Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim and Fever: What Users Say (Page 2)

• Dra...
• March 31, 2018

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Prostatitis "Bad side effects to the extent that I had to stop after 2 days. Flu-like symptoms, bad headache, pain in muscles and joints, low fever, no energy, could not eat, nausea - you name it, I had it. Too bad as I think it was starting to knock down my bacterial prostatitis. The flu-like symptoms were so convincing that I stopped for a few days, felt better, then started again just to make certain I didn't have the flu."

• Ant...
• October 14, 2017

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "First time prescribed Bactrim for a mild UTI. Second day I had flu-like symptoms. After day 4, I was feeling so poorly I went to the ER, where I was told just flu and to rest and to finish Bactrim so it will clear up UTI. Day 5, fever of 105, rushed to the hospital where I passed out. Completely dehydrated and organs were showing signs of sepsis. I was in the ICU unit for 3 days. The diagnosis was “allergy to sulfa.” However, that’s not really an allergic response. I think it causes the body to dehydrate faster than normal, and my actual problem was intense dehydration. Bactrim was banned in the UK after a number of people died. I’ll never take it again."

• Kat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 29, 2019

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "Was prescribed Bactrim for a UTI. Terrible side effects! I thought I had caught the flu, but when I went into the doctor, she said it was just a reaction to Bactrim. Fever (super uncomfortable, sweating and chills), body/joint aches and pains, extreme fatigue. Felt so sick and run down I didn’t want to get out of bed. The day after my last dose, I developed a bright red rash everywhere, which felt like it burned and itched. I had the worst week ever with this drug."

• Cas...
• August 9, 2017

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed Bactrim for a UTI, and after one dose, I immediately developed a splitting headache, followed later by weakness, body aches, chills, fever, slight nausea, cough, and sore throat. I feel as if I have the flu. I suppose the medication did do what it was supposed to do because the UTI feels as if it's almost completely gone (I'm sure it isn't, but at least it doesn't hurt). I will say I don't think the side effects are worth it. I'm in a lot of pain and discomfort, and I think I'll be going to the emergency room just to be on the safe side."

• Whi...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 19, 2017

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Bacterial Infection "I had a bacterial infection and feeling ill, and the doctor prescribed Bactrim. I didn't think it was helping as my illness took a turn for the worst. I had fever, chills, muscle weakness and pain, stomach pain, and I couldn't get out of bed. I'd start to feel better after a few hours and thought it was finally working. Nope. I took my next dose of Bactrim and all the symptoms came back full strength, and I was severely ill again. I finally linked it to Bactrim and stopped taking it. My symptoms cleared up over the course of a few days. I learned my grandmother and mother have a severe sulfa allergy, and I found out the hard way I do too. Words just don't describe how sick I was on this medication."

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

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• Hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2021

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "I was prescribed this medication for a UTI. After 1 pill, I woke up feeling nauseous, nonstop vomiting, bloating, diarrhea, headaches, insomnia, dizziness, weakness, loss of appetite, fever, chills. I am currently on day 3 and will not be taking this anymore. I have zero improvements, which is to be expected after only 3 days. I was told to take 2 pills daily for 10 days. I can’t take the extreme side effects, and I don’t see why a doctor would prescribe this, with this many horrible side effects. I thought I had a stomach bug or food poisoning until I decided to look up the side effects and realized it’s the medicine. My kind was 800/160MG TB. I don’t recommend."

• Gaa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 6, 2016

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "Took 1 dose (first dose) at 6 am on a Tuesday. By 8 am, throat was sore. 9 am, feet went numb and started feeling odd, throat hurt more as well. By 11 am, feet were red and raw and hurt like nails poking through them. Genitals became beet red and raw! Had a fever and loss of appetite. Did not take any more after the first dose. Thursday, feet were better but still had a sore throat and genitals still raw and felt nauseous. Friday, still sore throat, genitals not as red or raw but developed a hive on them. It's now Saturday and still have a sore throat, color is back to normal on genitals but still have a hive and now another in the pubic hair area. I'm kinda freaking out now and probably go back to the doctor today. All this from one damn pill! UTI still there."

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

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• joa...
• August 31, 2018

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• Jul...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2019

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Bacterial Skin Infection "Prescribed Sulfatrim for skin infection. Took 1 pill and began to feel body aches and pains and felt chilled with fever and flu-like. Woke up in the morning drenched in sweat with severe pain in my side radiating to my tailbone. Couldn't sit, couldn't stand, and couldn't lie down. Agonizing pain in my joints. Took another pill as I did not realize it was the drug doing it. Felt like I might die. Went to the doctor in agony. Told to stop taking and given another antibiotic. Was too sick to take the other antibiotic and too afraid. After a few days, the pain subsided but missed a week of work because of it. Cannot imagine what other damage it did. Will never, ever take again. I thought I would die on this drug."

• red...
• September 4, 2011

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• who...
• March 30, 2014

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• Cry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2019

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Bacterial Skin Infection "I had an inflamed bug bite on my leg and was prescribed Bactrim. I ate and took the first and only dose that night at around 8 pm. Around 3ish in the morning, my head was throbbing, I was insanely warm with a 102-degree fever, meanwhile having chills at the same time. What bothered me the most is my hands swelled, were red, and I had intense itching. I'm still experiencing these symptoms, so I don't know when they will stop."

• ind...
• February 7, 2011

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "Today was the first day I took this medication. Two hours after, I experienced joint pain, blurred vision, back pain, a headache, chills, fever, nausea, cough, and sore throat. This was in addition to my already severe urinary tract infection symptoms, which I was sent to the ER for the night before, including severe pain in the pelvis, achy back (kidneys). Although symptoms of a severe UTI can also be fever, pain in the flank (pain that runs along the back at about waist level), chills, and nausea, I believe the medication gave me the additional symptoms. I was fine all day long until around two hours after taking the pill. After about 3 hours, symptoms increasingly went away. I am not sure if the pills are working or if they wore off."

• BAa...
• June 8, 2016

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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!"

• Sav...
• December 18, 2016

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "This is an awful medication, and I recommend it to anyone. Went to the ER for stomach pain to find out I had a bad UTI. Took 1 pill that the doc gave me and was completely fine. Took the next pill 12 hours later, with some saltine crackers and a bottle of water. 4 hours later, I was shaky, nauseated, thought I was going to throw up, my heart rate sped up, I had a fever (did go down with ibuprofen), had a minor rash on my cheeks, headache. Now marks 6 hours after taking it, laying down with a towel over my head, took Benadryl to help with the rash. Nausea has eased some, heating pad helps, the rash is not as red. Going back to the ER tomorrow for a different medicine. I'd rather take Amoxicillin, never have any reactions with that."

• Ros...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 1, 2019

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "Not a good option for me. I will never take it again. I was prescribed Bactrim for a recurring UTI. I think I may have taken it before and done fine, but not this time. I took my first pill in the evening and vomited. I didn’t really think much about it. I have the lap band, so that’s not all that unusual. I took my second dose the next morning and started going about my day. I started feeling body aches in all of my joints within four hours, with a slight headache. By the afternoon, I couldn’t tolerate light. I had a high fever and was short of breath. I was itchy, and some of my skin tags had become swollen and irritated. Every cell in my body hurt like I had been beaten with a bat. It was miserable, and I felt like death. Those symptoms lasted all night. The headache was the most debilitating part for me. Kind of afraid to take the new RX after that experience."

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

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• Tee...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 12, 2020

For Bacterial Infection "Do your research before taking this medication (sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim). I was prescribed this medication for an ear piercing (rook) that rejected. I was supposed to take it for 10 days/2x daily. The first 3 days, no symptoms; however, the next two days I started feeling like I was coming down with the flu/cold. I experienced body aches, low-grade fever, headaches, and a mild sore throat, as well as some unsteadiness. After experiencing these side effects, I stopped taking the medication. I’m waiting for my doctor to contact me with further instructions. But I will not be taking the remaining pills, and I’m never taking this medication again. BTW: My ear looks and feels much better."

• suz...
• January 25, 2012

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim 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."

• Anonymous
• June 6, 2015

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Kidney Infections "Rushed to the ER because of unbearable flank pain. Doctor noticed a large amount of white blood cells in the urine and prescribed Bactrim. The first two days I felt okay, nothing really improved. By the fifth day, the back pain disappeared, but the urge to pee was still present. On the sixth day, I got a high fever, headaches, body aches, and a rash. Felt like crap! Stopped taking it and side effects subsided. I'm severely allergic to Bactrim. Was prescribed Cipro, it works great!"

• Peg...
• November 17, 2018

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "NP prescribed Bactrim because I had back-to-back UTIs. Unfortunately, I have an extremely severe allergy to Bactrim that I was not aware of. However, this allergy did not show symptoms until I had been taking it for 6 days. I went to the ER because I was developing a red rash and my throat and tongue were swelling up. The ER doctor turned me away because he thought I had a viral infection. He gave me a Tylenol and sent me home. I ended up going back later that night because I had developed a high fever, headache, and my WBC counts were very low. I saw 10+ different doctors before they could decide if it was actually an allergy. They had to keep me for observation because they were afraid the drug was affecting my internal organs. Did it clear up the UTI? Yes. But if you can avoid the drug, I would suggest you do. If you think you are having an allergic reaction to any drug, please don't let the doctors dismiss you! I didn't trust my gut and I just got sicker because of it."

• Goo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 16, 2022

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Kidney Infections "I was given Bactrim after going to the ER for a rapidly progressing UTI that was making its way to my kidneys (potentially from an infected kidney stone). I was doing okay with Bactrim until days 5-7, when I ran a fever of 101 for 72 hours straight. I went to urgent care on day 6 and asked if the fever might be caused by Bactrim. They said no and pushed that I finish the medication. HOWEVER, on day 8 (after the 7-day dose was complete), I broke out in a full body rash (face and lips included - legs the worst). Though Bactrim did improve my kidney infection symptoms, I still have a UTI, and now I am covered in a rash. If you do have a consistent fever with this medication, and feel like you have the flu (muscle tingling, joint pain, inflamed lymph nodes), this could be an early sign of an allergic reaction! I wish I had stopped sooner when I knew something wasn’t right."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 25, 2018

Sulfamethoxazole / trimethoprim for Urinary Tract Infection "So glad I visited and read all these reviews. I thought I was going mad! I'm halfway through a 5-day x 2 a day script and feel just awful - fevers, then freezing cold, aches, pains, and dull headache, and the nausea and reflux is like being pregnant (except I'm menopausal!). Hopefully, the UTI is ebbing and, like others, I can't wait to stop taking it in a couple of days."