Bactrim symptoms and conditions

I have been sick for 7 months! I got the mirena in June of 2008 because I was still breastfeeding and wanted something that wouldnt interfere with that. While on it I bled every single day. I kept reading that it was normal to have spotting for a few months so I stuck with it. I did have vaginal dryness and pain with intercourse. In February 2009, the pain with intercourse got worse and then i could no longer feel the strings. I went to a new GYN and she said she could only see the tiny end of one string and did i want it removed? YES! I was relieved that it wasnt lost inside me! I saw it and it looked intact. I went back to Nuvaring which I had used before I had my 2nd daughter and liked it. March was ok. When I put the new ring in in April I immediately started having vaginal itching. It got progressively worse to where i could not stand it! Went to the GYN and she said it was "the worst yeast infection shes seem". Put me on 2 pills of diflucan. The next day started abdominal pain, fever, and severe itching! She said to take benadryl. By Monday I was VERY ill and went to my family dr. He said I had "clue cells" and diagnosed as Vaginosis but said he thought the nuvaring might be causing toxic shock syndrome. He removed it. I went on Flagyl, Bactrim, and had a rocephin shot. He tested me for every STD. Everything was normal except my elevated WBCs and sed rate. I slowly got better. Then 3 weeks later decided i needed birth control and started loestrin FE. Had sores in my mouth, abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, irregular vaginal bleeding. After 1 month switched to Ortho tricylcin Lo. Had continued abdominal pain and terrible headaches. But also had 9 days of bleeding midcycle and then started having rectal bleeding, bleeding when i brushed my teeth, skin tears around my fingernails. Then a cervical laceration from very regular intercourse. Quit birth control! I was sure it was making me sick. I had a pelvic ultrasound because of the bleeding. They found my uterus is the size of a 12 week pregnancy but dont know why and that I had a functional ovarian cyst. Then started having pelvic pain so bad it hurt to walk or sit down. Went to a new GYN (mine was on maternity leave). She diagnosed PID. Rocephin shot, Azithromax. The pain got better. But dr. called when everything came back negative and wanted a followup. Then she said there wasnt anything wrong except a yeast infection and why wasnt i on birth control? They dont listen!!!! Also said it sounds like something wrong with my immune system so I went to my GP and had a physical. Everything is normal. He thinks all my problems are coming from the GYN stuff but didnt run any labs to check my immune system. 2 weeks later I got a lump in my armpit and they put me on Bactrim. The next week I got a cold and had to use my inhaler 10 times a day and I usually never ever need it. They put me on nebulizer, oral steroids and antibiotics. 2 days later I began having horrible itching, rash on my perineum, and discharge, with the pelvic pain and low grade fevers. Went to my old GYN and she was very concerned. Put me on flagyl and 7 days of diflucan. Then 2 days later went to the er with pelvic pain. CT showed ovarian cyst, went home with vicodin. Next day the pain was so bad i couldnt drive myself to the dr! They scheduled emergency laparoscopy. My right ovary was twice the size of the left and full of blood. I thought that had been the culprit all along. 1 week later i got huge painful lumps with pus exudate on my labia. Dr said it was a skin infection, put me on Bactrim. 1 week later the pelvic pain returned worse than ever before! Worse than the post op pain! Dr said it does present as PID but i have no cause. Put me on 2 weeks of Levaquin and Flagyl and scheduled a biopsy to test for endometritis (chronic inflammation of the endometrium). She said she thought the Mirena IUD might have started all of this. Slowly got better. Biopsy was very painful. Got the results today. Negative. I am again having pelvic pain, itching, discharge, rash on my perineum. I found a specialist at the Houston Medical Center and miraculously got an appointment for next week! Another GYN I talked to said she thought i was having an immune response to the Mirena IUD or an allergy to something in it. I am still very ill! The Dr.s have mentioned a hysterectomy. I cant believe that I am going to lose my uterus and the possibility of any more children at age 28!!!! And I feel like i am slowly dying! I have spent thousands of dollars at this point on tests and copays and medications. Please help me!

I haven't finished taking the medicine yet because I'm only on day 4, but I must say that it's clearing up the staph in my right armpit. My left armpit is still swollen and hurts like hell. My mother is an RN, and she's been trying to drain the pus and blood from the wound. It hurts so bad that I'm ready to just drive up to the local ER and have them lance it. How long does it usually take for Bactrim to clear up the infection? I'm taking 2 pills once a day for 10 days.

And another thing, I think why people are having nasty side effects to the medicine is because it's not mixing well with their body chemistry. My sister took Bactrim last year for MRSA, and she cleared up beautifully without any horrible side effects.

Thanks guys!

As I posted earlier, I got the Mirena taken out a week ago and they told me it was normal procedure to do a culture when they remove it. Now they call me back and tell me I have MRSA which is the really bad staph infection, INSIDE me, and it was most likely caused by the Mirena IUD. This thing is so serious it's considered an infectious disease, and the 2nd doctor I saw about it literally said, "If it gets into your blood stream you can die." Wow. Thanks, Mirena.

I had an infection on my foot (could have been Staph because it was very aggressive and painful with lots of swelling) and was prescribed 'Bactrim' or Sulfamethoxazole. Everything was fine for the first 8 days. My infected foot was healing.
On the 9th day, I developed a rash that I noticed first on my wrist and then my neck, inner thighs and my feet. I went to the doctor who said to not take my 10th and final day of Sulfamethoxazole and prescribed benadryl.
Later the same day (tonight), the rash has spread everywhere from face to toe. The itching hasn't been severe but it has been uncomfortable, sort of like mild pin pricks in random places on my body.
I'm going back to the doctor's office tomorrow since they told me to expect it to get a lot better by tomorrow. I'd be surprised if it gets better but it definitely has gotten worse.

The dermatologist gave me Bactrim to treat acne, I took the first pill in the afternoon and at night time I was vomiting and had fever.The next couple of days the symptoms went away but then they came back with itching, rash and lost my taste buds.I stop the medication and I am hoping that this symptoms go away. I guess I am allergic to this medication.

Since July 12, 2009 (Saturday) my life has been altered by a cure for a UTI that caused me to be taken by ambulance to the E.R. with a 105.6 fever. The horrible feeling of waking up shaking from the fever and not being able to stop it was scary. That was quickly followed by an ambulance ride to the local E.R. It was explained to me that the cause of my fever was a UTI that became a kidney infection. The E.R. doctor prescribed Levaquin 500 mgs for 10 days and Lori-tab for the ache very typical of a kidney infection. I am a 42yo woman who owns a motorcycle, swims, dances with a group and loves to wear beautiful heels. My life has changed since that night in the E.R. July 14 (Tuesday) , I was in my doctor's office complaining about bad headaches and feeling achy. I asked if this should be a concern since headaches were part of the warning label. The response was to remain on the antibiotic since the benefit far outweighed the side effects. The rest of the week was full of aches, pains, swelling, and a cloudy mental state. By Friday, the 17th of July I was laying in bed after noticing I no longer had ankles and I hurt all over. Thinking maybe this would pass I rested for an hour and my partner came to check on me. My jaw was tight and felt like it was locking down, every part of my body, every joint was hurting including my head. I called my doctor's office and asked if this was an allergic reaction and should I go to the hospital. The on-call said she was at the E.R. and maybe I should come in to be seen although it would be a long wait time because they were busy. I was seen, they talked about finishing with Cipro and then decided they would give me Bactrim. I asked how long I could expect to feel the effect of the Levaquin, the answer was 3 to 4 days. Since then, I have been in and out of the E.R. with acute and chronic pain. Walking has become almost impossible on some days. All of a sudden I have a back and hip problem. I am getting lumbar epidurals now and have sold the motorcycle. Oh, Dr. Higgins said, "Levaquin is a great drug". This was a E.R. doctor that was angry that I asked if this seemed to be an on-going issue from taking Levaquin. I am desperate to be pain free for even one 24 hour period. A storm of depression and clouds have set in...the thunder is my pain....

Started Taking Macrobid after for UTI after Bactrim did not help and Cipro made me break out in hives. I've only taken 3 pills and have started getting headaches and waking up with severe neck pain. It's horrible I can hardly turn my head because my neck is so knotted up and stiff. I'm not taking any more because after 3 different antibiotics that have made me feel horrible, I need a break.

Prescribed Bactrim for MRSA skin infection on my arm that I picked up at my local gym. Day 1 OK, Day 2 severe headache at the base of my skull. Day 3 continued headache, general nausea, gas. Day 4 I began to develop a low grade fever and dizziness. Almost passed out after walking just a half mile. Still a severe headache, weakness. Day 5 Headache, consistent fever of 103, chills and muscle aches, light hives visible, weakness, unable to sleep. Day 6 early am, couldn't sleep all night, went to the ER with the worst muscle aches and fever I have ever had. Hives now very clear and pronounced all over my torso. I was tested for the flu. Said it was not, but was a viral infection that was attacking my muscles. Muscle breakdown found in both blood and urine samples. ER physician changed medication to Clindamycin HCL. Told to stop Bactrim, but thought what I had was viral, not a reaction to the Bactrim. I continues to feel bad for a couple more days, but hives started to reduce, fever diminished and started to feel halfway human after being off Bactrim for a couple of days. Still not 100%. New med has it's issues too (have to take every 6 hours, can't lay down after taking it) and a nasty taste in mouth and stomach upset, loose stool. After 5 days of new med went back to my doctor. A secondary infection had set up in the Staph area. The fungal infection needed a different med. Now is 4 weeks later, after finishing all meds, still have an infection. Blood cultures taken to see if the infection is the staph or fungal. I have lost 8lb, have no taste buds, loose stool, severe stomach cramps/burning (now taking Activia to put back good bacteria in my stomach...no one told me to do this before!!). If Staph not gone, need IV antibiotic for a month. I am 50 year old female, but note I had taken this in my 30's without any problems. You can develop an allergic reaction to medicines previously OK for you. Beware of Bactrim. It kicked my behind!

Has anyone experienced tremors and anxiety from taking this medicine? I was in perfect health before a dental procedure turned bad made it necessary for me to receive this medicine. I have been done with it for a few weeks and feel like I am falling apart.

I was started on Bactrim 7 days ago. The first two days I felt fine, but the 3rd night I got cold...very cold and could not stop shaking for about two hours. My heart was racing and I was nauseated and couldn't focus. This went on for about 8 hours before going to the ER. Upon arrival I had elevated BP and pulse, but after a couple of hours it went down to normal. I saw a new doctor who said it sounded like I had a hypoglycemic attack!! I never had one of those before!! So, I'm figuring I'm getting sicker and maybe it is not from the Bactrim so I take it again and last night was another horrible night!! Racing heart, confusion, and urinating every 30 minutes. Thinking maybe I'm having another attack I get up and eat some applesauce and my husband gives me some sweet tea. I promptly threw up a few times and then we went to the computer to look for ourselves the side effects of this drug. Guess what? It causes hypoglycemia, racing heart, confusion and does something to your kidneys and makes you urinate too much and could be very dangerous!! That was it for me!! I didn't sleep the rest of the night but slept on and off during the day and felt like myself today for the first time since taking the drug. I don't know if it has done any permanent damage, but I will let everyone I know about this awful awful drug!!

I took 1 Levaquin pill 500 mg one evening in September 2007 for a kidney, UTI infection. My left side went numb and started tingling, my left hip hurt, I could not put weight on my left leg, had to limp to walk. I had severe pains shooting through my head, felt dizzy, nauseous, weak, had to stay in bed for 3 days after taking medicine. I could only limp to eat and bathroom. I called doctor, they said KEEP TAKING IT. NOT. They told me that these were normal side effects. I read on the internet that these are NOT NORMAL side effects. I didn't take anymore and read about alternative medicines. I was still in a lot of pain in my kidney and bladder. So I asked for Bactrim, a sulfur based drug. It worked great on the kidney/UTI. But since I took the Levaquin, my joints hurt and pop, my achilles tendon is painful everyday, my shoulders have excruciating intermittent pain and my hip hurts inside when I move it. Also, there is a lot of crackling and strange sounds in my joints now. My wrists have been having a lot of soreness as well. I just read about Levaquin causing these problems for years after you take one pill. I didn't know all of these symptoms might be connected to the Levaquin. Does anyone know how to get the Levaquin out of your body and joints???

My boyfriend was prescribed sulfameth (10 days/ 2x) for these bumps that appeared on his arms and legs and would appear anywhere that he would scratch. Within 5 minutes of taking the first dosage in the evening, his eyesight became blurry. He had a severe headache that night, chills and a high fever that lasted through the night. He took 2 ibuprofen pills but they didn't help. He couldn't get to sleep the entire night. He also became even more itchy than before he took the sulfameth. He couldn't move due to muscle pain and fatigue. His fever was still there by the time i got there at 7 in the morning and he was shaking uncontrollably. His heart rate was up. It looked to me that more bumps appeared on his body and some became a dark purple blotch, like a bruise. His fever broke around noon and stayed away for a couple of hours but it returned. His skin started to peel after his fever returned. At first i noticed it was on his nose and ear but i didn't think much of it since i didn't see it anywhere else. An hour later he texted me and said his whole body started peeling as if he had sun burn. His temperature is still slightly raised after over 24 hours.
I refused to give him the second dosage of sulfameth that morning and proceeded to call the doctor who had prescribed it. All she said was that he needed to come back in. No way in hell was i bringing him back there. She didn't even look at him for literally a minute and prescribed this crap. She said nothing of the side effects. There was no warning. Even though i looked it up before he took it, I didn't think it would be this bad.

THis website has been a tremendous help for me. Two days after I was prescribed 500 mgs of Bactrim twice daily, I started feeling really odd. First the achiness, then my left leg began to swell. I am not taking the meds anymore, but am now so fatigued, and sore, I feel as though I have had the flu for a week. I honestly do believe that it also has a negative effect on the liver. Just from the almost constant ache , I have on my right side. I just want to sleep all the time. I have not taken the meds for two days, and yet, the effects remain. Beware of this nasty medication. I don't know why the FDA allows its distribution!!

My husband was taking coumadin and developed an infection in his leg. He was ordered Bactrim DS bid. By the third day of the Bactrim, his INR was 4.7 and he was having mental status changes and vomiting. A head CT Scan showed he was bleeding in his brain from the interaction of the coumadin and Bactrim. He had to have 2 bilateral crainiotomies to flush out the blood from his brain. He nearly died. He has severe headaches and short term memory loss.

My husband was taking coumadin and then developed an infection. He was ordered Bactrim D.S twice a day and by the third day he was bleeding in his brain. He had to have bilateral subdural crainiotimies twice to flush out all the blood in his head. He almost died. He now has severe headaches and some short term memory loss.

Was prescribed DS (Double strength) 800-160 Sulfameth/Trimeth for 7 days/ 2 pills per day to treat a staph infection from a cut. On the last day, I woke up with a swollen gland under my left ear and a red, itchy rash all over my face and arms. Small hives also began to appear. Today is the next day and the hives are spreading but don't last very long. Very itchy, though, and that's unrelenting. Hoping it will decrease quickly since the first symptoms didn't appear till the dose of Bactrim was almost over.

I was prescribed Doxycycline for chronic prostatitis. I took 100mg. twice per day for 3 months. The doctor told me that he puts men on antibiotics (Bactrim and Ciprofloxacin) for 6 months and longer. I had been on both of those drugs in the past and had depression after taking ciprofloxacin for thirty days. I have not had depression from the doxycyline "yet" but did experience insomnia and minor dizziness off and on for a month before the serious effects hit me. During the course of treatment several times I felt unusual tiredness for a day or two but it would go away and I would feel strong again. One week before I stopped taking the doxycycline the bad effects started. Lower back ache, humming in the head, loud ringing in the ears, mild mental confusion, forgetful, headache, dizziness, lack of appetite, nausea, minor tingling in the upper lip feet and hands, sore anus, minor pain in the throat, unusual tiredness, scratchy eyes (like sand in them), redness of skin, pale hands and feet, joint and muscle pain, tight muscles in legs, bloating, abdominal pain, and blurred vision. I have been off the doxycycline for four days and still have many of the symptoms. I read at ****** that doxycycline depletes the body of B vitamins. The week I stopped taking a multivitamin / mineral pill the symptoms started. I was very cautious about taking the vit. pill four hours after taking the doxycycline throughout the course. I plan to get a blood test to confirm the B vitamin content. I took a vit. pill today and it has helped reduce the insomnia and color of the feet and hands. My question to you all is how long dose it take the body to repair the damage? Thank you for all your posts they give hope of recovery.

i was on bactrim for 5 days for an ulcer in mouth

the ulcer was cured but after 3 days of taking bactrim ds i started passing

dark urine which continued for 5-6 days

I am happy to find this site. I was given Levaquin for UTI. A few weeks prior to getting this prescription I was given a sulfa based drug (generic for Bactrim) and started feeling some pain in right wrist and hand. Dr. prescribed Levaquin since this sulfa based drug didn't clear up infection. Took 2 doses of 250mg and the reactions hit - both hands swelled, joints ached, both knees swelled and both feet and ankles swelled. Went to ER and admitted and spent 3 days in hospital on morphine and started prednisone treatment of 20mg a day with Aleve to also help with pain. This Levaquin is NASTY stuff. I can't believe doctors prescribe this medication. I am still not well. How long does it take to recover? I still am stiff and ache. I too am very active runner and finding myself frustrated in the slow recovery.

My husband was prescribed 500 MG of Levaquin for 10 days due to respiratory infection. When I got the medicine home, I read all of the warnings and possible side affects. He is 61 and has had tendon damage in his shoulder and his lower leg from taking Cipro two years ago. He had severe joint pain from Bactrim and hallucinations from Flagyl. From these previous antibiotics he still suffers pains and limitations of movement. What is worse is that they prescribed Prednisone with the Levaquin. It clearly states in the warnings that Levaquin taken with Prednisone increases the likelihood of tendon damage. The warnings state that people over 60 have increased risk of tendon damage. Why on earth did his doctor prescribe this? My husband is 61 and was too sick to research all of this on his own. It has obviously become more profitable to make people sicker.
I found this forum and called his doctor. I refused to give him this terrible Levaquin and asked for a prescription for something milder. The Doxycylene seems to be working just fine to clear his infection.
A word of warning to all to not drink the Kool Aid that they give you without asking questions. Any health care system that sustains itself by keeping people ill is a bad one. Think about it. If people are healthy, then where is the profit?
This Levaquin sounds like some kind of bad snake oil to me and I am thankful to have read the warnings and then found this helpful forum. I am so sorry for the pain that most of you have suffered and are suffering. We are living with damage from antibiotics and we understand your anger. Take good care of yourselves.

I was diagnosed with pneumonia in Nov 2008. When I was released from the hospital, my doctor prescribed bactrim (2pills 3x daily).
After a short time I had noticed body aches and my legs and joints felt as if I had been hit with a bat.
The primary side effect was a rash like skin irritation all over my body.
What started as itchy red marks, began to dry up and my skin was flaky and hard (back, arms, chest, legs, stomach, neck, face and ears).
I was admitted back into the hospital.
The rash and itchiness cleared up. Yet, now my body is full discolored with dark blotches where the rash was (back, arms, chest, legs, stomach, neck and face).
I'm totally humiliated when I'm in public because the discoloration is clearly visible and it looks as if I have a disease.
In addition to that, I can't even wear most of my wardrobe anymore because I hate to expose my skin.
Looking at my before pics is a sad reminder that I've been scared for the rest of my life.
I've consulted an attorney who quickly told me that I had no legal recourse.

I had open heart surgery August 23rd 2006 for a conginital heart defeat (Aortic Valve replaced with mechanical St Jude valve). I wanted a bio valve but Drs insisted I should have the mechanical valve because of my age (45 at the time).

Prior to my heart surgery I was a performer, singer/songwriter/actress/comedianne and I loved what I did. It was my life. Now, after 2+ years post-op and on Warfarin (7.5 mg daily for life) I feel like life has ended and I'm just a walking dead person. The effects I feel daily are as follows...

Dizziness
Severe Headaches
Blurred vision
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Weight Gain
Trouble concentating
Fluttering effect in my head/ears- Hard to explain
Hair loss
Unexplained pains in chest & left side of my body
Unable to sleep well
Tiredness- even when I've done nothing to be tired for
Nausea
Gas & Diarrhea off and on
teeth pain- Like I've drank something very cold
feeling in my head similar to a brain freeze- like you ate ice cream too fast
Night bleeds in my month- wake up with a mouth full of blood daily
What do think, is that enough??

I'm going in tomorrow for a cat scan because the headaches have been so bad they feel I need to be checked for brain tumor and/or internal bleeding. When I tell the Drs I think this is due to Wafarin they pratically laugh in my face as if to say, "Silly silly woman, don't be foolish! We know whats best for you. Remember, we saved your life!" Really? Did you?!

I want nothing more than to get off this rat poison and regain my life, but to do so could mean a stroke or heart attack. I would go under the knife again to have the mechanical valve removed and replaced with a biological valve, but do you think my insurance company (Kieser) would pay for a "silly" thing like that? Right!

Welcome to the greatest country in the world!

I'm going to start a website to help people like us. I want your stories, please send me your info, together we might make a change, what can it hurt to try? Email me ******

B.

After 8 days of taking bactrim I woke up to bad hives all over my body! The itching was soooooo bad. I was scratching myself bloody. I took benadryl and it did not help. My doc gave me prescription antihistamines and it took about 4-5 days.

Great! After reading these posts I can expect this awful monster like rash to last a couple of weeks???? I was prescribed Bactrim DS 800-160 mg twice a day and I thought it sounded like a large dose. Developed flu like symptoms on day 3 with racing heart, achy body, stomach and muscle cramps. Woke up today (day 6) with itchy hives ALL over my body. Got a cortisone shot at urgent care clinic and taking benadryl. No change in my condition yet. Why don't they take this sh_t off the market? I could have died from it. I have used Bactrim many times for UTI over the years but was never prescribed this super dose which did this to me!!

I'm on bactrim for a kidney infection. The first day I was fine. I was in so much pain, after 2-3 pills it made me feel a lot better, I'm taking bactrim 2x a day for 7 days. I'm on day 4 and feel like crap. My backache is back, headache, cramping, stomach ache. I feel worse then I did before the meds. I stopped it this morning, but go so sick I had to take one. They make me feel better for a moment, until everything kicks in. And I cant do this with a 5 month old to care for. I go to the doctor in 2 days....I will be stopping tonight. Thanks to everyone elses answers!!