Bactrim DS and Chills: What Users Say

• Liz...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2016

For Urinary Tract Infection "Take a breath. If you're speeding through all of these experiences, you're probably looking for potential side effects and reactions of other people. I know because I'm just like you. I can tell you the first day I took Bactrim, I had a horrible migraine. The worst I've had in months. But guess what? I also didn't drink coffee that day after having a constant intake for weeks. I had other problems like chills, but wait, I got this medicine for an infection! So many symptoms people experience are likely a result of other things. My UTI went away. I drank lots of water and milk with it. Other than experiencing a few more headaches and a bit of tiredness, I was fine."

• Bja...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "Worst medication ever. My anxiety is through the roof. I am freezing most of the time when I’m not drenched in sweat. Heart rate is racing. Can’t sleep due to the horrible feeling of not waking. It’s like the spins but different. I swear I was seeing the light! I would be listening to my husband tell me to drink the water next to me, but I couldn’t respond or move. It was like I was paralyzed. Very terrifying. If at all costs, please find an alternative antibiotic. I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy... pure torture. I am prescribed it for 14 days twice daily, and I’m only on day 3."

• hor...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I will never take Bactrim again, despite the fact that it appears to have cleaned up my UTI. I was prescribed 6 pills, 2 per day for 3 days. By pill #2, I lost my appetite and felt very weak and tired. Went to bed very early. As I continued the medication, I developed many flu-like symptoms and spent the next 4 days in bed. Chills, achiness, lethargy, listlessness, extreme tiredness, brain fog, inability to stand up for very long without feeling woozy, not even able to sit up and do light work indoors. This medication had me flat in bed for 4 days straight. Two days after finishing the medication, I have still not regained my strength completely, although I am starting to normalize. I am typically a very active person who works outdoors every day. This one threw me for a loop - never again! I will ask for something else for a UTI."

• Lyn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Have taken Bactrim for frequent UTIs in the past with no side effects. Last night I took the first dose of Bactrim DS for yet another UTI; within 10 min, my vaginal area and lips were itching. Took antihistamine and went to bed. This morning my lower lip is very swollen/red, eyes are bloodshot, and have a round red rash on my upper arm. As the morning continued, I felt major flu-like symptoms: chills, fatigue, muscle/joint pain, headache - like death warmed over. Took aspirin for the pain and went to bed until the intense cold feeling left. The symptoms have abated except for the swollen lip, itchy eyes, and red rash. No idea why I had a reaction this time but will discuss it with my doctor. UTIs are bad enough without then getting very ill from the medication."

• Poo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 13, 2020

For Urinary Tract Infection "Took Bactrim for a UTI for 7 days. On the 6th day, had chills and body aches. Literally could not get off the couch. Went to the doctor and was negative for the flu, and the UTI was gone. Got worse (headache, severe body aches, nausea, diarrhea, no appetite-honestly the worst I've EVER felt) and ended up in the ER for fluids. Stopped taking it 2 days ago and am still feeling effects. Be careful-wished I had stopped taking it at the first sign of stomach discomfort. Glad it's a reliable drug for some, but for me, it was horrid."

• Bat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2020

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I have MRSA from a piercing and was put on Bactrim (2 in the morning, 2 in the evening) 4 days ago. After 2 days on it, I took myself to the hospital. I have never felt this horrible, I swear I feel like it's going to be the end of me. It started out with a bad headache, no appetite, a little dizzy. Right now, I'm sitting on the bathroom floor waiting to throw up, I didn't sleep for even a minute last night even though I was exhausted. I can't stop shivering and shaking, I'm so hot but not running a fever-unbelievable headache. My doctor said this is the only medicine that will help MRSA, and I'm dumbfounded. Is this medication even worth it? I don't know if these feelings are the medication working or not."

• Lu1...
• May 30, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "I had a UTI, finished an entire prescription of Macrobid. I noticed as soon as I finished the meds, my UTI symptoms came back - so it didn't work for me. I then tried Bactrim. The pain went away after 1.5 days of being on Bactrim, which was a huge relief, but it is now day 4 and I am suffering from nausea, cold sweats, chills, insomnia, and anxiety. It works for your UTI, but the side effects are unbearable after a few days."

• Hhh...
• November 15, 2018

For Bacterial Infection "I’ve been taking this and am randomly getting anxiety and a jittery feeling. I also keep having weird dreams since I’ve been on it. I had an ear/near my tooth infection. I’m allergic to amoxicillin, so I was prescribed Bactrim. I’m on the 8th day, and I feel insomnia and anxiety. My feet are also really cold. It fluctuates, but I’ll be quitting tomorrow since I don’t feel like myself."

• Anonymous
• May 10, 2011

For Bacterial Infection "This medicine is working for me, but it makes me feel horrible. I've been shaking, have had a rapid heart rate, nausea, extremely thirsty, chills (no fever), dizziness, and cold hands and feet. I did find that taking probiotics helps. It doesn't take away everything, but it helps with the nausea. The only reason I continue to take it is because the doctor said this could be MRSA."

• Anonymous
• May 10, 2011

For Bacterial Infection "This medicine is working for me, but it makes me feel horrible. I've been shaking, have had a rapid heart rate, nausea, extremely thirsty, chills (no fever), dizziness, and cold hands and feet. I did find that taking probiotics helps. It doesn't take away everything, but it helps with the nausea. The only reason I continue to take it is because the doctor said this could be MRSA."

• Anonymous
• May 10, 2011

For Bacterial Infection "This medicine is working for me, but it makes me feel horrible. I've been shaking, have had a rapid heart rate, nausea, extremely thirsty, chills (no fever), dizziness, and cold hands and feet. I did find that taking probiotics helps. It doesn't take away everything, but it helps with the nausea. The only reason I continue to take it is because the doctor said this could be MRSA."

• Fin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 26, 2016

For Urinary Tract Infection "I had a UTI, usually, it goes away with OTC Azo and water, but this time I could not get rid of it. So I went to the ER. They gave me Bactrim: 2 a day for 5 days. I took the entire round of them, and nothing changed. The medicine itself made me sick as a dog. I could eat with it or not eat with it, and it didn't matter. I was still so nauseous. It gave me chills and made me dizzy as well. I wouldn't give this to my worst enemy!"

• Car...
• November 10, 2020

For Kidney Infections "If you are someone with any sort of stomach sensitivities, food sensitivities, IBS, etc., I strongly recommend you DO NOT use this antibiotic. I am someone with a very sensitive digestive system and am prone to stomach bugs. I had a really bad UTI that led to a kidney infection. My first course of antibiotics was gentle, but the infection returned after finishing the course. My doctor recommended Bactrim to get the infection off completely. I suppose it worked, because my urine sample came back normal. However, I could not finish the course because of extreme side effects: complete loss of appetite, constant vomiting, diarrhea, chills, shaking, panic attacks, the works. I will never take this antibiotic again. Now, almost a week later, I still can hardly eat and have constant abdominal pain."

• Ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 28, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Took 3 days of Cipro - UTI symptoms continued. Put on Bactrim, and initially, the symptoms started improving. But by the 3rd day, I could no longer eat - the nausea was terrible. Chills. Exhausted but couldn’t sleep due to heart palpitations. Finally, started vomiting. Decided that the side effects far outweighed the benefits of this particular drug."

• Hsh...
• November 24, 2015

For Urinary Tract Infection "I'm currently taking Bactrim for a UTI. It relieved my symptoms rather quickly, however, the side effects are really bothering me. I've had the most painful migraines since taking it yesterday. I also have the chills and slight nausea. I won't take this medicine ever again once I finish it. The constant painful headaches are not worth it."

• joa...
• August 31, 2018

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed this for a rather mild UTI. I took it with a granola bar in the morning and was drinking tons of water. Within 2 hours, the migraine set in, then the nausea and what felt like menstrual cramping, then the body aches and chills, and what I thought was a fever but was really just all my skin becoming very hot. My face looked like it had a slight sunburn. I called the pharmacy, and they said this was not the drug but rather symptoms of my UTI. I was so sick that I left work and went to urgent care, they retested my urine, which now came back negative for everything, and they told me to immediately discontinue taking it. The symptoms lasted well into the evening, and the migraine followed me into the following day. I'm not sure if this was an allergic reaction or if I was just super sensitive to it, but it was one of the worst nights of my life. For reference, I am 5'2, 120 lbs, and was given 160 mg twice daily for 3 days, and I do have a somewhat sensitive stomach."

• Sun...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2018

For Urinary Tract Infection "I just took one 160 mg tab of Bactrim. This is the worst pill in history. I got a rash, headache, neck and back pain. Sore throat, bad. My whole body, muscles, and joints are in so much pain. Nausea. My husband has to get me food, put me in the tub to take a hot bath. I feel so weak, OMG. Fever of 101.5, which goes up and down still. Chills and lightheaded. The next day, I still have those symptoms. Gonna call my doc on Monday to give me a different pill. If there was a 0 rating, that's what I would give. Thought I was gonna die."

• who...
• March 30, 2014

For Bronchitis "Felt so sick to my stomach, laid in bed for 2 weeks. I experienced bloating, nausea, couldn't eat. Cramping was serious, I suffered from chills, fever, aches, and pains. Headache was also present, made me feel lightheaded also. Couldn't function."

• red...
• September 4, 2011

For Urinary Tract Infection "Received a seven-day prescription for Bactrim, and on the 5th day, lost appetite, had terrible body aches, and extreme fatigue. On the 6th day, had a fever and chills too. Stopped the treatment on the 7th day. Then, on the evening of the 8th day, developed a rash all over my upper body and face. Pharmacist recommended Benadryl, which helped somewhat. Having a urinalysis in a week and surely hope it worked and cleared up my urinary tract infection."

• BAa...
• June 8, 2016

For Acne "The dermatologist put me on Bactrim DS, to be taken twice a day with food. No side effects in the first few days and did a good job at clearing up my face. Currently, I am on the 9th day and experiencing severe side effects. Fever, chills, extreme joint pain, muscle weakness, and overall sluggishness. Also experiencing difficulty breathing, a tight chest, headache, and dizziness to the point of almost falling over, for no reason. The most severe of the side effects is the joint pain. Can hardly take a step on my right leg and cannot lift anything with my right arm. Bactrim does its job, however, at the expense of your health. Please do your research before starting this drug!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2022

For Prostatitis "I took Bactrim DS 960 mg for suspected acute prostatitis. I was told to take it for 28 days (56 pills). Within two days, and increasing each day, I experienced extreme anxiety, depression, unending panic, insomnia (I didn’t sleep for three days), chills, hot flashes, mild fever, genital pain, out-of-body experience, and other severe negative symptoms. Eventually, I connected the symptoms to Bactrim, stopped the pill, and saw immediate improvement after 24 hours—not full, but much better. Later I was fine. This drug was a terrible experience; I would never take it again for any reason."

• Mre...
• September 12, 2015

For Sinusitis "Started meds on Monday. My arms and legs hurt terribly Tuesday and Wednesday. The headache has been the worst I have ever had. Chills, sweating, nausea, impaired vision, insomnia. I called the doctor's office Wednesday afternoon, and the nurse told me to give it a few more days. Went to a different doctor on Saturday, and he said Bactrim is notorious for headaches and other adverse effects. Off of it now and have to wait 24 hours before I can start a new antibiotic. I'm praying this headache ends soon."

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 8, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "The first day, I experienced some nausea. Now? I have a sore in my mouth that popped up out of nowhere, and one side of my bottom lip is swollen. I'm so sick that I can't eat anything and have zero appetite. I keep getting the shakes and chills that weren't there before starting it. I suffer from anxiety, and anxiety is a common side effect of this medication - so now my anxiety is through the roof, and it's also caused severe insomnia. I'm constipated, have terrible muscle spasms and cramps in my legs. I've never had an issue with a sulfa drug before, but after this, I will definitely not take one ever again. It's not worth the side effects/allergic reaction."

• suz...
• January 25, 2012

For Sinusitis "I took Bactrim DS after the first antibiotic didn't work on my sinus infection. I started to feel better after 4 days, however, I developed joint pain in my hands and knees. I have arthritis from an autoimmune disease, but it's usually controlled very well by a maintenance medicine. On day 8, I noted lots of swollen glands in my neck and a slight temp. After I took my antibiotic that night, my fever shot up to 103, I was shaking, teeth chattering, with severe joint/muscle pain, my face looked sunburned, and my body was red/blotchy. I stopped the Bactrim, but the fever lasted 2-3 days, the arthritis was severe for about a week, and I still have fatigue. Good news is the ENT did recheck, and the infection is gone."

• flo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 3, 2015

For Urinary Tract Infection "I have been taking Bactrim now for about a week and a half for a UTI and MRSA. I am sure it's working because the kidney pain has subsided, however, the nausea is so crucial it's like the worst nausea I've ever had in my life. Not to mention headache and chills. Ugh, I don't know if it's worth it."