SJS Bactrim "Almost Did Me In"

November 20, 2008, 05:15:00PM. By Jane Mundy

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Zebulon, NC: Almost a year ago, Anthony was prescribed Bactrim for a staph infection, but didn't finish the treatment—and that may have saved his life. "I took about half the pills but stopped because I got a terrible rash in my mouth, under both my arms and around my shoulder blades," he says. To this day, he still suffers from a recurring rash and blisters; Anthony believes he still has Bactrim Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS).

"Along with this rash I had a fever of 102 degrees and it must have been from the Bactrim because I didn't have a fever with the infection," says Anthony. "Even though I discontinued taking this drug it took months to get it out of my system because I kept having these horrible symptoms coming back.

The rash got worse and moved down my arms then it came up in blisters everywhere. I would scratch them in my sleep and to this day I have scars on my arms. Also I went to a gastrologist who put a tube down my upper and lower stomach and small intestine. I had developed deposits like little blisters and had internal bleeding. They couldn't find the cause. Next I had a pill-cam--a little scope that took pictures of my small intestine. This miniature TV was strapped to my side like a belt that tracked this pill and I was instructed to do 'everyday activity' for 8 hours.

Still, they found nothing. But it was just too coincidental that these symptoms occurred within days of taking Bactrim and developing a skin rash. Now I know that SJS affects the internal organs as well as the external such as skin. Since I developed these symptoms I have done some research on the Internet about SJS and determined that Bactrim was either one cause or a contributor to this illness.

I recovered from the internal bleeding but it made me really weak. And I still have blisters flare up on my skin which leads me to believe that Bactrim is still in my system. It's like this drug did something to my body chemistry. And another thing: I can't take my blood pressure medicine—it doesn't seem to work anymore.

My neighbor's son also took Bactrim and he wound up in the hospital for about 6 months; his family didn't think he was going to make it. The reason kids are having a harder time recovering from SJS is because they haven't got such a strong immune system. If it wasn't for the fact that I am really healthy (besides getting the staph infection) and stick to a really good diet, SJS might have done me in.

The manufacturer of Bactrim has made me really angry; I want to go after these guys for putting a dangerous drug on the market because I had no idea that Bactrim could cause SJS."

Bactrim, a brand name for an antibiotic treatment, is used to treat a variety of problems, from ear and urinary tract infections in children to bronchitis, travel-related diarrhea, and pneumonia. It has also been associated with many adverse side effects, including the potentially deadly Stevens-Johnson Syndrome--an allergic syndrome most often caused by viral infection or by certain drugs that causes one's immune system to turn on itself; in other words, it burns the sufferer from the inside out.

As well, Bactrim is often prescribed in combination with Septra; this combined antibiotic treatment is known as trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. There are numerous side effects associated with this drug duo, including kidney problems, urinary obstruction and bleeding. But the most common side effect is the increased risk of SJS and TEN (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis).

Symptoms of SJS usually begin with a rash. Generally, blisters develop on the lips and mouth that spread to the throat, tongue, skin and mucous membranes. At the same time, SJS can destroy internal organs, which can lead to death. Up to 15 percent of patients affected with Stevens-Johnson Syndrome will die—Anthony was one of the lucky ones.

If you have taken Bactrim and/or a combination of Bactrim and Septra, seek medical help immediately--even if you suspect any signs of this deadly and horribly painful illness.

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