Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection User Reviews (Page 3)

• Jai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2016

"I'm currently on Bactrim, first day taking the medication and I saw an immediate difference. My UTIs are horrible, I'm normally awakened from my sleep, as they hurt that bad. I'm up for hours on hours sitting on the toilet due to the urge. Bactrim is helping this a lot. Also, I see a lot of people are feeling sick while taking this medicine, my doctor recommends that I take the medicine with food. Hope this helps you guys in the future if you're experiencing sickness."

• Anonymous
• May 26, 2010

"I would get a urinary tract infection when I had sex. To control the situation, my doctor prescribed SMZ-TMP DS. I took one or two a day for years. As long as I took the pills, I was not bothered with a UTI. Miss a day or two, and UTI. Worked wonderfully."

• krs...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 6, 2015

"I've taken my fair share of medications for UTIs, and so far, this one seemed to be the most effective as far as relieving symptoms quickly. My doctor prescribed me to take two pills a day for 10 days. I felt relief from UTI symptoms as soon as the 2nd or 3rd day. That being said, it has some nasty side effects. They say you can take it with or without food, and I'm guessing that because it makes your stomach feel horrible either way. I've experienced diarrhea, painful gas and bloating, and nausea since the first day of taking it. From my experience, this can usually be expected with strong antibiotics. My advice would be to take a probiotic to help counterbalance! I've done it before, and it helps me."

• Aut...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2018

"If you're sick, meds typically have at least one side effect you'll experience. It's a prescription drug, not a miracle homeopathic treatment found in nature. You need to follow instructions and be aware of the warnings given. Ex: DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL during the course of the med. You NEED TO EAT SOMETHING with most meds, and drinking lots of water (way more than normal) is important too. I don't eat/drink water enough on a regular basis, and I love alcohol, but if I'm on a med, I alter my lifestyle to relieve symptoms of an infection I felt were bothersome enough to go to the docs in the first place. I've had no issues with Bactrim/sulfa thankfully, and those who have might want to find out if they are allergic to it prior to writing a bad review. It's a VERY common drug allergy that shouldn't sway the opinions of those not allergic. If you happen to have severe side effects from this, or any, med please find out if you are allergic first and consider it a personal learning opportunity."

• Bri...
• March 21, 2017

"The ONLY side effect I had from this medicine so far is very slight fatigue right after I take it. Had a pretty bad UTI, took the first dose (2 a day every 12 hours), and within a short amount of time there was no more burning, fullness feeling, or pain. I take this for 10 days and I am on day 7. And no dizziness, nausea, vomiting, or anything. Don't be afraid to take this medicine BUT! EAT BEFORE YOU TAKE IT!! Like a full meal! I think many people aren't doing this, and you should."

• All...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 29, 2019

"Never again. It has been only 2 days. I'm already dizzy, fatigued, anxiety-ridden, and it's 2 a.m., and my heart won't stop racing! I've had the jitters all day and very unpleasant heart palpitations that feel like my heart is going to explode. Also, I can't sleep."

• Lot...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 16, 2020

"I took this medicine for a UTI because I was told it kills the bacteria that showed up on my labs, and other antibiotics may be resistant to it. The medicine made me go to the bathroom even more, especially at night, and caused headaches and muscle cramps. I've been switched now to Cipro. We will see how this goes."

• Anonymous
• March 19, 2012

"After being on this for 5 days, my urinary tract infection was almost gone. I had to ask for another prescription. During the time I was on it, I noticed shortness of breath, almost twice a day I tasted metal and noticed I had small nosebleeds. I also couldn't really go out in the sunlight, as it hurt my eyes a lot and my skin felt like it was burning."

• Mab...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2021

"Irregular heartbeats that 'feel' like a panic attack. Weak feeling all over body and loss of strength after doing something simple, such as throwing out the trash. Bactrim may give you brain fog and feelings of depersonalization - it may also affect your electrolyte levels. Be prepared for possible psychotic effects on your brain and not knowing why you are losing yourself/mind. More importantly, watch for the development of pernicious anemia. Again, this may not happen to everyone, but watch yourself carefully while on this drug. This won't cure every UTI. Before you take this, beg your doctor to culture your urine so that you will be put on the 'right' antibiotics. This interferes with your body's ability to break down folate into a usable form and can interfere with your bone marrow, which produces red blood cells."

• hgg...
• May 29, 2017

"I took this medication for the first day, and I only ate a small breakfast just so I could take the medicine. I was sick all day and felt like I had the flu. So the next day, I ate a full meal (so that I was completely stuffed) and had no side effects. THIS MEDICINE MUST BE TAKEN WITH A FULL MEAL."

• Que...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 1, 2022

"I wanted to leave this review to help anyone worried about taking this. I'm in my late 30s and get UTIs often. They seem to come anytime I have intercourse, and I try to combat them with D-Mannose. I typically have to get an antibiotic twice a year. Bactrim is my drug of choice in combination with pharmaceutical Pyridium. Bactrim does not cause the gut issues that Cipro does, and I find it to work quickly. The key to Bactrim is to take a pill after you eat with a full bottle of water. In between doses, take a probiotic. So morning Bactrim-lunch probiotic-dinner Bactrim-bedtime probiotic. There will be obvious relief of symptoms within 24 hours, and you need to complete the entire 7 days. In addition, if you are going to be in the sun, wear long sleeves and a hat. If you cannot cover up, remember the 1 to 3 rule. When on sulfa antibiotics, 1 hour in the sun is equivalent to 3 hours in the sun. Take AZO or Pyridium the first 2 days to relieve urge/pain."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2018

"I was prescribed this for a UTI. Worst experience ever! Got up to day 4 of taking it and started to feel weak, confused, had really bad back and neck pain, pain when I walked. I also had watery, itchy, burning eyes, a massive headache, sleepy and fatigue, and like a tight chest. At night, I couldn't sleep, had the chills and a cold sweat. I have lost my appetite and have lost 6 pounds in just 4 days! I have stopped taking them but now I am developing a rash on my body that really itches. Please, people beware of this. My advice is to ask for something else, or at the first sign of a symptom, stop taking."

• Anonymous
• December 23, 2009

"I've just taken my 3rd pill, and every time I take it, I feel extremely lousy. Terrible headaches, dizziness, blurry vision, shaky nervousness, some difficulty breathing, beginning to itch. I don't like this at all the way I feel. Just before I need to take the next dose, I'm feeling my old normal self, and then I take the Bactrim and, boom, I go downhill again. Told my doctor I quit, it's ruining the quality of my life."

• cal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 2, 2012

"Third day of medicine, but still having symptoms. Those of you who report adverse reactions and then go on taking the medicine should know that is not a good idea. I am allergic to several antibiotics, and my doc says stop taking at the first sign of any reaction as it can be very serious."

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

"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."

• Smo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 5, 2014

"I have recurring UTIs and have taken several different antibiotics for them. I was recently prescribed Bactrim DS. After taking the second pill, the aching, pain, and soreness was almost gone. It works better for me than Cipro, but you should always have a urine culture to be sure which antibiotic is best for you. Fortunately, I haven't had any terrible side effects. The only side effect is feeling a bit fatigued a few hours after taking Bactrim."

• Des...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2016

"They prescribed Bactrim to me, worst thing ever. Ended up in the hospital, body aches, fever, insomnia... & went to the hospital. Ended up with a low blood count, ran all kinds of tests. It was just awful. I will never take this again, and it's been about a month, and I'm still not 100% better. I will never take this ever again!"

• Myr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 14, 2016

"Had a bladder infection that I ignored, turned into a very painful kidney infection. Got a 3-day supply of generic Bactrim. Took first pill by 10 am with a ton of water throughout the day. Went to bed all day except to pee 100 times, and I was amazed that I felt way better by the next morning."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 13, 2012

"I have been on Bactrim DS for 7 days. After day 3, I began to notice a severe headache about 4 hours after taking the Bactrim. Now on day 7, I have not only had a headache, but light-headedness/nausea. With only 3 days left, I am going to continue the medicine. My urinary tract infection symptoms have improved finally after 5 days."

• KM5...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• February 1, 2025

"I have used Bactrim for many, many years, having had UTIs for most of my life. Yes, some people have side effects. But I can tell you that I tolerated it fairly well. Sometimes better than others. Mostly, the side effects included some fatigue or just feeling blah. But that could also be the infection, or just that I didn't eat enough, or basically antibiotics can make you feel blah! I never had a severe reaction - never had a scary reaction. And I have taken likely hundreds or thousands of Bactrim pills over the 40+ years of having UTIs. If you concentrate on side effects, you could feel them more. That is not to say some people won't have side effects, but for the most part, if you take it as you are supposed to and follow directions/dr. directions, and not go searching on the internet for horror stories, you likely will be fine. There are always exceptions. But for me personally, Bactrim has saved me many times from horribly bad UTIs when I was younger especially."

• Anonymous
• September 17, 2010

"Took this for 3 days. 2nd day got severe itching on palms and soles of feet. Day three had uncontrollable shakes, heart racing, felt like it was going to come out of my chest, facial numbness, dizzy, very elevated (for me) blood pressure of 145/90, whole body tingling, dizziness, lightheaded, extremely intense nervousness, ringing in my ears."

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

"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."

• Ana...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2019

"This is my first and last time I will ever take it. Now, firstly, some people have good experiences with this med, so it's all up to your body. My body said no. The headaches are bad, the rapid heartbeat scared me, and the restlessness was awful, and it made me jittery/nervous. I took the whole dose. You will not know how your body will react to this med until you try it. I have a friend that took it, and she was fine and swore by it, her body makeup is different than mine."

• JDK...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 7, 2021

"Okay, here is my story..... I'm 3 days in, and after the first dose, I felt amazing. The next day, even better. Today, not so good, I have had sweats at least thrice and stomach pains with burping constantly. My tongue is actually peeling. I have had no appetite throughout the course of 3 days thus far!!! I'm stopping it in fear of something even worse happening!! I cannot take my daily runs on this medication. Anxiety is high, and my mouth hurts!!! I had sepsis 21 months ago, which started with a UTI, and several antibiotics do not agree with me!!! I will update as time goes on. Right now, I want my mouth to stop hurting!!! I would be very cautious if you are prescribed this medication!!"

• bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 13, 2023

"Bactrim is a very good antibiotic in my experience. At first, I was so scared to take it because of all these negative reviews. My UTI was antibiotic resistant, and Bactrim cleared it up within 3 days. Don’t let these reviews scare you. The people who have bad reactions usually don’t follow the instructions: stay out of the sun, drink tons of water, eat a full meal before taking your dose! :)"