Reaction to Septrin...Anyone else?

[london553]

Hey guys,

I'm a 21 yr old guy recently diagnosed with HIV and have a very low CD4 count (111, 4%) and so my doctor started me on a course of Septrin last week (I should be starting meds next week...scary!!!). However, I took it this Monday and within an hour I had a tingling in my skin and my eyes went bloodshot. I found it harder to breathe and was shaking uncontrollably. I went to hospital and they checked everything out and just said that I had an infection but should stop taking the septrin in any case. However, 3 days on, my muscles are in absolute agony! Getting up and moving about is so painful!! Plus, the skin around my nose has started to peel as if I've been sunburnt.

I'm not really sure what to do?? Just rest or is there something else I can be doing to relieve this muscular pain?

Thanks for reading this post and any replies would be great! :-)

London553

[Matty the Damned]

Honey,

I don't want to panic you here but can I suggest that get some medical attention right away. The sort of reaction your describing combined with the fact that you're taking Septrin sounds very serious. I'm not a doctor but this sounds very much like a nasty condition called Stevens-Johnsons Syndrome (SJS).

In fact I suggest you take yourself to the Casualty Department of your nearest hospital, WITHOUT DELAY. Make sure you mention Steven-Johnsons Syndrome to them when you get there.

Best wishes,

MtD

[BlueMoon]

Yes, have that looked at right away.  Septrin, or Bactrim as it's known here, has an unsavory reputation and can cause serious problems. 

I'm on the same stuff, and while I've had no problem, I'll be glad to get off it.

[SoSadTooBad]

My 4 days on Bactrim were the sickest I've been in my life.  Raging fever, exhaustion, dizziness and hives.   You have two other options - Dapsone and Mepron, so there is no reason to keep taking Bactrim.  Get to the ER or your doctor right away, and get on something else.

[newt]

Bad luck...

Septrin has a long wash out period. Some symptom control may help for the pain/inflammation/skin reaction

PCP, which is a risk if your CD4 count is under 200, can be fatal. Prevention is a good idea.  A standard alternative to Septrin is aerosolised pentamidine, but clindamycin-primaquine is a good oral alternative (among some others) and this avoids sitting in clinic on a nebuliser thingy.

Better antibiotics for second-line PCP treatment (a research report):
http://www.ukcab.net/forum/index.php?topic=146.0

Meds don't have to be scary...a UK introduction to combo written by people who done treatment:
http://www.i-base.info/guides/starting/index.html

Good luck

- matt

[J.R.E.]

Hello London,

How are you doing since you posted this ?


Hope all is well-------Ray

[havisham]

Hey London

Sorry to read you've had a bad time with Septrin - I had a similar extreme reaction to it over Christmas - a violently itchy rash that spread over my whole body - couldn't sit down, couldn't stand up, couldn't lie down - didn't know what to do with myself, except occasionally give in to bouts of painful but hugely satisfying scratching.

My doc took me off it and put me onto primaquine and clindamycin, and within a week or so, the rash ran it's course and was done. Scary at the time, but nothing my doc hadn't seen before (maybe not as severe though). He said he expects about 50% of people to have some form of reaction to Septrin, and they deal with it according to severity - I think we were both unlucky. I know it feels bad while it's happening, but it will go away, honest.

Hope you're feeling better

S
x

[LordBerners]

...nothing my doc hadn't seen before (maybe not as severe though). He said he expects about 50% of people to have some form of reaction to Septrin...

Wow, 50%.. sounds like an awful drug.  I was prescribed Bactrim by my hiv doctor about a month ago when they got a blood test showing 189 CD4 cells (I had always hovered around 300 before).  However I also started anti-biotics for tuberculosis a couple of weeks ago so I never took the Bactrim, fearing all of these might be too much for my liver, and basically not wanting to interfere with the TB therapy which is high priority.

I haven't told my doctor yet, but I just don't feel prophylaxis is worth the risk at the moment due to the other drugs.