stops. It is unbearable.

i've been prescribed levaquin off and on for about two years, last dose was a couple months ago, told the doctor i was allergic to sulfa drugs so i guess that was my only opp. so during the last two doses for a sinus infection i can't tell you the unbelievable pain in my neck and deltoid area i have tried everything pain pills lotions, neck rubs, nothing works. been off lev. for about a month now and i'm still in that same pain don't know what to do, any advice..........

I recently had a breast reduction performed and developed a minor, natural infection due to the type of surgery, yet needed an antibiotic to help clear it up. My surgeon prescribed bactrim, and I was fine for the majority of the taking. About 2 doses away from finishing the meds, I noticed a rash on my stomach when I got out of the shower. The next day, I was covered completely head to toe in a giant rash that felt like severe sunburn, with 102 fever to accompany it. I have never felt so bad in my entire life, and on top of everything else, I'm graduating from college in 2 weeks and had 2 finals to take within those 2 days. It felt like someone let me soak in boiling water for an hour--severe sunburn minus the sticking--and I was FREEZING. Well anyway, I'm just getting over the itching now, it's been a few days. And now that I think back, I did have a headache for 3 days straight prior to the hive outbreak (but I just thought it was my allergies). My PCP told me I was allergic to sulfa drugs--NO MORE OF THEM!! But no resentment to my surgeon (he's amazing), because we had no idea that I was allergic to it in the first place

I'm on day 12 of a 14 day course of Avelox.

I usually have problems with antibiotics that are of the Quinilone or Floxin family so I was worried about taking this medication.

I've hung in there so far. I seem to have had a middle ear infection caused by my sinusitis problems.

I have noticed some nausea, increased urination and tiredness. I haven't had any joint pain; maybe a bit of stiffness.

I never had antibiotic problems till the newer forms of the old antibiotics became popular. I know I'm allergic to sulfa drugs but never had problems with any other medications till recently.

Now I can't decide if it's worth the pain and misery to take the antibiotics that are now available.