Bactrim and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 23, 2020

For Bacterial Skin Infection "The 4th day of taking it (along with Cephalexin) for a wound on my ankle that became inflamed and appeared infected. I’m currently recovering from the 4th anxiety and depression episode in my life (I’m 53), so I have to keep that in mind. This drug doesn’t affect my GI system at all. I am taking a probiotic with it. What it does do is increase my anxiety and depression, which I experience as hot flushes, sweating, pounding heart, gloominess. It is distressing. I am trying to push through because it is helping the wound heal. But if you are one of us folks who suffer from anxiety and/or depression, please just be aware that it may exacerbate your symptoms."

• Meg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 1, 2025

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I have a huge infected cyst on my back that was recently drained. Started on a course of Bactrim for 7 days, BID. The first two days were okay, besides some increased anxiety and shakiness. At the end of the second night, I started having a tingling sensation in my throat. Not like an allergic reaction, but like a sore throat. I am hoarse, and it hurts to swallow. The outside of my neck has been itching, but nothing visible. Today, the morning of the fourth day, I could not will myself to take my morning dose. I feel like I'm taking chemo at this point. Very run down and lethargic. No GI symptoms. Mostly headache and this tingling in my throat and sides of my tongue. Not sure if I'm going to continue because the cyst has drained and the fluid is pretty clear at this point. The medicine did work, but I do not like the side effects."

• Uns...
• June 22, 2015

For Bacterial Infection "Was prescribed this almost 2 years ago for a skin infection but quit taking it after 3 days because of severe anxiety, indigestion, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and who knows what else. At the time, I was dealing with panic attacks, so when my current doctor prescribed it last week, I decided, since I was feeling better, to give it one last effort. Days 1-2 were good. Skin was clearing, and other than being tired, I had no side effects. By day 3, I got a headache that was relentless, I was shaky, couldn't sleep at night but couldn't stay awake during the day, diarrhea started, and I quit the medicine at my doctor's advice. It's been over 48 hours since my last dose, and I still feel like crap. My neck hurts, and I'm still feeling incredibly anxious."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 11, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Prescribed Bactrim at the clinic for suspected UTI. 3 pills later - swallowing and throat issues which lasted a couple of months, digestion problems, loss of appetite and weight, horrible anxiety for 4 months, just lessening now at 5 months. Horrible med for me. Never again. Makes me never want to take another med."

• Anonymous
• July 3, 2010

For Urinary Tract Infection "Please make sure you are not allergic to this drug. I had no idea I was and ended up with horrible allergic reactions. Shortness of breath, heavy chest, rapid pulse - it was at 120 beats per minute for 2 days straight, now it comes and goes. It has been 4 days, and I am not better. I really have felt like an anxiety or panic attack is happening all the time."

• Bex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I've taken Bactrim in the past, usually just have gastrointestinal issues. This time, beginning day 3 of 7, I felt like I was hypoglycemic, nervous, jittery, anxious, and like my heart was racing. Day 6 of 7, my resting heart rate was 142, anxiety so bad I was crying. I called the hospital that prescribed it and the nurses talked to two doctors and never heard of anything like that. I said, 'never mind that it's listed under severe side effects, right?' I stopped taking it then (the doctor said I could keep taking it or stop, it doesn't matter). Twenty-four hours later, I'm back to normal. Resting heart rate is 83. I'll never take Bactrim again."

• Bex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I've taken Bactrim in the past, usually just have gastrointestinal issues. This time, beginning day 3 of 7, I felt like I was hypoglycemic, nervous, jittery, anxious, and like my heart was racing. Day 6 of 7, my resting heart rate was 142, anxiety so bad I was crying. I called the hospital that prescribed it and the nurses talked to two doctors and never heard of anything like that. I said, 'never mind that it's listed under severe side effects, right?' I stopped taking it then (the doctor said I could keep taking it or stop, it doesn't matter). Twenty-four hours later, I'm back to normal. Resting heart rate is 83. I'll never take Bactrim again."

• Bex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I've taken Bactrim in the past, usually just have gastrointestinal issues. This time, beginning day 3 of 7, I felt like I was hypoglycemic, nervous, jittery, anxious, and like my heart was racing. Day 6 of 7, my resting heart rate was 142, anxiety so bad I was crying. I called the hospital that prescribed it and the nurses talked to two doctors and never heard of anything like that. I said, 'never mind that it's listed under severe side effects, right?' I stopped taking it then (the doctor said I could keep taking it or stop, it doesn't matter). Twenty-four hours later, I'm back to normal. Resting heart rate is 83. I'll never take Bactrim again."

• Bex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I've taken Bactrim in the past, usually just have gastrointestinal issues. This time, beginning day 3 of 7, I felt like I was hypoglycemic, nervous, jittery, anxious, and like my heart was racing. Day 6 of 7, my resting heart rate was 142, anxiety so bad I was crying. I called the hospital that prescribed it and the nurses talked to two doctors and never heard of anything like that. I said, 'never mind that it's listed under severe side effects, right?' I stopped taking it then (the doctor said I could keep taking it or stop, it doesn't matter). Twenty-four hours later, I'm back to normal. Resting heart rate is 83. I'll never take Bactrim again."

• Dan...
• September 15, 2019

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I had an ingrown toenail, so my podiatrist removed it and put me on cephalexin for a week. After taking all of them, my toe was still infected. She put me on Bactrim to be taken twice a day for 10 days. Twenty-four hours after my first dose, my mood completely changed. I was depressed and miserable. Day 2, I was spinning, it was impossible to function for daily tasks, and I had no appetite. Day 3, I had a full-blown panic attack, then extreme anxiety, and following that, several heart palpitations. Day 6, I had a rash across my midsection. I stopped taking them that day and called my podiatrist, as my toe still wasn't getting better. She advised I stop and see her later on that day. She wound up removing another piece of nail that had been left behind. When I told her all of the symptoms, she said that I'm allergic. As a person who suffers from food allergies, this terrified me. After a week, the nausea, headache, and spinning started to lighten up, but it took around two months to get back to my normal routine. And to think... these symptoms are NORMAL for this medication."

• Bea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2020

For Urinary Tract Infection "I took Bactrim 500 mg tablets twice a day for 4 days and felt fine. Day 5... not so much. I got extremely dizzy and super anxious about literally nothing. Don't tell my doctor, but I'm done taking them. Ha. Not really worth it. I only have 1.5 days left, so maybe I'll take it right before bed, but we'll see..... I'm not giving it one star because my symptoms did improve."

• Jol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 21, 2021

For Urinary Tract Infection "I had the worst experience with Bactrim. The first day, I had a 101.8 fever, chills, uncontrollable shaking, anxiety, rash, and fast heartbeat. The next day, I was extremely achy, nauseous, and could not eat anything the whole day. I stopped taking it after the second day, and my symptoms are getting better after a day, but I still feel cruddy and have a bad headache."

• Chr...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 17, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I had a UTI and was in a lot of pain. I was prescribed Bactrim. Never again. After 3 days, my anxiety flew through the roof. I couldn't sit still, and my mind was racing. It was so scary for me. I made sure it is written on my profile that I cannot take this med. It took 2 days to get out of my system."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2024

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Took the double dose for 5 days (twice daily). Minor side effects I didn't feel great but treated my condition very quickly. Keep in mind, before the invention of antibiotics, the life expectancy for men was 47, and for women was 49. It is estimated that antibiotics have saved between 75-200 million lives. If it were not for antibiotics, 75% of our ancestors would have succumbed to infection, making our very existence unlikely. I'm not here to say a small percentage of people do not suffer severe side effects, or that a vast majority of people do not suffer some side effects. However, antibiotics kill infections that, without treatment, could be life-threatening. For me, a short course of a medication that will cure an infection with some side effects that can be managed is a no-brainer. Side effects for me were anxiety and heartburn. Nothing I couldn't handle."

• MTa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Bactrim for a bladder infection/UTI. Took only 1 pill and felt jittery and lightheaded about 30 minutes after taking. Then began to feel slightly itchy and by the nighttime my skin felt like it was burning, along with a splitting headache, shooting pain in my neck, and insomnia, unable to sleep, complete brain fog and anxiety. Just from one dose, I didn't take any more and 5 days later still having a splitting headache and random pains throughout my body. I would not recommend and ask the doctor for an alternative to Bactrim."

• MTa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 19, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Bactrim for a bladder infection/UTI. Took only 1 pill and felt jittery and lightheaded about 30 minutes after taking. Then began to feel slightly itchy and by the nighttime my skin felt like it was burning, along with a splitting headache, shooting pain in my neck, and insomnia, unable to sleep, complete brain fog and anxiety. Just from one dose, I didn't take any more and 5 days later still having a splitting headache and random pains throughout my body. I would not recommend and ask the doctor for an alternative to Bactrim."

• Meg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 27, 2021

For Urinary Tract Infection "TLDR; This drug can be a nightmare. I finally went to the doctor for my mild UTI. Water just wouldn't kick it. After my first dose, I was immediately thankful that I had gotten it. To my surprise, after taking the first dose, it seemed my infection had spread to my bladder. That night was awful: bladder spasms and private area burning like fire. Before I took the medication, I only had slight burning with urination. The next day I pushed water like crazy and thought I was getting better. The meds made me speedy. I was in a fog but was getting things done. I felt very sickly. I thought, again, that it was a good thing I got the antibiotics because my infection must be super severe to make me this ill. That night, I got very short of breath and my heart was pounding. I thought I may have caught COVID. I tried to sleep. Through the night I was awake with awful thoughts of death and severe anxiety. The next morning, I woke with my heart pounding and severe anxiety. I felt like death still."

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2021

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Bactrim 800/160 mg for 5 days, 2 times a day. Day 1, no problem, just lost appetite. Day 2, no appetite, kidney pain, hands got shaky, and was very anxious. I considered stopping the prescription. Day 3 (5th pill), within an hour of taking it, my heart rate got up to 176, and I was gasping for air. I called 911 because it's just myself and my 2 young children here. Paramedics ruled it as a panic attack. Never had this problem, so I know it's from the medication. Absolutely will never take this again. I'm currently still on day 5, so if anything else crazy happens, I'll update. I wish these didn't continue releasing medication for 12 hours... The anxious feelings are still coming in waves. Trying to drink a lot of water to flush this poison out of my system. Currently having no more UTI symptoms, so I think it cleared the infection. Giving it a 3 because it did what it was supposed to, quickly, but definitely NOT worth the side effects."

• Sta...
• September 13, 2019

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I was diagnosed with cellulitis in my elbow. The doctor gave me a shot of Bactrim in my bum and sent me home with a prescription for Bactrim 2 times a day. I took it for 4 days, and I developed severe anxiety, chills, overheating, ringing in my ears, and a full-body rash. I was told to stop taking it, and then they gave me prednisone, which made me depressed and full of rage. This medication is awful."

• lem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 8, 2018

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Worst part of this was the size of the pill. Had to buy a pill cutter. Otherwise, it did make me a little moody and anxious, but I did not have any other major symptoms. Took for 7 days for staph infection on skin."

• jen...
• February 14, 2018

For Urinary Tract Infection "I've taken this medication for both skin infections and (most recently) for a UTI. And it has now sent me to the hospital...for mental health. EXTREME anxiety, to say the least. Pain in my sides, chest, shortness of breath, tremors all over my body. Felt like I was dying. Insisted doctors check my liver and kidneys for shutdown. Didn't eat a meal for a week (did try to at least eat a yogurt or two, but that's all I could stomach). I was hospital-free for over a year...which is also the last time I took this med. If you have ANY history of mental health issues, AVOID THIS DRUG!! I gave it a 2 because it DID clear up the infections. But was NOT worth the hospital copays, loss of work, etc!"

• Jbo...
• October 27, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Ugh, this medicine is the absolute worst I’ve ever experienced in my life. I know everyone is different, but my experience was brutal! Horrible dizziness, nausea, anxiety through the roof, chills, sweats, memory loss. I literally freaked out on the nurse helping me. I screamed, “I’m having a stroke!” It was like something came over me, like an out-of-body sensation. I got really dizzy, and it went blurry. Scary symptoms to have! Hopefully, nothing lingers. My doctor has to look up side effects because he said he didn’t know of many and was surprised to find nervousness, psychosis, and hallucinations being possible. Freaky experience! So now I am out on clindamycin for the MRSA."

• Jbo...
• October 27, 2022

For Bacterial Skin Infection "Ugh, this medicine is the absolute worst I’ve ever experienced in my life. I know everyone is different, but my experience was brutal! Horrible dizziness, nausea, anxiety through the roof, chills, sweats, memory loss. I literally freaked out on the nurse helping me. I screamed, “I’m having a stroke!” It was like something came over me, like an out-of-body sensation. I got really dizzy, and it went blurry. Scary symptoms to have! Hopefully, nothing lingers. My doctor has to look up side effects because he said he didn’t know of many and was surprised to find nervousness, psychosis, and hallucinations being possible. Freaky experience! So now I am out on clindamycin for the MRSA."

• Lil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2021

For Bacterial Skin Infection "I had a facial abscess lanced at urgent care and prescribed Bactrim in case it was MRSA. I took it for about 8 days twice daily and lost my appetite, got headaches, and felt anxious and depressed. I continued to get cystic acne behind my ears, mostly the ear by the abscess that was drained, so the dermatologist PA told me to take Bactrim for another month, once a day. I took it another 12 days until I began having knee joint pain and achiness in my legs like I've got the flu. Oh, I was also getting the chills. I've been off it 3 days and still having very bad leg pain that's caused me to have a panic attack and extreme mood swings and depression. I know it's from this antibiotic... I'm praying that the pain goes away as it is debilitating and I was a healthy 30-year-old prior to this."

• Jil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 23, 2018

For Urinary Tract Infection "I will never take this drug again. I was on 180 mg for 3 days to fight off a UTI. By the second day of taking it, my heart rate started to increase for no reason, I was very jittery, nauseous, and couldn't sleep. I managed to get the full 3-day treatment in to get rid of the infection, but I will never take it again. I've been off the drug for 5 days now and still have a slightly elevated heart rate. Went to the doctor to make sure everything was okay - everything came back good, the doctor just said some people react this way to the drug."