Bactrim and next morning

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 ... 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.

Hi, I am so thankful for finding this site! I went into ER on January 31, 2008 because my bladder was contracting so badly i couldn't walk. I had severe backache right where my kidneys are. I knew I had a severe bladder infection. I am no stranger to bladder infections but, I usually get rid of them on my own (for the past 10 years) but, with all the hustle and bussle of the Holiday's I let it go and I apparently let it go too long. Anyway, my husband rushed me to the ER frantic thinking I had appendicitis and it was going to burst at any moment. Well, once I finally seen the doctor he said it sounded like a bladder infection that had gotten real bad. He tested my urine and just by looking at it he knew it was in fact a UTI. He did send it to the lab which also confimed it. The doctor gave me PHENAZOPYRIDINE to stop the bladder contractions and the burning when urinating and oh my GOD did I feel so much better. He also gave me a Bactrim right at the hospital. He also gave me a Prescription for both medications. I noticed after taking the first Bactrim I was feeling extremely nausea which I was told was a side effect so I just let it go. The next morning I had zero energy and when I walked I felt short of breath I also, noticed that when I layed down and stretched my legs they would cramp up terribly. I continued to take the Bacrtim because i just assumed that I was having these symptoms because I had been in so much pain that having some relief my body didn't know how to react. I was prescribed to take the Bactrim 2 times daily. So by the third day I was in agony. My lower back was hurting me so bad right at my spine and when sitting in our car it traveled to my left buttock and made it impossible to stay in a sitting position I told my husband I may have to go to ER again and I thought the Doctor had Miss Diagnosed me. My husband brought me back home where I decided to look-up side effects of bactrim and I came across so many sites with so many people having problems after taking this drug I decided that very moment not to take it anymore. I began drinking tons of filtered water to help clean out my system. The next morning I had so much of my energy back and my back and neck pain were at least tolerable. That day, Yesterday Sunday January 4, 2009 I began a full body cleanse product i found at rite aide (not cheap) but, today Monday I woke up and I have my energy back almost 100% no neck pain and very little back pain. What I have a hard time understanding is why the ER doctor gave me a broad spectrum drug knowing I was allergic to 3 other antibiotics. Doesn't that put me in a category of don't test other drugs on me? Anyway, I will never take another antibiotic for the rest of my life. I went 10 years with out taking any and I think I have just re learned why I have no faith in doctors. Thank you for this website I really needed to vent and get some assurance that the drug was in fact the reason I was so ill. I FORGOT TO MENTION ABOUT THE BACKACHE: I FELT AS IF MY BODY WAS BEING SPLIT UP THE MIDDLE OF MY SPINE. I THOUGHT I COULD TEAR APART AT ANY SECOND AND THE ONLY RELIEF I FOUND WAS GETTING ON MY HANDS AND KNEES IN THE SHOWER AND ALLOWING THE WATER TO RUN DOWN MY BACK. HOT,HOT WATER. I ALSO USED A HEATING PAD.

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

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

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

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

I don't wish this on anyone, but it's comforting to know I am not the only one. On Day 3 of taking Bactrim, developed a slight headache. The next morning, it was throbbing, especially when I bent down. The headache persisted, and was joined by body aches, sweating, and shivering. My doctor wants me to keep taking the drug, but after reading these postings, I'd much rather let the infection clear up on it own. Not sure if this is relevant, but I had an allergic reaction once to Amoxicillin (hives, rash). I cannot wait until this leaves my system.

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.

Prescribed for UTI, 1 pill 2x day, actually Bactrim DS, which is 800/160 tabs. After 1 dose, next morning severe migraine with vomiting, nausea, chills, (I didn't take temp, but probably had a fever), loss of appetite, finally went to sleep for a few hours and was jarred awake by a bad dream (unusual for me) and couldn't go back to sleep thought I had drank to much caffeine. Had tight chest, but thought that was linked to my 130/90 BP...I thought I was having a heart attack. Followed by sleeplessness last night. Today, after 3 doses, I woke with a stiff neck and had a headache this morning which was made better by 2 Tylenol. Went to my GP to get on some BP meds. He must've thought I was crazy, but I wasn't leaving until I got something to make my chest feel better and theoretically lower my BP. I thought all these side effects were just me, but apparently not. I wish everyone the best in finding a better, safer treatment than this one.

I was prescribed Bactrim for 10 days. On about the 7th/8th days, I noticed my lymph nodes under my jaw were becoming very painful and swollen. By the next night my lymph nodes continued to become more swollen and painful under my jaw and spread all along under my jaw and in my neck (I looked like I had two chins!). I also then developed a fever of 102, chills, severe headache and ached all over (oh yeah, my heart was racing for days). The fever and chills made me absolutely miserable! I could barely get out of bed or off the couch for almost 4 days. The next morning after fever, chills, headache, I woke up with a red, splotchy, sunburn-like rash from my neck to my ankles, which got itchier and more painful in the next two days. My MD said the rash was a reaction to Bactrim but did not seem to know what the other symptoms were from so ordered blood tests and told me he was "concerned" for me (I was freaking out)! The bloodwork came back negative (thank God). He still didn't seem to put the other symptoms with the rash and Bactrim. I then started to research Bactrim allergies/side effects online and found this website. I found that others had experienced some of the same horrible side effects as I had. It was pretty scary until I realized this was all apparently related to Bactrim, as my MD apparently had no clue. Other's experiences helped validate what I was experiencing so thanks to you all who shared your Bactrim horror stories! I started feeling a little better 48 hours after the last Bactrim dose and at about 72 hours, I pretty much felt back to normal. No more Sulfa for me!

I was given Bactrim after a laser procedure to my face. For the first seven days, my only symptom was a very red face which I unknowingly attributed to the laser procedure. On the eighth day, my face was very much improved in colour which I later realised was because I had accidently missed two doses of Bactrim. When I recommenced with the Bactrim the next morning, within a few hours my face was intensely itchy and red and I broke out in a rash all over my torso. At this point I became concerned and did some internet research, only to realise my symptoms were all Bactrim related. Apparently sulfite allergies are relatively common amongst the population, and I now know why I get a flushed face when I drink beer or wine.