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50 Side Effects posted for Bactrim

December 21th
2008
11:03 PM

I'm on bactrim for a kidney infection. The first day I was fine. I was in so much pain, after 2-3 pills it made me feel a lot better, I'm taking bactrim 2x a day for 7 days. I'm on day 4 and feel like crap. My backache is back, headache, cramping, stomach ache. I feel worse then I did before the meds. I stopped it this morning, but go so sick I had to take one. They make me feel better for a moment, until everything kicks in. And I cant do this with a 5 month old to care for. I go to the doctor in 2 days....I will be stopping tonight. Thanks to everyone elses answers!!

-- By gummybear8605 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

December 11th
2008
5:22 PM

Oh my God, where to start. The past few months I have gone through some crazy things from prostitis to having 2 cystoscopy's performed. This past weekend the scab came off the biopsy location in my bladder and blad pretty badly. It caused a large clot to block off my bladder and I could not urinate. In the ER they found a lot of bacteria in my urine and prescribed Bactrim.

Let me just say the past few months have been NOTHING last the past few days on Bactrim. First it was the crazy dreaming. Dreams that were so outlandish, yet so real it was quite frightening.

On day 2 of taking Bactrim I started to itch. It has been quite cold here in Jersey so I chalked it up to the usual dry winter skin. On day 3 I woke up (after minimal sleep) with a sore throat and chest congestion. I then found that the itching grew immensely in intensity and now was adorned with red bumps.

This rash was mainly on my upper arms and lower legs. I scratched at it so badly I drew blood, I have never felt itchy like this. This is ITCHY....EVIL ITCHY!

I woke up on day 4 the same, took another dose of Bactrim (dose #8). As I swallowed the pill something told me "Hey, I bet this pill is causing all your problems." After some research, viola! I found information online that pretty much assured me I was correct.

I went to the doc today and he advised me to take 1 Zyrtec a day and prescribed me Prednisone. I just hope this itching stops soon because I am making a mess of myself with all this scratching.

How could a pill like this be on the market and be utilized as much as it is. The testaments on this site are amazing and stunningly all similar.

Bactrim is undoubtedly the worst prescription I have ever taken or have read up on. To whoever reads this, if you are prescribed Bactrim use one of the rubber test gloves in your doctors office and slap him/her across the face with it. Dealing with the pending lawsuit would be better on you than dealing with the side effects of this drug.

-- By itchy_itchy | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

August 22th
2008
1:48 AM

Diagnosed with MRSA on my right leg 2 months ago, was prescribed Bactrim(2 a day for 7 days) and didn't have any major side-effects. I now have MRSA again and have been prescribed a higher dosage of Bactrim and have some possible side-effects as well. As noted by others, I can not sleep (as is evident by this posting time, if its EST), but I am exhausted! Also, I have occasional shooting pain down my right arm and my fingers on my right hand are numb. This usually occurs while I'm lying down.

Not sure if these are directly related to the Bactrim, but thought I'd post in case anyone else has had something similar. Seems not too much out there regarding the arm pain (as I try to self-diagnose in the middle of the night :) ).

-- By ifeelya | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

August 18th
2008
3:20 PM

Honestly thank you for this website! I mentally feel better if not physically yet. I was prescribed 3 day/2 dose Bactrim for a UTI. I have NEVER had a reaction to antibiotics or any type of medicine. I can no longer say that.

That said...thought I was dying. My temperature was 102 for days, every muscle in my body felt so sore I felt like a car had hit me and then hit me again, ridiculous size headache, massive stomach pain, insomnia, thought I would faint every time I stood up, could barely walk, no appetite, etc. It was ridiculous and I thought I was going crazy because how can one medicine do all that?? I now have a whole new respect for antibiotics.

Since I was feeling so horrible by the 2nd day on it I went ahead and finished the last day. (hindsight probably stupid)

This is my first day off and all my muscles are still killing me, especially my neck, chest, stomach, back. Still feel weak and my temp. this morning was 101 and went down to 100 now.

And I don't know if it was the medicine or just being sick but I've been so 'out of it' today and just depressed. I can not WAIT for this medicine to be out of my system! And I will never use it again.

To add insult to injury I'm not sure if it cured the UTI all the way. Not running to the restroom but still have slight (non-painful) tingle down there.

-- By appleleena | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me

August 5th
2008
10:17 AM

Hello all,
I'm in the same boat but near the end.... I was given Bactrim for a UTI. I woke up after 2 days with horrible aches in my joints and muscles. I was immediately taken off the Bactrim and put on Doxycycline. I was then put on Prednisone for the aches (which helped). I developed blisters and a rash after a few days. My aches went away after about two weeks but now I have itchy, sore and peeling feet, buttocks, mouth, and genitals. Stomach upset as well. I have been tested for everything (STDs, Lyme Disease, West Nile, etc, etc) and everything has come back negative. I was diagnosed with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome from the allergic reaction I had to the Bactrim. It has been 3 weeks since the first dose and I am finally starting to feel better (except for the insane itching). Good luck to everyone. Never again!

-- By amyruta | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

July 7th
2008
3:33 PM

I was recently treated for a staph infection with 10 days worth of bactrim. The whole week my BP was through the roof (now on BP meds), severe headaches, sore spots on my head, weird eye pain and vomitting. It was horrible. I was linking it all to my unusual high BP but from what I've read it looks like most of you have experienced the same side effects. I had two days left to take but I'm not going to mess with it anymore.

-- By a8949 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

June 16th
2008
3:04 PM

I am so glad to have found this site. I took 3 Bactrim pills for a urinary tract infection. After the 2nd pill I should have stopped, because I thought I was feeling oddly and wondered if it was from the drug. I talked to my mother and sister who have frequent UTI's and who take Bactrim, and they said they had no side effects from it whatsoever. I figured it was in my head then that I was feeling bad, and decided to take another dose (My 3rd). I experienced tingly, crawling feelings in my legs. Cramps and pain in my stomach, major gas and acid reflux, lower ab pain, right side pain, and low back pain. In addition, I felt out of my own body, everything seemed very bright to my eyes in an unusual way, I saw stars when I looked to the left or right and shadows, I also felt sick to my stomach or starved depending. I noticed a slightly sore throat and last night a terrible headache at the base of my neck and up the back of my head. Today I have a very sore and swollen tendon in my right side. My stomach remains bubbly and gassy and I still have some headache pain and leg pain. I also experienced rapid heartbeat to the point of just about hyperventilating. I stopped the drug immediately. It's been 2 days since I've taken any Bactrim and I still feel horrible. I can't wait until this crap is out of my system!! I am drinking tons of water and resting as much as I can. I will take Cranberry Tablets Supplements every day from now on to ward off UTI in the future, and NEVER EVER take Bactrim again. I would NOT recommend this drug to ANYONE. The side effects are horrible and all this from just 3 pills! I cannot imagine having taken more.

Good luck and good health to all who have been in this position! It stinks.

-- By egirl | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

May 1th
2008
11:45 PM

Just got prescribed Bactrim today for a URI. I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and am very sensitive to ANY medications anyway. THANK GOD I had the brains enough to be cautious and only take a 1/2 of a tablet (I am the butt of many jokes in my family because I am almost medication-phobic due to side effects) but I just took a 1/2 a tablet and 11 hours after taking it, I have a swollen face, eyelids, etc., a bloodshot eye, nasal passages are swollen completely shut, have heart palpitations, and my urine is BROWN. Yes, BROWN. OMG I am not taking another pill, it should be removed from the market. You all know that SOME day, we'll be seeing some attorney commercial on TV asking for people that have been injured/death from side effects of this drug......unbelievable doctors are still prescribing this as I believe they've got to be getting complaints about it all the time. I had a friend that worked for a doctor and she told me that SOME doctors push certain drugs to their patients based on the good "perks" the drug reps give their office (lunches for staff, vacations for doctors, etc) shouldn't be that way but is for compensation for prescribing their drugs more than a competitors. Sad. Pray for me no long-term damage has been done.

-- By princesslori | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

April 30th
2008
4:59 PM

I had been taking bactrim for a week when one morning i woke up feeling achy, tired, and light-headed. I noticed a slight rash forming on my arms but didn't think much of it bc i had been on the Bactrim for a week already. Then the symptoms got wayyyyy worse. I started to form lesion like sores on my vagina, and I immediately saw a doctor to get tested for STD's. The gyno examined the area, and she said it did not look like herpes but that she would test for it just in case. She put me on augmentin bc she said I definitely had some sort of infection down there. After taking 4 doses of augmentin almost all the lesions went away. The STD tests (blood, culture, and urine) all came up negative, as I expected they would. Has anyone else had genital reactions to bactrim???? Because as of right now the doctors are unsure what caused this outbreak/infection.

-- By gab123 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

April 25th
2008
12:10 AM

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

-- By jameelah001 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

April 10th
2008
6:34 PM

Well I'm glad I'm not alone...I was given the generic brand for Bactrim for a Staph infection and I took the first pill this morning. Just before lunch I began to feel quite dizzy and even after eating, I still felt dizzy and out of sorts. I came home and went straight to bed. Has anyone experience dizziness w/ Bactrim or its relative generics? I also have diabetes and my levels were a lot lower than what I'm used to. Needless to say, I called my Dr and they are giving me something else.

-- By green_sleeves | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

April 7th
2008
8:00 PM

I took Bactrim for a Saph infection a high dose, twice a day. On my third day, my lips began to swell and a cold sore that was I my lip prior to taking it swelled up. My staph infection cleared up, but I developed a sore tight throat. A huge blister like cold sore on my lip, and my right eye itches and is red like crazy.

-- By nerdylatte | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

March 28th
2008
7:20 AM

I started bactrim for a mild UTI. It was a 7 day dose, twice a day. I've never had any problems with any medication before. I finished all the pills on Tuesday, and woke up with a rash all over my face, neck, arms, stomach, back, and thighs on Thursday. All day I was feeling weak and near fainting when I stood up. I had chills, itched, and yet was hot at the same time. I believe I had some palpitations. Also a fever and swollen lymph nodes all over my neck and upper back. As the day went on the rash spread all the way to my feet and it went from blotchy to solid red. we currently don't have insurance so I'm pretty much currently stuck this way. My whole body itches, tingles, and I can't sleep.

DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG ! ! ! I would not even risk it ! I would much rather have a UTI !

-- By tay17 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

March 3th
2008
10:33 PM

I started Bactrim for a UTI and felt horrible the whole time. Sick to my stomach, trouble breathing, headaches, loss of appetite. Once I asked my husband to call 911 because I almost passed out. But then I said, wait, let me settle down. I did that and continue with the medication thinking it was the UTI. Then I went to urgent care because I was suffering from a yeast infection from the Bactrim too. The 9th day on Bactrim I got worse, I started to break out in hives. By the 10th day I rush to urgent care covered head to toe in hives with trouble breathing and bumps on my tongue and mouth and throat. The doctor said, you're are having an allergic reaction to the Bactrim. He gave me a shot of cortisone and Prednisone l for the inflammation. My stomach is swollen, my body aches, I still have a terrible yeast infection and read that if you have fungal and are taking Prednisone, that's not good either. So I am at odds because my breathing is labored and I am hoping the Prednisone works and I can make it another day or else, I will go to the emergency tonight. This is no fun....I sent this list of complaints to the FDA's attention today. I hope they listen and look at this page seriously and all those who continue to write.

-- By tinacristina | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

January 28th
2008
10:04 PM

I took Bactrim for a UTI. I am experiencing constipation, sore leg muscles, anxiety, rapid heart beat, breathlessness, and cramping all over my lower abdomen. I agree, the side effects of this drug are worse than the illness you are taking it for!

-- By gwagirl | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

December 2th
2007
11:46 AM

I took Bactrim for 2 days. I developer blisters, eye swelling and acute pancreatitis. I was hospitalized for 13 days. I am still very sick from this drug and I think people should be made aware of the harmful side affects.
I was prescribed Bactrim for a UTI.

-- By jackieborton | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

October 5th
2007
1:43 PM

I am a 38 yo female. Took bactrim for UTI. Two and half days into treatment, I could not sleep. Strange dreams, agitation. Next day, absolute feeling of panic, anxiety, restlessness, loss of appetite, weakness in hands, confusion, sweating, heavy heartbeat. Went to ER, they were unfamiliar with this reaction. Seems to take quite awhile to get the medication out of your system. I will never take bactrim again.

-- By amydriscoll | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me

October 4th
2007
8:17 PM

I was prescribed augmentin for an infected cut on my ankle. I took it for 5 days before I started getting some seasonal rhinitis pain. Doctor said I had a sinus infection and switched me from augmentin to bactrim, and also prescribed me flonase for the non-allergic rhinitis. I took 2 bactrim before I noticed drug allergy symptoms. I developed a very itchy rash on hands and feet (worst on wrists and back of ankles). The rash appeared on itching, puffed up for a bit and dissipated to pink/red marks (slightly less itchy).
I also noticed welts (skin bumps) in the soft tissue of the web of each hand and on the inside of each foot above the arch. These are slightly tender. I called the a consulting nurse as soon as the rash started and she said to immediately take a benedryl to keep things from getting worse. It helped a little that night. Went to the doctor and was prescibed hydroxyzine which is like benedryl but stronger and helps with itching. Rash lasted almost 3 days, was worst second day, then dissipated. Welts on hands and feet have persisted for the last few days. Having general aches and phantom prickles in hands and feet, must be healing from the rash.

Doctor thinks this was all delayed reaction to augmentin. I think this was immediate reaction to bactrim. Pharmacists seem to think bactrim too.

Whichever caused it, I have stopped both and only continue on the flonase which seems to help with the sinus issues.

I haven't heard of anyone having the same kind of soft tissue welting/swelling between the thumb and forefinger. Has anyone experienced this with a rash caused by allegic reaction to antibiotics?

-- By redandswollen | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

August 3th
2007
9:19 AM

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.

-- By kylie74 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

March 23th
2006
11:16 AM

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?

-- By connie.roberts | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

March 22th
2006
9:03 AM

BACTRIM KILLED MY HUSBAND

MY HUSBAND WAS A DIBETIC, HAD LIVE TROUBLE & TOOK BLOOD THINNERS. THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE GIVEN IT TO HIM. IT CAUSED HIS KIDNEYS TO FAIL. HE NEVER HAD KIDNEY PROBLEMS BEFORE. IT ALSO CAUSED HIM TO JERK AND GO INTO COMA LIKE STAGES. HE WALKED INTO THE HOSPITAL WITH A SIMPLE FOOT PROBLEM, AND DIED A FEW WEEKS LATER.

-- By linda687b | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

April 7th
2003
8:57 AM

After having many UTI's in the past, the problem with Bactrim was that it stopped working. I developed an immunity or tolerance to the drug, which didn't help with my next infection. I was then prescribed Levaquin, which, despite the cost, works, but it does take longer for the infection to completely clear up. Sometimes I wish I could take Bactim like I used to. $$$

-- By phoebe_foley | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me


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