Side Effects Of Bactrim (Page 17)

I need to know of any side effects that may occur while taking this medication.

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I had a severe allergic reaction to Bactrim. I took my first dose. Within 30 minutes my head felt like it was going to explode, my heart rate was thumping, rash, hard to breathe, Felt like I was going to pass out & my blood pressure went from 120/70 to 205/154!!! My husband had to call the emergency squad. Never will I ever take that again.

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I received same side effects. Constant nausea. Every evening I get peripheral neuropathy symptoms. This is day 5 and I woke up with a very stiff neck. I'm going to stop taking this.

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Hi Vagrantbug. I stopped taking the Bactrim about a week into a 3 week course. I too experienced peripheral neuropathy shortly after taking Bactrim and I’m still experiencing it today, 2.5 months later. Not sure if the Bactrim was coincidental but I’m now scared that it might have triggered my first MS flare-up as I have symptoms of PN, slight dizziness, difficulty sleeping and random pains throughout my body typical of early MS symptoms. I am still hoping it is due to a strange Bactrim reaction and not MS. I’m still waiting for my MRI. For anyone also experiencing peripheral neuropathy or other nervous system conditions, I’d appreciate it if we could talk more and exchange experiences. Please keep in touch. {edited for privacy}. Thanks.

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I took 1 pill 800mg of the sulfa and 160 mg of the other drug in bactrim and had allergic reaction.... the next morning my tongue had weird taste and sensation. Since then its been sore red and feels.like i burnt it badly....its been 3 weeks now. I just want this and the other side effects to go away

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Not a doctor, but I had peripheral neuropathy, pain that moved around throughout my body, and a stiff neck. It was Lyme disease. I tested negative, but once I received a copy of the western blot I saw I had 4 markers (must need 5 to be CDC positive) Skipped the Neuro/Rhumotologist recommendation from my doc and went straight to the Lyme specialist and after being treated for almost 3 months on antibiotics I am doing so much better (still on them). Trust your gut and just because one doctor says no, or doesn't have an answer doesn't mean you should stop until you find one who does.

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I took Bactrim for a cut in my toe. I went to the doctor because I was getting ready to travel overseas and I wanted to be sure I didn't get an infection. I didnt finish the prescribed course because I developed hives, agitation, and insomnia. In a few days I began to get very sore. The pain got progressively worse so that I could hardly move. I couldn't bend down, roll over, or perform basic mobility functions. One morning I could not walk on one leg and went to the emergency room. There was denial of any effect due to Bactrim. My doctor, however, listened to my complaints and did not rule out Bactrim as the cause. However, she did test me for rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. I began to get better very slowly after a couple of months. The pain slowly disappeared from my extremities and then other areas. Interestingly my hands and feet were not affected. She checked my levels of CRP and at the time my pain was the worst when these levels were the highest. I saw her about every two weeks and as I got better I told her the CRP levels were likely down. This was shown to be true over multiple visits. Trust your own judgement as you know your body best. My doctor ultimately listed me as being allergic to bactrim. I would have claimed this anyway on my medical history had she not done this. I believe that I have a residual effect of my experience. I had shoulder surgery a few months after the reaction began and with this I had a nerve block to decrease pain. I have had continual problems with my hand since then. My fingers stayed swollen and I could not bend them for almost a year. The hand doctor said that my nerves had not relaxed. I dont know if I will always have this problem but my hand is not normal.

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I took bactrim ds last Monday night and one dose Tuesday. Since then I've had insomnia and heart palpitations, anxiety/panic, muscle aches and stomach pain. Are your symptoms now resolved? I don't want this to last forever!!!

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Kelsey,

Insomnia was the worst part of my side effects and by no means do I believe that my case is typical but it took me a very long time to get to a place that I feel 75% back to my old self. I suffered for at least 3 or 4 months, I accepted the pain and appreciated the hour or two of sleep I'd get per night for the next 2 months. Then slowly but surely I started getting more and more sleep per night. Now I'd say I average about 6-7 hours per night but I get by just fine on about 4 to 5 hours. I used to sleep 9+ with no problem. But I'm a year out from getting poisoned and life is fine. Just be patient and be mentally and physically ok with it hurting for a while. You will be fine though. Not sure if these help, but I take 400mg magnesium Glycanate, 2 pills of tryptophan, 200 mg l-thymine, 50% dv of zinc and turmeric every night about 2 hours before bedtime (these do not make you sleep but I believe the address some of the problems and help to repair them some. In the morning I take 1000 vitamin D, 50% dv of zinc and turmeric. I used to take Benadryl 25 - 50 mg every night for a few months then I started drinking a few beers to help sleep. Both of these help some. I did the Rx rout, but those hinder healing as your body is allowed to sleep without producing its own GABA. Also, try to limit Benadryl and alcohol to avoid tolerance/dependence. Oh, and 10mg melotonin may help as well. Nothing was a cure or fix all or even made me feel normal again, but like I said I'm 75% better and I'm pretty happy with that. Good luck and God bless.

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I'm having this same thing happen to me! I took my first & last dose of bactrim for a UTI about 8 days ago. My body gets covered in hives everyday. I take benedryl, it gets better, but then comes back. After 8 days it's gotten somewhat better but I'm still experiencing hives every night at some point. It went from covering about 80% of my body to about 50% now. I'm hoping it'll be completely gone soon because just like you, I'm embarrassed to even leave my house. A few days ago it was so bad my whole face was covered.

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My symptoms are resolved now. The side effects should go away but it may take several months.

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I was given Bactrim for a UTI in November 2016. On day 2 my entire lower half of my body became numb. And I mean all of it including the female parts. I was convinced I had MS, Lou Gehrig disease, or even piraformis nerve entrapment. I looked them all up and never in a million years thought it was related to the antibiotic, never even crossed my mind. Nothing made sense that was happening to me. I had to hold onto walls to walk and the nerve and numbness pain was unbelievable. I had no insurance so really never got checked out. When my mom randomly said her friend had a terrible reaction to this drug I started reading. I put it all together and all of my symptoms are because of this. It is now February and I have 80% of feeling back. But still not in female area or left foot but am hopeful I will continue to improve but takes a LONG time. This is the worst experience I have ever gone thru in my life. And, I HAD taken this drug before so you never know.

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Hi Susan. I am in a similar boat with crazy symptoms since taking Bacrim in November 2016 as well, including the numbness, muscle weakness tingling and wandering aches and needle like pains thought my body. It even affected my brain as I have dizziness and other nerological issues. The list of simproms can fill a page. It's been a struggle because doctors dont seem to belive it's from the Bacrim! I feel so stuck! I had an MRI which was negative for MS and my ANA is negative as well ruling out Lupus. Any advise as to how you treated yours?

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Hi Kurt, it's terrible I am a really healthy woman and it turned my world upside down. I am sorry you are going through this too. Look up Lions Mane it is a mushroom on the brink of being used to regenerate nerves. I am taking that, a good brand. Also my friend had gabapentin which I have taken a pill a day. I even bought one of those teeter inversion tables thinking it was a back issue, a tens machine and heating pads. I honestly think the main thing that has helped has been time. I am almost 90 days and am doing much better. How long were you on the drug? I feel lucky in the sense that I only was prescribed a short dose. Are you seeing any improvement since November, and am curious to know of your symptoms came on really sudden like mine did. I literally felt electric shocks down my left leg when the nerves went out was CRAZY

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Hi Michelle. Same here – healthy very fit guy here and I feel so broken. It started with a case of hemataspermia back in the middle of November 2016. I went to my GP and he said it would go away on its own but just I case it was an infection he prescribed Bactrim, asking me if I was allergic to Sulfa meds. I had never taken Sulfa, only Amoxicillin, which I did fine on so I rolled the dice and figured everything would be fine. Boy, was I wrong. I so wish I could have gone back in time and researched this before taking it. I remember going on a bike ride that first day and noticing how weak my legs were. I thought okay, that’s probably the antibiotics and wasn’t too concerned. Then I started to feel a strange pain in my pleural area (upper chest) then numbness in my feet and hands at night when I was sleeping, then I got a sore on my lip and then got flu like symptoms. Then I sat down and I did some research and learned about peripheral neuropathy and how that was one of the side effects of Bactrim and immediately stopped taking it. That was probably 5 days into taking it twice a day. The chest pain continued and I thought it was my heart and went back to the GP and he checked me and said I was fine – probably just under a lot of stress. After that it was just one odd symptom after another until now. numbness/tingling hands and feet, the electric shock feeling you also get (occasionally), weakness in muscles, cramping muscles and toes, overall decrease of sensation over my whole body, numb face and eyes that feel weird, constipation, sometimes a tight chest, strange stinging pains in random places on occasion, like an insect is biting me, then there are the brain issues, like dizziness, delayed speech and not able to come up with the right words, feeling really tired all of a sudden when I’m taking to someone, and now I have a strange stiff neck that comes and goes throughout the day. All these symptoms varied and some days they were gone and they then come back. In the mean time I switched insurance and now have another doctor who referred me to a neurologist. He did extensive blood work, I got a brain MRI, which ruled out MS, lupus, and lyme. I’m going to get an x-ray of my spine next. After that I don’t know. I think I’m just going to conclude it’s the Bactrim and wait patiently like you and others are. I’m eating really heathy clean foods, with lots of greens and antioxidants which seems to helping. I’ll try the Lions Mane, thanks. This whole thing is just a living nightmare!!! I read up on the well-known fluoroquinolone toxicity and read that for those that are sensitive to FQs are also sensitive to Sulfonamides. It’s known that the Sulfonamides can cause similar reactions in rare cases. Apparently they aren’t that rare. If you do a Google search on Bactrim and Briandeer there is a site that’s has a lot of horror stories of this dangerous drug – not that we need more horror stories. I just wish Doctors would do a better job explaining the risks! No way i hell would I have taken if if my GP would have mentioned that there was a slim chance of this happening!

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So are off your meds and still having symptoms? I was given bactrim to treat a UTI. 14 days 2 a day been off the meds for 9 days, and have had dizziness and itching. And some numbness. Just to clarify your still having symptoms will after stopping the prescription?

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Wayne,
Its been over 4 months now. still dealing with numbness, but more like loss of sensation, some itching now which is new, the dizzyness is VERY slowly getting better. I describe the dizzyness like a low level fatigue.

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Thanks, I've never been through this type of situation. Really helps give me a sense of relief, bactrim really has some devastating side effects.

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Kurt, how are you doing? I am still getting random pain through both legs but most of the numbness is gone. My left foot is still very uncomfortable when trying to sleep. I think I have developed some kind of restless leg syndrome because of all this and I always thought that was a joke it's like my legs won't get comfortable or relaxed when sleeping other than that I am really much better. How are you? Also magnesium is something I took which i feel might have helped and the lions mane

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Let us know your progress. Yes it has been so unexpectedly devastating for me. I hope I can get back to 100% some day - im staying positive... I was so fit and healthy until this happened. Bactrim should be treated like the Fluoroquinolones and given a black box label to be used for really life threatening situations. One can't argue the fact that it has been very successful for countless people with serious infections. I just wish doctors were more aware of the potential risks and educating patients when prescribing it. I certainly wouldn't have taken it had I known of them.

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Hi Susan. That's good to hear that you are improving! You're so right in that it takes a LONG time. Thankfully my GI issues are now gone and things are working like before due to serious campaign to get my gut healthy with probiotics, digestive enzymes, bone broth, L-glutamine, etc. I still have the weird "numbness" or "loss of sensation" throughout my body and my feet and hands seem tight/achy/itchy/crampy. And my right hand ring finger joint seems to be hurting now a bit which is sorta new. I think i might start taking glucosamine. The fatigue seems to slowly be getting better and I am definitely sleeping good now. I did try the Lions Mane and yes it has been helpful, thanks. I also take magnesium citrate (brand name Calm) nightly and i'm starting to take epsom salt baths. We'll see how those help - definitely relaxing. The fact that the weather has been warming up here in the west coast has been very helpful too.

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