Bactrim side effects

Spoke too soon. I woke up yesterday (my tenth day on the medication) with puffy lips and red bumps on my arms and thighs (I just thought it was dry skin). I also have huge red rashes on the insides and backs of my thighs. Is burning/itchy palms a side effect? It's killing 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!

I am so relieved to have discovered this site. I suffer from reoccurring UTIs. Two years ago I was prescribed Bactrim and within two hours felt all of the symptoms of a very serious virus, or so I thought.

Recently, I switched medical providers and was again prescribed Bactrim for my UTI. Within 4 hours I began to experience chills; the chills soon turned into a fever (fluctuating 100+) and night sweats. The symptoms continued throughout the night and into the next day when I started to get tingling skin, body aches, a severe headache with pressure behind my eyes and ears (which got worse when I bent over or stood up), vomiting, restlessness and insomnia.

I started to make a correlation between my first Bactrim incident and second. I called my Dr. to describe my symptoms and she said I most likely was suffering from both the UTI and flu. But, she recommended I stop the Bactrim dosage and call her in a few days to let her know how I was feeling. After missing the second dose of Bactrim I am starting to feel human again.

There is no doubt in my mind that this was the Bactrim. The symptoms came and went too quickly to be a virus. I still have a slight headache, especially when I stand up too quickly, but it's improving.

Thank you all for posting. No more bactrim for me!

I was prescribed Bactrim for a sinus infection. Cleared infection well but on day 2 started to feel very nauseated and VERY COLD although no fever. Strange dreams and sleeplessness. Day 3 loss of appetite and more nausea chills, (no vomiting) Day 5 wound up in Emergency room with fever, dizziness, , panic, paranoia, disorientation, pain in right side. ER took blood and my liver enzymes were elevated. They too said it was a virus...NO Way is this a virus...I have had a very bad reaction to the Bactrim. They said if it was a reaction, it would clear in a few days. I am taking milk thistle extract for liver...I had blood taken two weeks ago and liver enzymes were much lower....they had doubled on bactrim. BEWARE OF THIS Drug...(I took it when I was younger with no troubles too. Dont drink on it either (I did and this maybe why I had such a bad reaction. ) Gave me zofran for nausea. I am drinking LOTS of water to flush.

I was prescribed Bactrim for 10 days due to ear/throat/cough issues. After day 2 I had 102 fever, chills, sweats, extreme fatigue, and headache. After day 3/4 I started feeling severe doom and gloom. After day 5 I had insomnia and began having vision problems and felt like my eyes were "loose" in their sockets. I went back in, and saw a different practitioner, and reported my symptoms she thought it was my blood sugar and checked me for diabetes (which it wasn't). She ran more lab work, and chest xrays. Nothing came of it. On day 6 I began feeling a burning and itching sensation on my face, and throughout my head. Nothing helped. During all of this time I could not eat, and was extremely nauseated. I got online, and found all of my symptoms of Bactrim side effects. Needless to say, the bactrim is in the trash. In addition, last year my husband was prescribed bactrim for bronchitis, and ended up in the hospital. At the time they told us he had Scarlet Fever, but when we both went in this week, they stated it was an allergic reaction to Bactrim. He looked like he has a sunburn from head to toe, with a rash. He had 105 fever, and was severely dehydrated. I wish we would have been told that last year. They gave him a zpack this time, saying he was allergic to bactrim. I will never take this medication again, or have my family on it.

Red face, mouth and tongue ulcers, achy joints, headache, decreased appetite and lethargic. Worse than the illness itself.

Out of courtesy, are you guys taking generic or brand, assuming there is a brand form? My husband has taken bactrim before but this time he broken out in hives and major rash, itching, and swollen lips. Absolutely miserable!

I stopped taking my Bactrim last night after a trip to the emergency room. From the first day of taking it for bronchitis, I started having headaches, pain behind my eyes and could not sleep well. On my sixth day of the medication, I started feeling dizzy and nauseated constantly. By day seven I was running fever of 101 and that evening, broke out into a rash from head to toes. My skin was itchy and tingling and it was getting difficult to breath. I immediately went to the ER. They have me taking Benadryl 3 times a day for 3 days until the rash clears up. I am not a fan of this medication….and I still have bronchitis!!

I feel compelled to share my daughter's horrendous experience, which we (and some of our docs) believe was a reaction to Bactrim. Her chills, high, high fever, night sweats, itching and majorly swollen lymph nodes mimicked lymphoma. She had a biopsy of one of the swollen lymph nodes and it revealed Kikuchi' s Disease or Kikuchi-Fujimoto's Disease. Google it. Thankfully, it was benign and self-limited, but it made her very very sick and it was scary and most probably triggered by her allergic reaction to Bactrim - taken for acne. We will never take this drug again.

i stopped taking bactrim yesterday, i couldn't stop spitting, my skin felt prickly, i woke up with swollen eyes and mouth, something i think im going crazy. Monday i couldn't sleep at all. I am so tired and its a struggle to keep my eyes open. Nightmares and paranoia keeps you awake. Chills and Hotflashing. Tingling in vagina. Today it feels like i cant get enough sleep. I have the worst taste in my mouth. I would not give this drug to my worst enemy. I don't know why they give it in the USA, if the side effects are this great

Wow, am I ever glad I found this site. I'm taking Bactrim for Pouchitis. I thought surely I was going crazy. Just a few days after starting the meds, I ended up in the emergency room because of a headache so severe and fever I thought I had meningitis....I was treated with a Zpack and sent home with a diagnosis of Sinusitis. I had even told the doctor that I just started Bactrim and she said it shouldn't cause these symptoms. Not long after the episode with headaches and fever, I began having joint aches primarily in my legs, but now it's starting up my back. I called the Dr. that prescribed it today, but plan on stopping it whether he recommends to or not. This is crazy...also noticing signs of depression and fatigue...

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.

My symptoms are much like others described. I was prescribed Bactrim for a recurring UTI. I have never taken it before and have never been aware of any drug allergy. I took the Bactrim two times a day for five days. On the fifth day I began to develop a fever, with very cold chills, then very hot. The lymph nodes in my neck and the back of my head swelled up that evening and were painful when pressed. The next day I stayed home from work and my temp was up to 100.1. By evening that second day, I had developed rashes on my elbows and feet. They were itchy and raised. The next morning, which is today, the rash has spread to my shoulders, arms and thighs. It is not raised, but is a mass of small red dots. My face is also very red, and I think that my lips feel swollen. It has been good to read here that these are likely the result of the Bactrim. Much better info here than I got by calling the pharmacist! The only reason I looked in to it being a reaction is that my mother in law has had allergies to sulpha drugs, and has mentioned rashes. I agree that it is also interesting to here that it has happened to others either after the prescription had finished, or right around that 5 or 6 day mark.

Wow, Im glad I found this site. I was prescribed Bactrim last week for a sinus infection. The 1st day I took it I felt horrible nausea, and had no energy whatsoever. Ive had horrible back pain all week, which I had not thought was related to this as well. My throat has been hurting, I was about to go for a strep test. I cant believe these are all most likely from the medication. I have 3 days to go on it. Im going to call my doctor in the morning and see if I should stop taking it.

I was prescribed Bactrim for MRSA on August 26th, (2) 500 mg pills twice daily for one week. My first dose was that night, and the following morning I woke up with a severe migraine, and eye muscle pain. Day two I woke up with the same symptoms plus mild fever and severe pain from my neck down my spine. I was worried it was meningitis. Went and had my abcess drained and told the instacare Dr. all of my problems I had been having, and that I wasn't sure if it was a reaction to the antibiotic, or something else. Every day I have woken up sweating from the fever, I'm sleeping horribly, and the aches in my head and behind my eyes are at times unbearable. I will take my last dose tomorrow morning, and hopefully all of the symptoms will start to disappear. I am generally a healthy person, and rarely even get a cold, but this drug has really done a number on me, I haven't not felt these types of symptoms all at once before.

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!

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 was prescribed Bactrim DS for mild acne. I was told to take it once daily for two weeks and then twice daily thereafter if I didn't have an adverse reaction, as my dermatologist indicated that it sometimes takes a long time for side effects to become evident using this medication. I am still in the one pill a day phase of my treatment and I am going to stop taking this medicine.

When I first started taking it, my lymph nodes in my neck became swollen, yet I did not have a cold or anything else that could immediately explain this symptom. My right lymph node in particular became very, very swollen and tender and was rock-hard to the touch. You could literally see it bulging out of my neck. It hurt to move my neck the wrong way and I could hardly turn my head because of all the pressure and soreness of my lymph node.

I stopped taking it for a few days and the size of the lymph node decreased, but it remained very full feeling and firm / rock-hard to the touch.

In addition, I have experienced persistent headaches and joint pain during the time I have taken this medicine. (I'm 21 years old, so joint pain is a symptom almost definitely linked to the Bactrim.)

I took ONE PILL last night, foolishly thinking it would be okay, and not long after I showered and got in bed, I began to feel a prickly sensation primarily from my groin up. It was a prickling, itchy sensation on my face, scalp, neck, arms, back, and even in my groin area. It was absolutely maddening and I couldn't get to sleep. At the suggestion of my fiance, I tried a second shower and that temporarily soothed it very slightly.

It is the day after that and I haven't taken it again, but I am still prickly / tingly / itchy all over and I believe I am beginning to develop a rash. I have also had a headache since last night, which began about 40 minutes after taking the pill. My lymph nodes are also inflamed yet again, so I have isolated the problem to be a result of the Bactrim. I will not continue to use this medication and I intend to contact my physician to request another course of prescription therapy.

Keep in mind that everyone's reaction to any medication is unique and some of the stories people have written on this site are extreme and unusual cases. Don't rush yourself to the emergency room just because you're taking Bactrim and you read about someone else's serious side effects -- all medicines affect people differently and you might experience minor side effects, if any at all. Call your doctor with any questions and get a second opinion if needed.

This drug is absolute poison and should be banned from US markets. I have increased fever decreased urination rash on face and neck a cough. My doctor who prescribed me this poison examined me today an ruled out an adverse reaction. I guess as with most MDs his overwhelming arrogance wouldn't allow him to make an error by giving me this absolute poison in a pill. This poison should be evaluated by the FDA and some sort of screening should be done to see if you are allergic to this miserable drug. After reading all of these stories I am truly disgusted that the poison is so frivolously prescribed. We are test subjects ginnea pigs lab rats. Let's shoot from the hip and see if it works. I am pissed off!

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/HowToReport/default.htm

Go to this website to list your adverse reactions to the FDA. If they get enough data, they may pull this medication from the market.

I had taken Bactrim in the past without a problem. My daughter, however, has a history of rashes associated with Sulfa drug use. I didn't say anything to the doctor that gave it to me for a sinus infection. With in 5 days of taking it, I came down first with some pain in my neck. We were on vacation and sleeping in a new bed, so I dismissed it. By the end of the week, I had a fever going up to 103. The following day, my neck pain was so bad, that I had ice on my lymph nodes. The day after that I had broken out in a rash so bad that it looked like I had a terrible sunburn. My skin was even hot to the touch. By this time, I had realized it was from the medicine, and stopped taking it. The rash isn't as red, but it did spread out to my arms, legs, and torso. I called my doctor when I got home, and he just said to take an over the counter antihistamine, but I was not referred anywhere else. After doing research on the internet and carefully reviewing the warnings from CVS (where I picked up the medicine) I believe that I have Stephens-Johnson Syndrome caused by Bactrim. This is actually listed on the warnings, but not what the symptoms are of this illness. It has been more than a week, and I still have the rash, although not as bad as it was last week.

Have had a horrible reaction to Bactrim. Started with loss of appetite, body aches and headaches within a week of taking Bactrim. Progressed into fever and the chills by a week and a half but just thought I had the flu. After taking Bactrim for 13 days I started breaking out with hives on my face, neck and chest which later spread to my arms and legs. I was diagnosed with an allergic reaction to Bactrim, pumped full of iv fluids, steroids and anti-histamines once they figured out what was going on. I had a fever of 101-102 for over 4 days. I was dehydrated and had a low white blood cell count. I'll be taking oral steroids and anti-histamines for 5-6 days. Such a horrible experience, I'll be glad when I won't be on any more of these medications!

I was recently diagnosed with MRSA and cellulitis. The doctors prescribed me Bactrim, taking two 500 mg pill twice daily for two weeks. I went back to the hospital today due to fever, swollen/ painful lymph nodes in my arm. They decided to change my medication which I was instructed to start tomorrow and continue Bactrim until the switch. Now my body is itching all over and is extremely sore.

I was prescribed Bactrim DS to treat an ORSA Staph infection following some vein surgery in my right leg. The original prescription was 1 pill 2xday with a refill after 7 days if needed. Since the infection did not seem to be responding very well and I had not developed any side effects (at day 7) I told my Dr. I was going to refill it. I continued to take it another 4-5 days when I then developed bumps and a slight rash on both of my lower legs. I went to the Dr. (my primary physician - not the vascular surgeon - who had originally prescribed the Bactrim) and was told it didn't "appear" to be an allergic reaction to the medication since it wasn't on my torso. Within two days the rash had intensified and spread all over my legs. Then within another 3 days it spread to my arms. The itching is relentless and varies between raw, searing, burning pain and plain old itch. Last night I cried myself to sleep for lack of any way to relieve it. The newest side effects are nagging pain in my right knee ( I've never had any joint pains before) and a feeling of tightness in my chest. I'll be calling my Dr. back tomorrow, if only to find out just how long I can expect this joy to last.

I will never, ever, take Bactrim or any related medications again.

Someday, some genius research scientist will invent a test to determine an individual's tolerance to this drug - BEFORE they take it and develop side effects.

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!!

This drug fools you as it doesn't always start to give you the stranger side effects until days later.
I took 3 days worth and my eyes got hot but I never thought it was the Bactrim. 3 days the fever, sore neck & joints started. I took it until day 8 and my muscles were so weak I couldn't walk, get out of bed, type on the computer.....I stopped it but I wish I had known how toxic this stuff was.
I still have the muscle weakness and can't do anything and it's over 6 weeks. My doctor says I have to wait it out. I'm so depressed

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 Bactrim for an ear infection. A few days after taking it my lymph nodes in my neck became terribly painful and swollen. On the 8th day of the meds I have developed a rash on my arms, chest and face. I returned to the doctor today. He said that the rash is just a heat rash, and that the lymph nodes are just infected and prescribed another antibiotic! I spoke to my mother and sister and they are both very allergic to Sulpher based antibiotics. It looks like I am too. Glad that I read the post. I will never take that med again. I am nervous to stop the med at day 11 when I was prescribed for 14 days but I can't take these side effects any longer.

I was prescribed Bactrim for UTI and took two pills. Yesterday morning I woke up with a rash on my upper back and forearms, and had headaches off and on all day. I also had some slight kidney pain, especially on my right side. I took that day's dose anyway, even though I was sure it was the Bactrim causing it. I woke up this morning and the rash had spread all down my torso and arms, front and back, and I am still having headaches. I also had a hard time sleeping last night, not because I was itching, but was restless. I have stopped taking the Bactrim and the doctor wants to prescribe a different antibiotic. I don't think I will take them unless the UTI comes back later.

I was put on bactrim for uti. I was fine until the 3rd day were i began experiencing flu-like symptoms. The 4th day i got worse and that night i developed a fever of 103 i couldn't look up or side to side because of the pain. I woke up that night drenched in my sweat and when i woke up that morning i now have hive from head to toe that seem to be getting worse even with benadryl. I'm feeling extremely depressed and don't know what to do. I would never wish this on my worst enemy.

Hi everybody. I just happened to stumble upon this website. Today is my birthday and I'm home because of a new medication regime to counter act my terrible side effect from Bactrim. Last Saturday I went to the Emergency Room and found out I had a bladder infection, so the Doc prescribes this crap to me. I thought I was having a heat rash from being out in the sun too long (oh by the way, exposure to sun for a longtime is a big NO NO when on Bactrim). It started on a Sunday afternoon, fine little clustered prickly bumps all over my chest. THEN it began to spread on my back. THEN to my FACE! My shoulders, upper arms, forearms, back of my hands, thighs and knees....etc,etc, LOL EXCEPT for my pubic area, thank God! All of this progressed from Sunday night and finally ended up all over my body by Wednesday. The itching was unbearable. I tried everything from the Caladryl, Benedryl, Cortaid, Dermaplast, and absolutely nothing relieved me for more than 10 minutes. I finally went back to the ER when I realized I wasn't getting any better from my intial infection, because now I was running a temp of 100.3 degrees AND my lymph nodes in my groin had swollen to the size of walnuts. Talk about painful! After all that time taking that "poison." Okay, after for hours of waiting in the Lobby, being stared at while scratching and suffering the whole time, I finally went back into ED only to receive my first and most PAINFUL cortisone shot ever in the history of mankind., which did nothing for me but make my leg go numb. I also received Zantac (an acid reflux/heartburn med, I mean, WTF) and some Hydrocortisone pills? or something of that nature and I was on my way with four new prescriptions. Methylprednisolone (steroids! can we say weight gain and hirsutism) Hydroxyzine for itching (works a little, but still itching like hell), Ciprofloxacin I guess to knock out the rest of my infection, and Cimetidine aka Tagamet, which I don't know why heartburn medication is prescribed for me for a rash. Oh well, thats about it. All I've been able to do since is sleep, take meds, sleep, wake up, take meds etc. No new side effects..yet. What an ordeal, from taking one med for one problem to taking 4 new ones for this horrible rash. If you're ever in the southeastern region of N.C. don't ever go to South Eastern Regional Medical Center unless you feel as you're about to die (which if you do go, hell, you might just finish killing you) Sorry this was so long, but this was a very traumatic experience for me.

Wow ... reading all of these stories makes me feel a little better about my situation. On April 21 I was prescribed Bactrim for an infected cyst and just in case it was MRSA , the doctor thought Bactrim was the best way to go. Early on I had a few headaches and body aches and a nightly dose of Tylenol took care of that.On day 6 while at work I was overcome by the worst body aches I have ever felt. I left work early and laid down immediately and started to wonder if this is what it feels like to die. Naturally , my first Day 6 pill was the last one I took. I went to work the next day , still feeling crappy but able to work. I thought I was in the clear after stopping the Bactrim , but that was premature. The next morning I couldn't get out of bed , so I took the day off and tried to recover . Later that evening I noticed my skin felt really strange my face felt puffed out. Looking in the mirror I didn't recognize the person looking back at me. My face was sunburn red and completely swollen . Looking closely i could see the redness was a million little red dots grouped together to make my entire face , neck , chest and shoulders red. Interestingly the rash has only itched a little. At the E.R. that night the doctors were confused because of the lack of itching and because the rash did not go away immediately after a few doses of steroids. Another side effect , which is becoming the worst out of all of them is my mouth is extremely sensitive and raw feeling ... my throat is also very sore. Eating food is almost impossible , even soup. When I brush my teeth it feels like I've never brushed them before , when I chew food it feels like I've never eaten before. Tonight's dinner is probably the 6th meal that I haven't been able to finish. What I find most interesting with myself and a lot of the people posting on here is how long into the treatment that these side effects occur. My rash started over 2 days after I stopped taking Bactrim.

I was prescribed bactrim on April 8th for a UTI they gave me one pill while I was there and i went straight to the pharmacy to get my prescription. With in the first two hours of taking the pill I got nauseous. I just assumed it was because on top of the UTI I also had what I think was just a bug. I was already having a fever before I went to the doctor. I felt nauseous before but this time I felt like I was about to puke I just assumed it was from moving around too much. Over the next few days I would get the same sick feeling within hours of taking the pill. On the 11th I started noticing itching and I was turning yellow. On the 12th I went to the ER where they decided to test me for hepatitis because of all the symptoms I was having. The doctor also said shes never heard of it affecting the liver but she took me off the pill. By the 13th my palms were itching. The skin around my eyes was red, really dry and peeling. I was told I don't have hep but I'm allergic to Bactrim and it was affecting my liver. My eyes have cleared up but today I still have really dry skin and some areas are peeling really badly. The skin on the palms of my hands and on my feet peeled off like a glove. I have random spots all over my body that are extremely dry and peeling. My skin feels really grainy even after the piece that peeled off. Oh yeah also while I was on the pill I would get a tightness in my chest almost like I couldn't breathe.

I forgot to mention that I also had dry, flaky skin patches and the palms of my hands & sides of my fingers itched like crazy for days and days. They would have large red patches, and wearing jewelry would make it worse. Sometimes the patches would have some hives, sometimes they didn't. But the one thing that stands out in my mind is the itchy hands- it was really strange but I noticed some other people had the same symptom.

I have been having recurring UTIs and I had taken Cipro which did not clear up the first infection. My doctor prescribed Bactrim and wanted me on it for two weeks.

During the first week, I would feel dizzy for 2-3 hours after taking a dose. I had body aches as well, but thought I was getting the flu.

At the beginning of the second week, I broke out in hives. I have very sensitive skin and figured I had touched something that irritated my skin. I took benadryl and the symptoms went away.

The next day I broke out again, this time worse, and I noticed I had hives all over my body including on my feet and on my head- (which alarmed me, because I now realized it was coming from something inside). I thought it was something I ate. I took benadryl when I got home from work and they went away.

The day after that, I broke out again, and a co-worker mentioned that she had an allergic reaction from Bactrim and I should check online. Her reaction was dizziness and feeling sick to her stomach, but I looked anyway. When I saw that hives a side effect I called my doctor. They told me to stop taking the Bactrim and that I was allergic to it.

It will be a week tomorrow that I stopped taking Bactrim, and I still have hives everywhere. Last night, my entire back was covered with a red sunburn-looking rash with long snake-like hives. My boyfriend says the hives look like worms under my skin.

I would suggest to anyone that has any kind of reaction (dizziness, headache, body ache, rash, hives, etc.) to call their doctor ASAP. I should have know to call when they were making me dizzy in the first week, but sometimes you don't realize what is going on until you have severe symptoms. Doctors should tell people about the possible side effects when they prescribe this stuff.

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.

Update after a few minutes. The doctor from ER is not in town and its easter and the other doctor is not working. The lady in ER said i might be allergic to bactrim and just not to take it til i see my doctor. she said ill be fine. But i feel on fire!!! my head jurts my eyes are poping my back is numb, i am twitching and my throwt is getting worse i can barely breathe. what the hell? what the hell do i do? I am panicking =((
oh yeah and my lips are red like red lipstick and really burned and dry peeling off. i am going crazy

Oh my God, a few days ago i went to ER at 3:30 in the morning cause i felt like i was gonna die and my leg hurt. of course they didn't care to check my leg, but they said i have UTI so i am on Bactrim right now. the first two days were fine, but now i feel as if i'm gonna die seriously. I feel like i have high fever (i don't have a thermometer) my eyes feel as if they're gonna burst out of my skull and my throwt is dry and just dry. my body is ackeing and i feel dizzy. Does anyone know if you can die from bactrim>? should i finish taking the doses given to me to take the UTI away? what do i do? my husband is already frustrated with my ackying but i seriously feel pain. any advice?

My 4 yr old daughter took 1 dose of BACTRIM Tuesday night by Wednesday morning she looked like I had forgotten her in the sun. Her entire body was severely red from head to toe she was swollen all over her face, nose, lips,eyes ears hands and feet. Her eyes were so bloodshot and she complained of her throat being sore, couldn't see and her eyes hurting. We took her to our local ER where they stabilized her and then transferred her a hour away to a pedaratic trama center @ Levine's Children Hospital. She was diagnoised with a mild Steven Johnson's disease. Her fever went up to 102 and the heat from her skin and the SJD blistered her face to where she looked sunburn. Luckily the doctor that prescribed this RX to us new exactly what needed to be done and said no more sulfa drugs ever!! She is fine today but things could have been much worse for us.

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 just got bactrim prescribed to me when I had to go to the emergency room a few nights ago for an extremely high fever. They found it was a UTI and Kidney Infection. I started taking bactrim Wednesday morning and almost right away I started developing a headache. About an hour after it had begun, it turned into the most painful, throbbing headache I have ever experienced in my life. It does not go away at all. I have literally had it since Wednesday, all day, all night. Finally I called my doctor today and they said they had "no idea" why I was experiencing these problems. I told them that it started almost immediately after starting to take this medication and I was simply told that "antibiotics don't cause headaches". I beg to differ!!! I'm on day three, four more to go. I honestly can't stand this. It's interfering with my whole life. I would avoid this antibiotic if possible.

vaginal ulcers. mouth ulcers. red red eyes with ulcers and numbness of left arm. also sores in throat

Hey all. I started on Bactrim for pneumonia yesterday, which brings me up to 4 doses as of today. After the first pill I noticed my lips were turning red and felt like burning and hurt quite a bit, but I had no idea it was from this med. After the second dose, I noticed a pounding headache and neck pain and stiffness starting. It feels like my head is just going to explode when I cough now. After dose 4 my tongue is swollen with a burning feeling also. So I started to catch on and looked it up online only to find several websites full of people who have had similar, and many other, side effects. Needless to say, I will never take Bactrim EVER AGAIN! I'd rather deal with the pneumonia!! Now my concern is how long will it be before these side effects go away? I've heard some scary stuff about permanent effects! :-/

I am prone to getting uti's. I usally take cipro with no side effects and goes away with in 2 days. I went to a different dr. this time and she prescribed my bactrim. I cant believe this drug is still on the market. The first day i was fine, the second day i woke up with a major headache. I ignored cause at the time i didn't know it was from this medication. As the days went on the headache was still there and nothing seem to help it. I stared becoming dizzy all the time. On the third or forth day i became violently ill. Fever, chills, throwing up, dizzy, my entire body was sore and could not get rid of this headache. It last for about a week. When i went back to see the doctor. She told me it wasn't from the drug. I KNOW IT WAS!!! It wasn't until my husband did some research on this drug and found out i was having a allergic reaction to the bactrim. I will never take this medication again and believe it should be taken off the market.

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.

I got a positive culture back for bacterial vaginosis which is quite common, and was prescribed bactrim DS (was given septra ds which is the same thing). that are only 160 mg tabs for 10 days 2 times a day. I was fine for about 3 days, on the 4th day I had decreased energy, pain in my left calf, and I was very irritable and felt nauseated and dizzy after taking the pill, I also felt cramping in my lower back and sides. On the 5th day, I had the same symptoms, on the 6th day I started to have stiffness in my neck, and I was nauseated and came close to vomiting. On what would be the 7th day my neck was stiff but wasn't worrying me too much not enough to make me think something was wrong, and I went to the doctor to find out if I was pregnant or not and sure enough I am! So I asked her then, could I be having an allergic reaction to the bactrim? My nurse said no, its probably related to my pregnancy. Now, I've been pregnant before and NEVER have I experienced neck pain at 4 weeks pregnant.. And most people will say "irritability, nausea, pregnancy related!" This is irregular. because when I don't take it, I am perfectly fine. after I got home the pain got progressively worse as the night went on. So I didn't take the evening dose. I went into the doctor on what would be the 8th day with so much neck pain I could hardly drive myself there, they told me nothing was wrong and told them I am positive that I am having a reaction to the bactrim. they said its probably just a cold. That if i were to have a reaction it would have been only in the first few days. They told me to continue use with the bactrim and relieve the pain with Tylenol, cold/hot compresses yadda yadda. Mind YOU as they are saying I can not move my neck even to look at the doctor to my right. I had to ask him to move in front of me, so I could see him! I know my body. While having it out of my system for the short time, i took Tylenol and felt amazing, i could turn my head, was making enchiladas! but since I took the morning dose, by the evening I was in agony. The pain is predominantly on the left side on the back of my neck, from the nape and base of my skull spreading down to my shoulders and back. It has also spread to behind my ears and on the left side of my skull. the Right side is not nearly as painful, I'm wondering if it might have something to do with being left handed. And I know I shouldn't have continued using that antibiotic, but I did. Doctors orders aren't always good orders. NOW I AM IN SO MUCH PAIN... I took it again this morning, thinking "my doctor would only prescribe this if he thought the risk of the side effects is worth the cure." And its gotten much worse. nothing has helped. I can only take Tylenol every 4-6 hours, and it only lasts about one hour if even that. I am exhausted, and the pain when i woke up made me nauseated, trust me I KNOW what morning sickness feels like. I was dizzy and nauseated from the sheer pain, and I have been so restless from the pain. I'm done using it, and I will tell my doctor that I refuse to use antibiotics in the future as well. I'm really upset, I know my body. I know what I am feeling, and it literally feels like there is an attack on my neck from the bactrim, and its spreading.

I am glad i found this site, i just wanted to add my little bit of info for now. I have been taking Two pills a day at 800mg of bactrim for a total of 8 days so far. Because i HATE antibiotics and try my hardest to let me body work out infections and such i avoided going to the doctor for tonsillitis( i used to get it a TON when i was growing up) and noticed i had pus covered "zits" that were very HOT and raised which i researched and thought were a staph infection after reading about them online. So i ended up at the doctor, being scolded for not spending my money on their BS antibiotics.... and still ended up with a prescription. Which i had no bad reaction to until last night when i noticed my skin was hot and hives on my elbows. I put some antibiotic ointment on (thought it was bug bites from camping) and went to bed. Today my skin is still hot, i can see the start of a rash on my neck and i feel it everywhere on my arms and neck/chest. So far it has not been too bad but i think it may also have to do with the fact that i have been eating yogurt like crazy! I chose to eat activa and another similar brand that are supposed to be helpful for your digestion but not only that i was more concerned with not getting a yeast infection which i have found to be common when taking antibiotics. So I am not sure if the cultures in the yogurt are what are helping me so much but it's just a suggestion. hopefully my side affects won't get worse and as soon as 14 days is up I'm back to avoiding antibiotics all together again!

My 17 year old son was diagnosed with MRSA after getting an injury on his knee from playing basketball.After the first does he had a loss of appetite, fatigue, nauseous and severe headache. By the third day he got a fever, chills, neck stiffness and a feeling of doom. We went to the ER because his blood had not been cultured and we were afraid of sepsis in the blood. The ER doctor said it was most likely viral and sent him home. The next night he had a fever of 103, sore throat, trouble swallowing, sun burnt look, swollen eyes and cracked swollen lips.The next day we went to the urgent care and they tested him for mono, strep and the flu...(all negative). He felt awful and was so tired and feverish. The next morning he woke up with a severe rash and itching all over his body and his skin looked like it was scalded. His blood culture came back negative for bacteria and his wound has healed. I have taken him off of this drug Bactrim. This is his first day. His rash is better and his fever was down for a little while. It is 101 tonight and he just feel so tired and achy. I know it will take time for this to get out of his system. Meanwhile he is missing school and is getting depressed because he feels like he will never get better. If someone told me that fever and chills were a side effect from this drug I would not have been so worried that he could die of a blood infection. Ask lots of questions or google this site before taking a new drug.

I am a 47-year old male; I was prescribed Bactrim for MRSA; after taking the prescription for just two days; My head felt as if it would explode (later told by doctor I had hives on the "inside of me"; I felt like I could not get my breath; my heart was racing; I broke out in hives - large red itchy splotches all over my body; pain in my abdomen; the inside of my mouth felt burnt and sore; eventually my lips felt burnt and began to blister and erupt; my penis glans began to blister and erupt; I thought I was dying of some sort of flesh-eating disease. 4-days after my last taken dose and I still am having these side effects.