Has anyone had side-effects with Bactrim DS and thought they were herxing? Check out the link above and tell me what you think.
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
Eh, you can find anything positive or negative on the net you want.
Looked into quinolones lately?
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
I successfully took Bactrim DS for almost a year. I took it 2 times per day. It got rid of my babesiosis.
As soon as I started taking it, I got a babesia flare every Friday evening like clockwork. It would always lift on Sunday evening. It was horrible. It gave me a feeling of total doom.
I would just lay. I would not talk, eat, move, go to the bathroom, walk, etc. I would believe that I was going to feel this way my entire life.
At the next lyme appt., I told the doc about these weekend sicknesses. He then had me add artimesinin from Friday through Sunday. It worked like a miracle!
The feeling of doom was gone, and the sickness or flare was just mild and lasted only 6 hours. Each week with the art, it was less and less. It became just a need to sleep for an hour. Finally, no more flare. That's how we knew my babs was gone.
Bactrim is a very old drug. It is a combination antibiotic. It is used to treat many things.
Too bad people don't read the package inserts when they get a new prescription. Then, they would know to call the doc when they start coughing or the other serious side effects listed on the Bactrim insert.
I looked at a few of Brian Deer's cases. They needed to take seriously what the package insert says about serious side effects of Bactrim.
Everyone is different. If you are allergic to prednisone and a doc gives you a big dose, it could kill you. But for others, it is a life-saver. Why do people think they don't have to read these package inserts? If you start getting new symptoms once you start taking a new med, it is time to READ about that med. Don't you think?
Posted by Marrit (Member # 25454) on :
TF, as soon as I got the burning and figured out what it was due to, I started to search. Maybe some people don't have internet or computer access? Or just too trusting of their doctor? Doctors usually don't know much about the meds they prescribe. Pharmacists are a better resource. I cannot imagine taking Bactrim as long as you did. I can't even imagine taking it one more time. I am just beginning to feel better after the one capsule I took this morning at 10:00 AM ... and it is 8:40 pm. I don't know what artimesinin is or what it does. I'll have to look it up. Thanks for your feedback.
Posted by seekhelp (Member # 15067) on :
I took it for 3 days and stopped. My LLMD always pulled me off of anything that made me sick. Not sure if good or bad. I felt very ill and my throat tight and neck stiffer than ever.
Posted by groovy2 (Member # 6304) on :
Bactrim helped me A Lot in treating Babs -
As with ANY medicine or ABX you take it is Important to drink Gallons of water every day -
While I was on Heavy duty treatment ( about 6 times the ABX that most people take here on LN )
my liver tests came back Perfect - Every Time-
Why??? because I drank 3 to 5 gallons of warm tea per day -- Simple as that --
If you dont have a glass of water or tea in your hand as you read this ---
You are Not drinking enough --Jay--
Posted by Toppers (Member # 20083) on :
I second groovy2. Have forgotten to buy milk thistle in 2 months, but I drink minimum of a gallon of various teas per night. Perfect liver function after a year of abx hammering my system.
Coincidence? Posted by Topaz (Member # 20216) on :
Not to say Bactrim can't have horrible side effects, but I can't help but wonder if some of those people unknowingly had lyme and were herxing.
Posted by Marrit (Member # 25454) on :
I've read around quite a bit, and it appears that a lot of people think they are "herxing" when they are actually having a very bad reaction to the medication. My son is a research chemist at a top pharmaceutical company, and he has warned me about abtx treatments! The more you know about these things, the more cautious you become ...
groovy2, what kind of teas do you drink? de-caffeinated?
seekhelp, your reaction is similar to some others who tried Bactrim. Thankfully, your doctor immediately pulled you off. Others who continued after those symptoms went on to paralysis and other life-threatening issues. Some have had irreversible damage.
I think one should suspect medication sensitivity BEFORE chalking it up to a "herx" and not just assume.
Thanks everyone for your input.
Posted by lauriemay1 (Member # 24153) on :
Absolutely, I too thought it was a herx... my daughter had a fever and body aches all over on Bactrim, turned out to be an allergy, be very careful. Bactrim is off limits in my house.... She is still very sick from the side affects.
Posted by kday (Member # 22234) on :
I couldn't imagine anything worse than quinolones.
And I tried to convince myself I wasn't suffering from quinolone toxicity because I was afraid I was. I'm putting it as an allergy on a medical bracelet.
Ok, maybe Lariam would be worse, but I would never touch that. And before I knew anything, I thought the FDA is there to protect us. Yeah right!
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
You are damned if you do and damned if you don't. All abx have potentially serious side effects. If you are allergic even the most benign can kill you. I would rather not take any of them but I have no choice. Levaquin gave me tendonitis but it was also very effective against bart. Bactrim Ds was one of the easiest drugs for me to tolerate and it worked great against bart. I feel so much better. But I did get insomnia from it and dry skin, eyes and mouth. I am taking a break and then another combo for awhile.
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