Influenza symptoms and conditions

Treated for a staph infection, I was 12 days into my 14 of 2X 500mg/day on Bactrim and Cephalexin when I started having chills, nausea, migraine-level headaches, fever, swollen lymph nodes and disorientation. I went to the doctor on the 12th day expecting that I had the flu (Swine/A and influenza B are here)...both were negative. My doctor prescribed Tamiflu (thankfully I chose not to take it) hoping this would ease the flu symptoms. Three days later I'm still battling these symptoms and frankly concerned about damage to my liver, kidneys, etc. as a result of the Bactrim. The doctor said that I likely am having a reaction to the Bactrim - thanks for telling me two days after the fact.

I run a small business and missed 4 days of work as a result. I'm hopeful that two more days off of Bactrim will get my body back to normal but I feel like I was poisoned by this drug that shouldn't be on the market.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I had also taken LEVAQUIN for what was thought to be strep throat a year ago this past April. I was put on LEVAQUIN for 5 days and I was still horribly ill. They decided that I had Influenza and gave me Tamiflu. The Tamiflu seemed to work and clear up the congestion and other flu like symptoms. The bad part was that I was so weak and fatigued that I couldn't even do the simplest things for months later. I also suffered from frequent PVC's and chest tightness. I still get frequent PVC's now and then. I look back on all of the things that happened a year ago and what is going on with me now and I realize that it can't just be a coincidence!

I have taken 100/50 Advair off and on for several years and hadn't noticed any problems. Three weeks ago I was switched to 250/50 strength Advair following a bad cold which I believe had become bronchitis but my NEW doctor believed was an asthma attack. I don't have asthma "attacks". I just have asthma which is always under control except for when I am exposed to smoke. Even then it isn't that bad. I just use a puff or two on my inhaler and I am good to go. So, I don't think I even needed to be put on the 250/50 strength! Right away, even with careful rinsing, I started to develop a sore throat. I had a constant cough, had to constantly clear my throat to try to speak and it hurt to talk. Within two weeks, besides the throat and congestion problems, I felt miserable as if I had a severe case of influenza: major headache, sinus and teeth pain, joint pains, severe fatigue, chills, burning eyes and blurry vision. I also developed an itchy red rash on my buttock and felt as though I was beginning to get a UTI. Because I felt so lousy, I told myself I didn't have to take the Advair which I knew would just make my throat feel worse. So, I went a whole weekend without the Advair and I started to feel better. Then on Monday morning, I took the Advair (which immediately made my throat hurt) and later went to see the new doctor in the afternoon. (We didn't discuss Advair because I hadn't made the connection and, obviously, he didn't either.) The doctor said I was negative for a UTI and thought my rash was cellulitis. He prescribed an oral antibiotic. I haven't taken any Advair since Monday a.m. because I read about its side effects on the Internet on Monday evening. My throat feels better. It is so good not to be constantly coughing and clearing my throat! The rash didn't respond to the antibiotic, but it did respond to the anti-yeast infection skin cream I decided to use on it. Unfortunately, the antibiotics DID give me a vaginal yeast infection and now I am also treating that! I am wondering if there is a connection between my skin yeast infection and the 250/50 Advair or if Advair just causes thrush (a mouth yeast infection)? Also, my eyes still burn and I still get blurry vision. Could I have a yeast infection in my eyes? I'm wondering because I have read on the Internet that steroids--just like antibiotics--can cause yeast infections. If so, then maybe thrush is not the only type of yeast infection that 250/50 Advair could cause?

Severe Depression: Our 18 year old daughter started taking Levaquin as prescribed to treat her pneumonia (brought on by Influenza-A and accelerated by her asthma). Within four -five hours of taking the first dose, a sense of panic and frustration hit. Thinking she was stressed as one normally might be over missing college classes and the thought of what she had to do to catch up on her work, we continued with her second dose. Within two hours of that second dose, she was unable to stop crying, unable to sleep without nightmares and truly unable to cope with the situation. After a call to the pharmacist and then to our doctor, her medication was immediately changed. Within 12 hours after taking that last dose of Levaquin, she returned to her normal personality and has since continued to recover from her pneumonia, has returned to college, and resumed her life. I have never seen anything so frightening as the side effects of this medication on our daughter. Neither she, nor anyone else in our family, will take Levaquin in the future... or any other drug in that family of medicines. Be cautious if prescribed, avoid if possible.

I started taking Prednisone in late November for inflammation of my lungs, a complication of influenza A. I started at 50 mg daily, then went to 75, then was hospitalized and went to 160 intravenously. After about a week, I was reduced to 120 then 75 by mouth a few days later. After 15 days in the hospital, I was released only to come back two days later with internal bleeding. I was released two days later and my doctor knocked several days off my withdrawal plan. About midway through all this, I started having a constant mild headache. After my second release, the headache started to get worse. The headache became debilitating and I spent some time in the ER where codeine helped. (I'm allergic to morphine which would have been their choice). The codeine helped for a day or two, but when I got to 60mg of codeine with no effect I gave up on the pills. My doctor gave me some sort of anti-inflammatory shot which helped.

I've been off Prednisone now for over a week and still have a constant headache, but most of the time it's not bad and only moderate at times. On average I see a gradual improvement.

I have had increased appetite and energy (in the beginning) followed by face and neck swelling, headache, nausea, blurred vision, internal bleeding and large muscle weakness.

I know that I needed something to stop my lung inflammation, but the cure has been worse than the disease at this point.