Bactrim and flu

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!

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.

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!

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!!

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.

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 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.

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 was put on Bactrim for a UTI and was fine for the first couple pills but then developed flu like systems,headache,fever,painful joints throwing up and felt like crap. Then after a week of feeling like crap i had a red rash from head to toe front and back and stinging and itching at the same time. I am currently taking Benadryl to help with the rash and itch.

Dr. prescribed Bactrim generic for Lyme.
Wow, did this stuff make me sick. I have taken it once or twice before for UTI's, without any bad effects. this time, the third day, started having terrible neck pain, unrelenting no matter how I tried to lay or use the pillow, it ached. spent half the night awake. went off the deep end emotionally -- irritable, agitated, then nausea started, dry heaves. I have a small bumpy rash also. The worst of it is the flu-like symptoms. chills and shakes. The last time I take this med.

I was prescribed Bactrim by an ER doctor after seeing them to have a procedure done to drain an infection underneath my fingernail. I completed my medication without having any known side effects. (however I was itching a lot underneath my feet, but I didn't realize it was a side effect at the time). The day after I finished the medicine I developed flu like symptoms. I had chills, hot flashes,fever, my whole body was aching. Even my eyes hurt! I stayed home from work for two days, expecting to come down with the flu then surprisingly on day 3 all of the flu symptoms left. Then I developed sever itching all over my body. I tried lotions, bath soaks, anti-itch creams. But it just won't seem to go away. I have also developed a yeast infection. The bottom of my feet itch like crazy and are red. This is my 4th day off the medication and my 3rd day of severe itching. I am wondering how long these symptoms will last. I am glad I found this site because I was really wondering what was going on with that "flu" symptom thing. I will never use Bactrim again!!

I was given Biaxin for a sinus infection that never cleared up. So the doctor gave me Bactrim. I took one before I went to bed. I woke up all jittery and full of anxiety. Sometimes this happens, because I do have agoraphobia with panic disorder. I took my second dose with breakfast. About 3 hours later my gums started to burn; like I ate too much salt. It was irritating, but did not realize it was from the antibiotic. Then my teeth started to hurt really bad everywhere, and it felt like electrical shocks going down my body. My skin turned all colors of blotchy purple and yellow. I started to shake so bad that it hurt. My Dad rushed me to the emergency room. I was given epi, steroids, and an anti-inflammatory. Then monitored for 2 hours. Which was hell, because I have agoraphobia.

I was sent home with prednisone and benadryl. It has been six days since this has happened, and I still have the chills. I feel like I have the flu. My teeth still hurt, and advil won't even help it. I have a constant headache. This medication should be banned. I only took 2 doses and became so ill. When do the side effects finally stop?

I got an infection on my leg from an bite and went to the er to get it checked out and they opened my abscess and prescribed me Bactrim. I made sure i was talking it to get rid of the infection and didn't want to go through that pain again. Then 4 days later I started running a high fever and nothing I did could get it to stop. It would go away for an hour or so then come back. I assumed I was getting the flu cause I had a fever, bad body aches, and I had nausea and stomach ache. But I could not figure our why I had chest and back pain. Well then the next morning I woke up with a major rash all over my body. From my head to my toes, I went straight to the emergency room and they told me to stop taking the bactrim and gave me Prednisone and Benadryl. This has been the worst experience of my life. I don't think they should use this drug at all. It has the corst side effects and they take a long time to recover from.

Your website helped me know that I was not dying or crazy when I was prescribed to Bactrim. I went to an Urgent care facility to treat a UTI. I have had them in the past and figured it would be a quick fix. The prescribed Bactrim twice per day for 7 days. After the first day I developed a sore throat. After the second day my body began to ache a bit. After the third day, I almost collapsed from faintness. I stopped taking the medication because of how it was making me feel and since I saw NUMEROUS online complaints (like this site) on how awful the medication was. I though I would feel better after stopping the medication but it only got worse. That is when I developed a fever with severe flu like symptoms and also vaginal sores. I was confined to my bed for two days and this was two days after I stopped the medication. After day three of no medication I began to feel better. Today (day 5 of no medication) I went to see my PCP( which is an internal medicine doctor who I should have just went to to begin with). He said I would be fine and I am allergic to Sulpha drugs. He also stated that mosts UTI's clear after three days of treatment. In addition he stated that most women have resistance and reactions to Bactrim and that Cipro would have been a better choice. Although Bactrim is a lot cheaper than Cipro. I would NEVER recommend Bactrim to anyone!!! I thought I was dying! I am getting tested for STD's incase that is why I have sores (highly doubtful) but I'll let you know.

I was given Bactrim at the ER where I was diagnosed with a staph infection. They gave me 800 mg twice a day for 7 days. On day 8 I returned to my regular GP because another boil had appeared. He said the dosage the ER had me on was not high enough. He doubled me to 3200 mg a day. After 4 days on this high dose I began to feel terrible, flu like symptoms, all of my lymph nodes were swollen and painful to the touch, especially the ones at the base of your neck/head. That night my eyes started itching like crazy and began to swell. I went back to the doctor she said it was allergies in my eyes and prescribed some expensive drops, told me I had a virus causing my body aches and fever, and lanced my other boil, she then put me on Doxycycline. That night I broke out in a terrible rash from head to toe that was itchy, then became more like a very painful sunburn. I thought I was allergic to the Doxycycline, so I called the doctor who switched me to Levaquin, wow,,,I sure have spent a lot of money on medicines to discover tonight on this forum that all of this was due to Bactrim. I will NEVER take it again as long as I live.

I started taking Bactrim for a UTI on a Monday night. Tuesday morning I work up with a intense headache I took the second pill that morning, by mid morning I started having pains in my left hand wrist, than having severe pain in my left leg making it very hard for me to walk, leading to fever and pain all over my body i.e., neck pain, lower back pain, joint pain I just hurt from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. I went back to the doctor that day (Tuesday) and was told I might have the flu after taking two flu test and both coming back negative I was given something for the pain and told to come back the next day if I did not fell any relief never the less I did not feel any better the next day in fact I was worse, I had a fever of 103.3 and climbing after returning to the same doctor for a third day and the doctor not having any answers for the way I was felling I, was advised to be taken to the ER on Wed and later admitted to the hospital and released with out being told what was causing me such sickness. It was not until the following week that I was told by my regular doctor that I was having an allergic reaction the Bactrim, it has been 9 days later and I still have swelling in my hands and feet and pain in my neck and legs. When will this end

Stupid Bactrim..never again!! I am a healthy 27 yr old, have never had any problem with antibiotics before, but my doctor prescribed me BACTRIM for my UTI! All I had was a UTI..and I felt like Bactrim actually made me feel worse than having a UTI!!!!
I only took it for 3 days..after that I stopped. I felt like I got the flu instead. I had a fever of 102.8, chills, headache for 3days, rib pain, my body ached, abdominal pain, fatigue..and the medicine extended my period. I should be over with it by now. But it is day 3 off the pill..I am feeling better. Drinking lots of fluids.Just feel a little more tired than usual. Will keep you all updated on how I do.

BACTRIM SHOULD BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET!!!! So many people have horror stories about this drug!!!!!

I took Bactrim for a urinary tract infection. After I had taken the Bactrim for two days I started having really bad hot flashes. Never have had them before. I was burning up constantly, all day. Sweating on my face and chest. Slight nausea and headaches. Some dry mouth. And just an all over feeling of being tired and not feeling well. I haven't read any postings yet about people feeling hot or running fever, but I really think this is the problem. After 3 days of constantly being hot and sweating, I felt like I was about to go crazy. So I have stopped taking it today. I hope it goes away quick, but I have read it can still take a few days for it to get out of your system. Has anyone else experienced the being hot from taking Bactrim?