Bactrim Side Effects (Top voted first)

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.

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I'm having the same thing . Took bactrim for uti and two days later had flu like symptoms and vaginal sores . Its been a week since i stopped taking it and the sores are still there . How long did it take for your sores to clear?

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How long did it take for your sores to clear?

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I've taken Bactrim DS so many times I've lost count but the last 2 times it has caused the blisters on my lips. The first time I didn't know what was going on so I just continued taking the antibiotics because like I said I've tolerated it numerous times in the past. Well the blisters eventually went away after about a week after being off of Bactrim. So just 3 days ago I had to take it again and after one day of being on it I woke up with my lips swollen and tingling so obviously I stopped taken it immediately. Well the next day this blisters on my lips showed up again. Ugh!! So painful and ugly! What I find that helps it taken a warm washcloth and just letting it sit on my lips, the blisters will pop and you can lightly rub the dead skin off (this is painful but it will heal in a day or two which means less time walking around with lips that look infected with herpes. BTW it's NOT herpes!)

Anyways my concern is why this all of the sudden? I've taken this antibiotic for years for a reoccurring abscess/boil on my leg that flares up every now and then. Now I don't know what to do, amoxicillin isn't strong enough to get rid of it, Bactrim is the only antibiotic that I've found will make it go away. Does anybody have a clue what this could mean? Did I just develop a random sulfa allergy overnight?

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Yes, I had the same reaction to bactrim. Was given Bactrim for a UTI. Doc thought I may have herpes due to my reaction, but it turned out only a reaction to the bactrim. I was sure I didn't have herpes for obvious reasons, but then I heard herpes can stay dormant for years. Waited days to get the final results...which was agony in itself. Damn Bactrim!! I had taken this drug previously, but with only one minor sore in my vaginal area and slight sore in my mouth. This time was MUCH worse.Several blisters in my mount, vaginal area and rectum. Shooting aches and pains in lower back and legs which lasted for weeks. It seems each time the allergic reactions can get worse. I took 4 days worth and then realized it was the bactrim causing the problems. Will never take this drug again!

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Wow I have had THE EXACT same reaction to Bactrim these past 6 days. I only took four pills and I was in agony. Immediately got a killer yeast infection, one of the worst in my life, horrible vaginal area burning and pain and itch. I had trouble urinating with extreme pain( worse than the original UTI I was prescribed it for), and hives and itching all over my body. I stopped taking it 4 days ago. I really hope these sores in my mouth go away soon, I have braces, and it makes it sooooo much worse! Cant EAT! Cant talk! wtf
I dealt with all of it at home, thinking it would all go away. But what brought me to the hospital was when my throat stated to constrict, and I could believe. It was a brand new side effect every day. So horrible. They, too, at the ER I ended up at last night, thought I had an std. I really believe this has all been a reaction to the Bactrim. Especially after seeing so many people here on this site, and many, many, other sites having the EXACT SAME problem!!
It needs to be taken off the market.
Bactrim needs to be stopped.

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I took one dose of Bactrim DS for a UTI and I'm an RN, so I know it's not a venereal disease! I woke up with swollen gums, lil mouth sores and a very itchy vagina, not to mention the rest of my body feels like I got hit by a bus....it's the sulfa ladies, you are allergic to sulfa. I used a topical burn cream with sulfa in it and something similar occurred.

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After one dose I got a large sore on the inside of my mouth. Does anyone know how I can speed up the healing process? I discontinued the bactrim after that one use but this sore is so painful. I'd really like to expedite the healing process.

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I get UTI's pretty often, so just last week I went to my doctor for a stronger antibiotic to help get rid of them for good. He prescribed me Bactrim DS and everything went well for the first few days on this medication. But it was just yesterday morning I woke up with a fever and had no idea what caused it since there were no other symptoms. So I just ignored that and went on with my day. Later that night I noticed redness and small sores in my vagina and immediately started to freak out. I know it's not an STD so I made the connection to this new sulfa drug, I must have an allergy to it. Today my fevers are gone but the sores and swelling are still there, maybe a little worse even. My doctor said he doesn't think it has anything to do with the Bactrim but I definitely think he's wrong seeing all these same issues on this forum and many others. I'm getting an appointment with a gynecologist asap and trying to avoid the hospital even though there's a good deal of pain. Honestly it's just kind of a relief to see there's not something extremely wrong with me and these side effects are out there. Bactrim should stop being prescribed to people so often!

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The same has happened to me. Was prescribed the genetic form of Bactrim and have gotten they 5 days of the medication. At first I was having terrible irritation on my vagina and then came the herpes like sores. So painful!!!!!!! I've contacted my doctor and won'tget a different antibiotic until my appointment monday morning. Should I be taking this until then?

This side effect was never disclosed to me prior to taking it. I would have never taken it. Any suggestions on a safe replacement antibiotic?

Thanks

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Rhonda, I have exactly the same reaction to this drug. Blisters on the lips, very sore tongue and blisters on genital area.

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Same here I started bactrim for a uti on day three of 10..my lips are on fire bright red wth sores and peeling..and my vagina has painful itchy lesions that look like herpes..I'm freakn since I been with the same boyfriend for 4yrs and he's fine..thank god I found these post.it has to be the bactrim..needless to say I stopped it and started macrobid which is sulfa free..

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I have been on this drug twice and both times I have had the same problem mostly in the genitals .After about the 3rd pill my genitals got really red and sore at the tip around the eurethra. I also had itching around where I was circumcised and shaft.I knew it wasn't an std and I remembered that I had taken it before as bactrum and this time it was Septra.This is a bad drug for some people .Its very painful and takes at least a week to start healing and you need to keep affected are clean and I put neosporin on it to help it heal.They need to stop this drug before it causes a death.

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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.

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I was prescribed Bactrim for a UTI. I get UTI's frequently, unfortunately. This time I was out of town for Christmas, I ended up going to the ER because I wanted to nip it in the bud and not have UTI pain ruin Christmas. The Dr. at the ER said they don't like to prescribe Cipro because it's the last line of defense before intravenous antibiotics. I thought that was sound logic and wondered why my regular doctor would always put me on Cipro. Well, now I know, the side effect from Bactrim are bad. I'm on day 7 of 10 and I can't take this drug anymore. Since day 2 I have felt a little off, but now on day 7 I feel horrible - tired with a throbbing neck. Yesterday I noticed the lymph nodes in my neck were kind of tender, and now after having taken my morning dose, they feel even worse. They are big and tender and now one on the back of my neck is also swollen and tender. I've never in my life experienced my lymph nodes swelling up being sore like this. My poor body and what it is going through. I have also had a very bad headache off and on while taking this from day 1. No terrible rash yet like others report, but I fear that will be the next step if I continue ingesting this medicine. This isn't a feasible solution if it makes a person this sick.

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It took weeks to clear up Bahrein Ds is very powerful sulfa drug.. My symptoms were severe. The doctor said ut was not from the bactrim but I don't think he wanted to take the Blame

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Hi Rhonda,what is the dose you are taking and it would be to your benifit to ask your doctor for a different medication or if it were me I would only take half a dose at a time every 4 to 6 hours.

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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.

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I had a uti was given the generic to Bactrim .. 4 pills later and I was a mess... Vaginal itching horrendously.. My whole vagina swelled up so big it look like it belongs on the elephant woman.. Bright red raw patches, Herbie like blisters.. Urinating was excruciating worse than the pain from UTI.. Red swollen itchy feet, and sores in my mouth.. Some parts of my vagina actually cracked and bled ... Never took this truck before and never will again

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I have had a similar problem with the only affected area being multiple blisters on my lips and nose. I get frequent UTI's so I have been taking this drug every 2 or 3 months for the past year. My usual reaction to the drug is fatigue and some nausea issues. However, this time, areas of my lips and nose became swollen, started to itch, remained relatively skin-colored until they formed into blisters which oozed clear liquid when popped. Now they are sore, deep red, and painful. I keep applying Vaseline every hour but definitely uncomfortable and NOT pretty. At first I was confused that I may have a cold sore because I have been particularly stressed lately with my university's finals week. However, I do not have a history of exposure to the virus that causes them. So now I think maybe it's a reaction to this drug based on these comments. Is my reaction similar to everyone else? Thanks!

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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.

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