Sulfamethoxazole and left eye

About 2 months ago, I was prescribed Sulfameth/Trimethoprim 800/160 tabs for an inflamed, swollen nose which extended to puffiness and an apparent fluid sac under my left eye -- the actual cause for this infection has not been determined.

The doctor prescribed a 14-day supply (1 tablet, twice daily), and said I could stop taking it after 10 days if I wanted, or finish out the supply if I so desired. After about 5 days, the swelling had pretty much subsided, particularly under the eye, but I continued taking the medication through the 13th day. During the first 12 days, I did not notice any adverse reactions.

However, on the 13th day, just after getting out of the shower, I noticed red welts on my chest and back, purple splotches on the underside of my upper arms, and generalized redness across the rest of my body and limbs. I did not immediately associate these symptoms with the antibiotic, because the first 12 days had not caused me any problems.

However, a friend theorized that it might be an allergic reaction to the antibiotic, and suggested I stop taking it to see if the symptoms subsided. Since I had only two tablets left, I decided to heed the suggestion, and the redness did go away after about 2 days. I resolved to tell the doctor about this reaction on my next visit, but have not been back there yet.

Earlier this week, I experienced the beginnings of similar tenderness and swelling on the left side of my nose, and still do not know what might be the cause for this. I decided on Wednesday morning to take one of the remaining two tablets of Sulfameth/Trimethoprim, and within an hour or two began to itch a lot -- primarily on the back but also on the arms. I thought that taking a shower might relieve the symptoms, and it did somewhat.

Around dinner time, I took the second (my last one) remaining tablet, and about an hour later went out to join some friends. I had a slight headache and took an Ibuprofin tablet just before going out. Within the second hour, I began to feel chills (even though I was wearing ample layers of clothing), and the headache had not diminished -- so I took another Ibuprofin. The symptoms seemed indicative of a low-grade fever.

After excusing myself and going home, I laid down to watch TV, and the chills got so bad that I was obliged to curl up under a blanket, even after turning up the central heat. The headache got so intense, I had to hold an icepack against my temples and forehead for some relief. Later, when I took my temperature, the fever had progressed to 102 degrees; still later, it had climbed to 104. This worried me, since I have read that brain damage can occur at 105 degrees.

During this time, I decided to switch (from Ibuprofin) to taking three aspirins, to see if that might be more effective in reducing the fever, but it persisted at 104 degrees for all of the night and into the next morning. I made a point of drinking lots of fluids (water & juice) and tried sleeping, but woke up about every two hours.

On Thursday, about mid-day, the fever finally began to subside -- though I noticed a fatigue and soreness in my calf muscles, most pronounced if I stood in one position for more than a minute or so. The only relief was to move about, or to sit down.

By evening, my temperature was back to normal and I felt well enough to visit with some friends again. However, several hours after returning home, I felt dehydrated and had another headache; my temperature was back at 102 degrees. I drank more fluids, took aspirins, and had another night of fitful sleep.

By Friday afternoon, my temperature had reduced to about 100 degrees, and my calf muscles still displayed the same symptoms of soreness, as though I had over-exercised them. It's a very uncomfortable feeling.

Lesson learned: I will be asking my doctor to note in my file that I am allergic to sulfa-based meds, and hope that normalcy returns over the next few days. I have also gained a deeper appreciation for the manner in which the human body fights off foreign substances! ;-)

Was given Sulfameth for an upper respiratory infection. After 7 days my eyes began to itch and swell. By day 9 my left eye was so swollen when I woke up in the morning, I looked like Rocky after his fight. It has been two weeks since I stopped the drug and my eyes are still swelling and itching. Antihistamines only help the itching not the swelling.