Bactrim DS and Vomiting: What Users Say

• Cel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 2, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "3 days into the course, and I am experiencing: 1. Very bad dizzy spells. 2. Feelings of great weakness. 3. Feelings of great anxiety. 4. Feelings like I am dying. 5. My head & stomach are aching up a storm. 6. I am nauseated & vomiting. 7. Vagina burning, that started on the second day. I HAVE had Bactrim before for UTIs but have NEVER experienced what I am with this darn one. My question is what have they put/added into the drug to make me react in such a horrid nasty way?"

• Dai...
• February 24, 2020

For Bacterial Infection "I read the reviews, but I really wished I would’ve listened. It seems like it’s helping cure my staph infection, but the side effects aren’t worth it. Maybe the medication was too strong of a dose, but I had to take 800 mg/160 mg 2x a day for 10 days. I’m writing my review as I’m taking this medication, it’s making my heart race, it’s making me dizzy and lightheaded, jittery, messing with my stomach, confused, and headaches are off the wall. I’m drinking plenty of water and eating plenty of food. I’m also breastfeeding, and it seems like it’s making my son sick. He was fine until I started taking it, and now he’s vomiting, very fussy, has low fevers, and is sleeping on and off all day. We’re not around people too much, so it’s highly unlikely he got sick from somewhere else. I stopped taking it after the third day. I had to call an ambulance because I was home alone with my baby and I felt so off, and my heart was racing all day."

• Diz...
• August 3, 2016

For Bacterial Infection "Took it twice like I was supposed to, in the morning and at night, and my head feels like I was drunk, kind of like I kept getting dizzy and feeling weird. I don't know, but I still don't feel right. I feel like puking and being sick. I went to the doctor and got amoxicillin instead, and I don't feel any better. I have a zoo trip tomorrow, and it made me feel awful and even worse. I still feel kind of drunk and dizzy, and like I may pass out, and I'm scared to fall asleep because I may die."

• 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."

• 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."

• Ick...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 22, 2016

For Urinary Tract Infection "Just got prescribed this drug yesterday. 2 a day for 3 days. Took my first dose in the morning and the second at night, I fell asleep soon after. A few hours later, I was woken up with terrible stomach pain and serious nausea. I ended up vomiting several times. After, it felt a little better, but then the pains came right back and nausea persists. Can't sleep, don't think I want to deal with another night of this, hate this medication."

• 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."

• Woo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 7, 2019

For Bacterial Skin Infection "So I had taken Bactrim before for a UTI, and it was great, it cleared it up, and I didn’t have any side effects. This time I'm on it for an abscess, and it's a whole different story. About 3 or 4 days in, I couldn’t keep any food down and had EXTREME nausea and vomiting. Another 2 days go by, and I can’t even keep down water or pills. I sleep maybe 3 or 4 hours a night and have a terrible headache for like a week. I go to the doctor yesterday, and she tells me I have to keep taking them. I’m still dying."

• Sic...
• August 26, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "I'm on my 4th day of the dosage. Since day one of taking it, I started vomiting a couple of hours after the dose. Been like that ever since, vomiting and diarrhea all day. Today, I started eating yogurt after taking it on the recommendation of the pharmacist. It has helped some and cut down the severity and frequency of the vomiting and diarrhea but hasn't eliminated it. Can't wait to reach day 7 to be done. I called the doctor, the only thing he said was I had to keep taking it or I'd be admitted to the hospital. Screw that, I'll deal with the stomach issues. Good luck to you if prescribed it and try the yogurt, it helps. By the way, Pepto will make you immediately puke if you try to take some while on Bactrim. I don't know why, but from my personal experience, it does, beware!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 19, 2017

For Bacterial Infection "Prescribed Bactrim after I got bit by a black widow spider. 36 hrs after the bite, my skin was red, swollen, and a red streak was tracking up my arm towards my armpit. Given Bactrim to prevent worsening cellulitis (further infection). No issues until I took a morning dose, 4th day, after only having coffee. Felt queasy and an hour later, had cramps, bowel motion. Thought I needed to eat. Ate half an avocado and 15 mins later, vomited till my stomach felt empty. Only took about 8 heaves but rested my gut for a few hours and kept down fish, egg, and avocado. Next dose about 10:30 pm, and I'm eating first!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 27, 2019

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Exactly 7 hours after taking 1 Bactrim (generic form), I threw up and had to visit the ER and receive my steroids through IV since I had a bad allergic reaction. What’s with this stuff? It used to work, now it’s hurting people."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2020

For Kidney Infections "I was diagnosed with kidney infections on Monday night. They gave me the Bactrim and sent me on my way home, and I got the prescription the next day. Tuesday, I spent the day throwing everything up. I couldn’t hold my water down. Wednesday, I slept all day and spent my time running back and forth to the bathroom for a shower when I got chills or sweats. I was throwing up even what I didn’t have in my stomach. Thursday, I’m starving, but the look of food disgusts me. Ten days prescribed, I’m on day three of treatment, I don’t know how long I’ll last. Also, I have this extreme pain in my calf muscles for some weird reason, and they don’t go away."

• Ugh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 31, 2020

For Kidney Infections "Day two, second dose put me out all day. Migraine, pulsating, throbbing headache was so bad. Threw up twice, which caused me to fall down from the immense pain in my head. It was amplified by vomiting. I'm afraid to take another pill as it just calmed down after 10 hours of torture."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 8, 2021

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Been on Bactrim DS due to a skin infection after surgery. I take 2 a day, 12 hours apart. It is helping a whole lot, but I am so tired and weak. When I eat, it makes me want to vomit. Will be so glad when the script is gone!"

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was having some pretty bad UTI symptoms, so I went to my local urgent care, and they gave me Bactrim. Oh my goodness, worst medication I’ve ever taken! I took only one dose at the urgent care. Went home and later that night, I’d say maybe 3-4 hours in. I was so nauseous. I finally got myself to sleep, only to wake up and vomit my guts out many times. Then I wasn’t able to eat for hours. It’s been about 3 days now since I haven’t taken any medication, and my stomach is still in pain, having nausea, gagging, and not able to eat quite the same. Stay away from this drug. It’s not good. It’s very bad for your stomach. Save yourself."

• Bri...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 22, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was having some pretty bad UTI symptoms, so I went to my local urgent care, and they gave me Bactrim. Oh my goodness, worst medication I’ve ever taken! I took only one dose at the urgent care. Went home and later that night, I’d say maybe 3-4 hours in. I was so nauseous. I finally got myself to sleep, only to wake up and vomit my guts out many times. Then I wasn’t able to eat for hours. It’s been about 3 days now since I haven’t taken any medication, and my stomach is still in pain, having nausea, gagging, and not able to eat quite the same. Stay away from this drug. It’s not good. It’s very bad for your stomach. Save yourself."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 27, 2020

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I am on my second day of Bactrim DS, and about halfway through the day today, I started feeling nauseous and sweaty while I was driving. After not even 2 minutes of having these symptoms, I vomited all over my car multiple times! I have been sweating with goosebumps and chills since my first dose. I will never take this medication again."

• Mar...
• August 30, 2017

For Kidney Infections "The first two days were fine... I was diagnosed with a kidney infection, and it seemed to work pretty well, despite a little nausea... Day 3 is when all hell broke loose. I started a new job and was running errands. I had left the house, took my medicine, grabbed a water bottle, but didn't have time to eat, what a mistake. Two hours after taking Bactrim, my head felt like it was going to implode. While I was driving on Interstate 95 through northern VA, I had a quick onset of nausea. There was nowhere for me to pull off. I ended up vomiting all over myself. By all over myself, I mean all over myself and my car. It continued and has now been 24 hours. I went to the ER for severe dehydration and am now spending the night at the hospital. Yay!"

• BCM...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 1, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "Started on Bactrim for a UTI, and after 4 doses, I ended up in the ER. The doctor thought my appendix ruptured due to the extreme pain and projectile vomiting. It wasn't my appendix, it was the Bactrim. Now, I'm under the care of a gastroenterologist due to vomiting after eating, severe stomach pain, bloating, and diarrhea...2 weeks later. She's afraid it's damaged my gallbladder, but I'm currently undergoing testing. I was not on any medication and had no health problems previously. This whole situation is a nightmare. I don't understand how this medication is still on the market."

• do...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2022

For Urinary Tract Infection "I started taking Bactrim for my UTI last week. It has made everything worse. I literally feel like I'm dying, and I'm puking every morning. The side effects are worse, so I would much rather sit through the pain of a UTI than deal with this."

• Kir...
• November 4, 2017

For Upper Respiratory Tract Infection "When I was 15, I learned that I was allergic to Bactrim. Eleven years later, the doctor prescribed me this medication, stating that our allergies change. I was nervous to take this medicine, but I was so sick with an ear infection that I decided to give it a try. The worst experience of my life. I only took two pills, one in the morning and one before bed. I was up from 12 am to 6 am, non-stop puking. I could not hold anything down. At first, I thought I had the flu, as every bone in my body was in pain... After a few hours of sleep and not taking this Rx, I then realized I am still extremely allergic to this medication. I would never want someone to go through what I went through. I have not taken this medication since yesterday, and I have not puked."

• Mom...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 26, 2018

For Sinusitis "I literally took 3 pills and had to stop. I was worried it was a stomach virus, but nope, it was Bactrim. I’m not sensitive to antibiotics, but this was horrible. I threw up and felt nauseous about 12 hours after the third pill."

• Jen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 20, 2021

For Bacterial Infection "I was prescribed this medication for a post-op infection. Within 12 hours of starting the medication, I developed a fever and rash. I continued taking the medication for 4 more days, as I did not realize it was an allergic reaction. Within the next 4 days, I developed a severe headache, vomiting, my fingers went numb, severe eye redness, severe weakness to the point I had trouble walking, and decreased urination. My doctor immediately took me off the medication and had blood work done. My liver enzymes were sky-high. The symptoms stopped as soon as the medication was discontinued, but it took about 6 months to get feeling back in my fingers."

• Sin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 26, 2021

For Bacterial Infection "Sulfa drug allergy. My 12-year-old son was given this Bactrim DS by a doctor as he started having watery stool with a vomiting sensation. After 5-10 minutes of taking the tablet, a serious skin allergy appeared all over his body, and he vomited a lot. Then, he was taken immediately to a nearby hospital and given an Avil injection. Then, the rashes began to subside slowly and became normal after about 2 hours. Luckily, he swallowed the tablet whole and then vomited it out. Had he chewed it up and swallowed it, the allergy would have been much worse. It was a terrible experience. Please make sure you are not allergic to sulfa drugs before taking this medicine!"

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

For Sinusitis "A lot of people mentioning vomiting and nausea. Be aware that you cannot drink ANY alcohol while on Bactrim. It can make you vomit or cause nausea. It’s very effective for certain UTIs depending on the strain of bacteria. Told this by my pharmacist and doctor. Unsure about sinus, but I’m trying that now."