Bactrim Side Effects (Page 2)

I am curious if anyone else has had any of these side effects from taking bactrim. My mouth is so swollen with blisters all inside my mouth.....now it has started to affect my private area as well with same symptoms. I cant eat and it burns all day long. I only took 4 pills when this started. Please help if you can.

REPLY

REPORT

I wouldn't

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I'm an ICU NURSE and I never had a problem with Bactrim in the past but I took one dose a few months back and developed huge ulcers inside my mouth and I was extremely itchy down there like so many ppl on here. Bactrim has 2 antibiotics in it and if you are taking it Bactrim DS it is double strength. When you take it for long periods of time it could kill all the good bacteria in your body, hence the itching. I found out that they are manufacturing Bactrim differently, it contains sulfa and alot of it. Although a person can develop an allergy at anytime sulfa allergies can cause those burning tip blisters and lesions. It has an extremely acidic ph as well, hence the burning. If i were you I would mark on your medical record that you are allergic to sulfa drugs, especially since it causes you mouth swelling. The next time it could be a more severe allergic reaction and could cause your airway to swell, and you could go into respiratory distress or failure. As far as the staphylococcus infection goes, usually that is treated with clindamycin or vanco. You should have your doctor so a wound culture to see exactly what the abscess is sensitive to and knock it out for good. If he prescribes more than one antibiotic I would make sure you get on a probiotic for a couple weeks this will put good bacteria back into your body and help prevent any secondary infections. Just remember to take it about 2 hrs after your antibiotic so it doesn't reduce the effectiveness. You could rinse your mouth with hydrogen peroxide, don't swallow it! And get a good lip balm and toss out your toothbrush after your lips clear up to prevent re infection, also avoid lipstick, or toss out any u used while the lesions were on your lip. You don't want to irritate them. I hope this helps. I will never take Bactrim again myself bc I was so uncomfortable after only 1 dose, I couldn't imagine what would have happened if I tool a second dose. Good luck! Oh and inform your md of the allergy so they can prescribe another antibiotic and mark the sulfa allergy on your chart.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 5

I'd like to start by saying that Cipro is one of the most common drugs we give for UT I followed by macrobid, and the dreaded Bactrim. Please stop taking the Bactrim for your safety it definitely sounds like you are having an allergic reaction to sulfa and you don't want to do into respiratory failure because your airway swells from that drug. My best advice would be to call the ER where you were seen and ask them to tell you what the urine culture grew out. That way you can find out what the bacteria is sensitive to ( what will kill it) then ask them to fax a copy to your MDs office. That way you will knock this out for good. In the mean time their is an over the counter drug from AZO for bladder spasms called pyridium it will eliminate the spasms till you see your doc, your md may even just call in a different drug for you if you fax that culture report and tell him about the swelling you are experiencing. Also drink 3 cups of cranberry juice a day, it makes it so that the bacteria can not stick inside your bladder, and drink lots of water 6-8 cups. Also, FYI the pyridium will turn your urine orange this is normal and try some OTC a benadryl for the swelling if it isn't better in 24 hrs or you feel short of breath or its worsening please visit your nearest ER for treatment. Your airway could close. Also if you have chills or fever go to the ER. YOU COULD BE COME septic if the infection spreads to your blood stream. I hope this helps! Good luck

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

I only took 2 pills of 6 for my uti and i have been to the urgent care twice! After the first doseage side effects happend within a couple hours. I started to itch down there. My throat was swelling up my eyes went blood shot. And got a migrane for 2 days then my vagina labia skin started to peel and bleed. I stopped after my second dose realizing i had a allergic reaction. However i thought i had a yeast infection and/or BV infection so went to urgent care and they think it could be an std, but my husband and i have only been with each other since we been together so trying to tell them i know its not that. They cultured it and im waiting for the results to come back in a few days. So glad i found this forum because i have been so frustrated about all of this! I knew bactrim caused the other reactions but didnt know it was the reason for the vagina peeling! Ugh. Thanks ladies. No more bactrim for me ever.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

It does seem this is coming out of nowhere, I wonder what is now in the drug that wasant there before to cause all these problems. I took my last Bactrim on Sunday and I am still suffering from mouth sores and inflamed lip. Horrible yeast infection too. I wonder why this drug is even in the market? Horrible pain and I have no idea when it will go away since it has been 48 hours since I took my last one.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

this is crazy, this question was asked in 2007 and here we are 7 years later and it seems more ppl are experiencing these god awful side effects! something needs to be done about bactrim.

I'm prone to UTIs and have taken bactrim once before and was prescribed it again 3 days ago for a UTI. the first dose made me feel sick with a bad stomach ache, the second day I was a wreck, feeling nauseous, constipated, dehydrated, no appetite, tired and sore muscles, and now today my throat has swollen so much that I can feel my uvulla every time I swallow... not pleasant :(

I'm calling the doc/pharma tomorrow bc after reading what everyone else has wrote, there is no way in hell I want to continue my script.

thank you everyone for sharing your experiences and I hope that you all heal soon <3

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

I am so glad I found this web page. I thought I was the only one having the side effects of Bactrim. It needs to be taken off the market.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

I am on Bactrim DS right now. I have taken Bactrim in the past with no issue, but this time, the day after i started taking it I woke up with a blister on my lip and now i can feel something on the roof of my mouth. I have red itchy bumps in different places on my upper body and a horrible yeast infection!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

I started taking bactrim ds and norco last night for a cyst that was lanced at the er. Ive taken norco before without side effects; however I woke up this morning with a swollen lip and believe it is caused from the bactrim after reading this site.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

I'm having the exact same reaction. I was diagnosed with a uti and they prescribed me bactrim. 24 hours after my first dose I felt a not on my vagina so im thinking maybe it's because I shaved down there. Then the next day I get these blister like bumps on the inner walls. I've been freaking out. I just came from getting tested for genital herpes because when I googled the symptoms that's what came up. And then all of a sudden something told me to google bactrim adverse reactions and I stumbled across this thread. I should've done that first before I spent $200. Sucks to be me

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

I just finished 10 days of Bactrim and will never again take this drug. Within 24 hours of the first dose I had developed herpes-like symptoms in my vaginal area. I saw my doctor within 48 hours, and she insisted that it was herpes. She took a blood diagnosis to confirm this and started me on a high dose of Valtrex. It took four days for the Valtrex to begin helping and in the meantime the pain from these sores was unbearable. Today the doctor called and sure enough, I did NOT have the herpes virus. She couldn't explain this outbreak and didn't think it was related to bactrim. I absolutely disagree - this was directly related to bactrim, and I will never again take this medication. It should be removed from treatment options - the pain from the sores is absolutely inhumane! No one should have to suffer through those side effects.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 9

I have never taken sulfa drugs before. I was prescribed Septra (similar to Bactrim) to see if I could clear a potential MRSA infection. I took one pill at 6pm on Tuesday, and woke up at 3am on Wednesday with a really itchy vagina. The next morning the symptoms were worse, so I checked and had blisters that looked like herpes. I had already had a herpes scare a month previously, and, although the culture and the blood work for HSV1 and HSV2 were negative, I was still skeptical. So I had the vaginal lesions cultured the next day. I just got the results back and it was negative for both types.

I asked my doctor if the reaction could have been from the Septra, and he said no, that the reaction occurred too soon after taking the drug. So I've been taking the drug for 6 days now out of 7. Simultaneously, I was prescribed Acyclovir for the "herpes" I had. The antiviral medication didn't do anything and the blisters are still there. They haven't gotten worse, but they haven't gotten better either.

The last three days I have also experienced fever, chills, total body aches, shooting pains in my legs and back, and what feels like arthritis in my wrist joints. My lymph nodes in my armpit and neck are really swollen and extremely tender. Yesterday, I broke out in a skin rash that began in my face and worked it's way down from there. I took Benadryl and was fine. I also have severe headaches that advil barely masks.

I'm going to stop taking the drug and see my doctor on Thursday. I'll post back here once I know more.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I noticed extremely dry chapped lips and shortly thereafter my tongue started getting some white sore spots on my tongue after taking 3 pills Bactrim DS. It kept getting worse, so I called my doctor and immediately he prescribed something different. The sores on my tongue have not gotten worse, but also are not healing very quickly. I have rinsed with hydrogen peroxide, but it is still painful to eat. Will never take this drug again!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

So glad I'm not alone! I had terrible experiences with bactrim in college. Taking it for one day and my lips swelled up to twice their size and the same in my vagina. It was so painful I went to urgent care and they blew me off as having herpes even though I told them I'd just started taking a new antibiotic. A few months later, after another UTI and another round of Bactrim with the same results, I finally figured out that I'm allergic to sulfa. Ladies, get the word out to everyone you know, including your doctor! Tell them to stop Prescribing it!!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 4

Yup. I have taken it before but i guess after having babies i developed an allergy to sulfa. The urgent care and ER told me the same thing thinking it was an sti even though i said thats impossible since im happily married. Evenually i found this site and i figured it out. When all test came back negative the drs and nurses kept calling me saying i need to do more tests. Nope after i stop the bactrim i healed and had no problems y

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

my girlfriend has the same symptoms exactly what you described and also a hard time breathing

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I started Bactrim on Sunday and it is now Thursday. I stopped taking the medicine Wednesday. The whole roof of my mouth is covered in painful blisters. The whole right side of my head is throbbing, but mainly in my facial joints. I also suffered a really bad yeast infection that seems to be going away. After reading other post, I know what to expect. Who needs to pay a physician for the wrong information when we have Google. I wonder if Benadryl will help since it's an allergic reaction. I'm about to go back to the ER for pain medicine!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My DR had told me to take Benedryl when I called to report the problems I was experiencing with the Bactrim.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Eeeek! I would absolutely tell your doctor to prescribe you something else! Having a bad reaction to antibiotics is a serious thing, and your doctor should know that. I'd be pretty pissed if my doc told me to just take some Benadryl.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi there. I know that this forum is very old, and likely you have already found your answer, but this forum helped me so much, I feel I have to contribute in case someone else stumbles across it in need of help.

I started a 14 day round of Sulfamethozole TMP Double Strength (Bactrim) for Sinusitis because my 14 days of Amoxicillin were ineffective on the extreme infection. Friday, I woke up with a crack in my lip. I had assumed it was from a mild sunburn I had the prior Sunday, and just used some chapstick. By Sunday, (6 doses later) I noticed a very uncomfortable pain while having intercourse, but it was bearable and even ignorable. That evening, I was out-of-control itchy! I kept rubbing and rubbing from discomfort. It continued, though Monday I missed my evening dose. No itching, but I didn't yet attribute it to the Bactrim.

Come Tuesday evening, I was very uncomfortable and so damn itchy. I sat myself down in front of a mirror only to be extremely alarmed because I suddenly had little blisters! WHAT?! My clitoris, labia, and vaginal opening had scabby-like sores, and a few small, bubbly blisters. I figured my extreme rubbing caused them and vowed to be very careful. I continued my Bactrim, with no idea. Along the week I began to notice terribly sensitive lymph nodes, pelvic glands, a sore throat, an aching tongue, a small bubbly blister to join my cracked lip, and swollen gums. Thursday, the pain was so terrible I couldn't pee without getting in the shower. Friday, I decided I HAD to see my OBGYN. To make a long story short, I was treated terribly and basically told after a 2second glance I had herpes and there was no other option. I even told my OB I was on Bactrim, to no raised alarm. I was started on Valtrex, but really could not believe it. I took my antibiotic with my Valtrex after the doctor, and immediately felt swelling of my lips and severe burning. I got curious, went online, and discovered this forum. Oh. My. God.

Saturday I revisted a different, much kinder OBGYN who told me she would culture swab me and analyze my blood for Herpes, but decided I needed to go to the ER because of a rapidly spreading rash on my feet, back, and inner thighs. Come to find out in the hospital, I was so severely allergic I developed a mild case of Steven's Johnson's Syndrome. Monday evening several saline bags, an overnight visit, many needles, and some rest, I was completely cleared up and in tip top shape. No more blisters.

Also, my blood work came back -- HSV1 & HSV2 Negative. Don't always believe a doctor, don't put your health second by thinking it might be something else, and ALWAYS check medications.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 3

I need to know of any side effects that may occur while taking this medication. ## Are there any risks to taking this me...

487 REPLIES

Hi. I've been meaning to post for a couple of weeks. In early January I was diagnosed with a staph infection and pre...

5 REPLIES

I had strep throat, therefore the docter proscribed me the bactrim ds 800 - 160 , he said take 2 a day , for 10 days and...

3 REPLIES

Took bactrim for l-1/2 days. Blood sugar plummetted, severe GI problems, anxiety through the roof! Immediately stopped t...

2 REPLIES

My husband was prescribed this pill for a staph infection. He has dementia and has had total confusion, craziness, sleep...

5 REPLIES

I had a stem cell transplant almost 4 years ago. I have been on bactrim, diflucan, tacrolimus and valtrex for 4 years. I...

1 REPLY

side effects of cherrifer vitamins ## I chanced upon your site researching for side effects of Cherifer. You sent me an ...

281 REPLIES

I have been on suboxone now for just under a month. I think it is an amazing drug, i have had no cravings or interest in...

262 REPLIES

I am taking one capsule a day of this vitamin with my breakfast, but have very severe nausea after taking it. Is this co...

185 REPLIES

amitriptyline tab 10 mg generic for elavil other than drowsiness ## Common side effects of using Amitriptyline include: ...

117 REPLIES