Anyone know if Sulfa Based Antibiotics can cause Flares?

General
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Hi All,

Started Cephalexin generic for Keflex) antbiotic (sulur based, can smell it, smells like eggs, yuck) for sinus infection/ear infection & basically pleuritis due to those infections (didn't wanna get pneumonia & felt it starting 2 worsen).....Well, taking 500 mg 2 x's a day, since Friday. Today, I began to have my arthritis in joints flare & HURT SO BAD :(, esp. hands/fingers & hips.....my left hand is almost not usable, it is that painful.... I had to remove my ring due to swelling around it on my fingers. That is how bad it is....I mean I can take discomfo, but this feels like my hand & finges r broken, it hurts so bad!! My wrists r starting too, can feel it now, esp. typing. I don't now??? Any smilar experinces, please share, I am a bit confused as to why it got so bad so quick!? Hope it doesn't worsen....:/ FINGERS CROSSED< OH SORRY< FORGOT THEY HURT BAD TO CROSS>>>Hey gotta keep some humor or I could cry.....

Thanks All!!

{{HUGS}} Suzie :0)

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hey suzie i dont know if that makes it flare, but i know my cousin says she cant meds with sulfa and i think she says it makes her joints hurt.

i hope you feel better! you and suzie could share a room. jk

please let me know how you are doing...:)

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THANKS EVERYONE, BOY, I STOPPED TAKING IT, CAUSE OUT OF THE BLUE, MY JOINTS GOT SO BAD!!! I WOKE UP TODAY FEELING WORSE THAN LAST NIGHT, SOMETHING IS CAUSING THIS TO FLARE BAD, BUT NOW I KNOW THIS (THE ANTIBIOTICS) COULD B CAUSING IT, I WILL STAY AWAY FROM THEM.....ESPECIALLY SINCE MY BROTHER IS ALLERGIC SINCE A CHILD, COULD BE SOMETHING I MAY HAVE NOW TOO...WE ARE SIBLINGS, MAKES SENSE RIGHT?? THANK U, HOPE I FEEL BETTER SOON TOO....:(

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Suzie, I have previously read that many lupies are allergic to sulfa drugs. I know I am, and so is my daughter, who also has lupus.

BUT, I have to say this.... as someone with an allergy to sulfa drugs, and who has both lupus AND Lyme disease, the reaction that you're having does NOT sound at all like an allergic one.

It sounds like a classic Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction which is a feature of Lyme disease. When a person with Lyme is put on antibiotics they typically have a "herx" within 4 to 8 days.... during the herx, the symptoms get worse, because the spirochetal bacteria are dying and releasing toxins into your body. A herx can last a few days or even longer. Then you start feeling better for a few days, then (if you are still on the antibiotics), you'll have another herx. The spacing of the herx reactions is linked to the life cycle of the Lyme disease bacteria.

I'm REALLY familiar with herxes because I have Lyme and have been on many different antibiotics over the past two years. Currently I'm on 3 abx: Minocycline, Tindamax, and IV Merrem. I have a chest port into which I drip the Merrem solution 3 times a day at home. I have had Lyme since at least 2004, but wasn't diagnosed until 2010. That's why I'm still on antibiotics and probably still have a long road ahead.

Even if you've been tested before for Lyme and the results were negative, please visit the following URLs and read up on Lyme, just so that you can compare your symptoms and reactions. The current Lyme tests have many many false negatives; researchers have shown that they come up negative for about 50% of the people who actually DO have Lyme.

About the "herx": http://www.lymediseaseblog.com/jarisch-herxheimer-reaction-lyme-disease/

About Lyme and lupus symptom similarities and differences: http://lymediseaseguide.org/lyme-disease-lupus

The fact that Lyme disease can actually TRIGGER lupus!: http://lymemd.blogspot.com/2008/06/lyme-and-lupus.html

Also, there is a wonderful documentary on Lyme called "Under Our Skin" that you can watch for free at Hulu:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/268761/under-our-skin

Of course, I pray that you do NOT have Lyme!! It's a horrible disease and so difficult to treat by Stage 3 (I have Stage 3 chronic neuroLyme, it's in my central nervous system). But, given your current symptoms caused by a course of antibiotics, I think that you should look into the possibility, hon!

((((((((((hugs)))))))))

JoAnn

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P.S. Where do you live? Some areas of the country have Lyme-Literate doctors and some do not. For help finding a Lyme expert in your area who can truly diagnose Lyme (or rule it out), you can contact turnthecorner.org, or ILADS (http://www.ilads.org/). Good luck hon!

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I wanna Thank U ALl for such helpful info., Joann, WOW, That really made me think quite a bit??!! That is really interesting & is making me second guess alot~!!! I will wait & see how I feel, but if I feel worse then this, I will def. chk into into it.....Thank U, U are so helpful w/ Lymes info, I really appreciate it, and I live in NW NJ, Deer country, so there is lots of ticks/lyme's here, my youngest son got lyme's w/ a bulls-eye rash, and pos. tests even western bot when he was 3 yrs. old....It is OK now as he was treated early & on strong antibiotics for a month. THANK GOD that It presented itself w/ the rash!! And Ann, I don't know, but believe me, they smell terribly like sulfur, so I assumed they were?? Who knows, I kind of, tried to fig. out what is doing this to me all of a sudden?? BUT I stopped, cuz, I am weary of them now...Not Worth IT, so Thanks for looking into it 4 me!! I hope to feel better w/ some rest....I will keep u updated!! {{HUGS}} Suzie Xo

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Susie, where in NW NJ are you? I live in Warren County, and I know down in Denville, Morris County, there is a great lyme Dr./ clinic. I too have been Keflex for recurring ear infections and had flare reactions with it. I was told it was Sulfa but I also have Celiac and it could be gluten which many medications use as a filler. I agree with the others, if you are uncomfortable with it, do not use it. There are so many alternatives we have to constantly work to find the right “recipe”. I have read and been told … You and your dr. Must decide if the advantages of the treatment outway the risks. I hope you can find the answer. Praying for you. Hugs :slight_smile:

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I am in Sussex COunty, up by Highpoint, where is there a good Doc for Lyme's?? Thinking I should def. see one, but ins. is not there, just for a hosp. close to me, an assistance program, so therefore I am limited, which STINKS! :( Hoping to get ins. 4 me soon again though..... Are they (the docs) out of St. Claire's??? Thanks~~ Suzie :0)

Flutterbymare said:

Susie, where in NW NJ are you? I live in Warren County, and I know down in Denville there is a great lyme dr./ clinic.
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Flutterbymare said:

Susie, where in NW NJ are you? I live in Warren County, and I know down in Denville, Morris County, there is a great lyme Dr./ clinic. I too have been Keflex for recurring ear infections and had flare reactions with it. I was told it was Sulfa but I also have Celiac and it could be gluten which many medications use as a filler. I agree with the others, if you are uncomfortable with it, do not use it. There are so many alternatives we have to constantly work to find the right “recipe”. I have read and been told … You and your dr. Must decide if the advantages of the treatment outway the risks. I hope you can find the answer. Praying for you. Hugs :slight_smile:

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THANK U SOOO MUCH!! So u have had reactions to Keflex too, huh??? I think That is what is doing ths, to be honest, very coincidental! Didn't take my 2nd dose last night, but seem to be feeling pretty bad, hence, my new discussion, for some answers....I so appreciate ur help.......I will keep u posted....Hope u are doing well too!!! {{HUGS}} :0) Xo Suzie

Flutterbymare said:

Flutterbymare said:
Susie, where in NW NJ are you? I live in Warren County, and I know down in Denville, Morris County, there is a great lyme Dr./ clinic. I too have been Keflex for recurring ear infections and had flare reactions with it. I was told it was Sulfa but I also have Celiac and it could be gluten which many medications use as a filler. I agree with the others, if you are uncomfortable with it, do not use it. There are so many alternatives we have to constantly work to find the right "recipe". I have read and been told ... You and your dr. Must decide if the advantages of the treatment outway the risks. I hope you can find the answer. Praying for you. Hugs :)
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Hi Ann, See that, LOL,,, I was informative with a question myself, haha.....Anyways, all kidding aside, YES, there are so many meds. we should really stay far away from, for they could make us so much sicker, which is very scary, cause as u said, do the docs know any of this, or just prescribe without knoing hat they could do to us in the meantime??! Things that make ya go Hmmmm???? Glad I as able to get u searching, cause then u are able to inform us of these arnings & e can look out for them!! Maybe a list should be made sometime, by a medical professional of the precautions we & our docs should take! {{HUGS}} Suzie :0)

Ann A. said:

Dear Suzie,

Your question kept me reading for much of the day. When I started out this morning I did not know that people who are allergic to penicillin and sulfa drugs should be care of hydrochlorothiazide. It is the most frequently prescribed medication for high blood pressure. I wonder how many physicians take heed of this warning. Thanks for starting my day with such an informative question.

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LOL~~ YES, I say the same bout the cows.....:( I LOVE THEM THOUGH......BUT, I do have to be careful. I Do live in deer country, and do spend alot of time outdoors...so put 2 and 2 together, and it is a REAL possibility!! My husband & I were just discussing it~ he wants me to go get checked too~ he has always said he thought I had to HAVE lyme's since my symptoms are like 99% of what Lyme's symptoms are.....He was surprised how bad my hand got too...I know lupus & lyme's are so similar, but I need to know if it is there cause it is NOT a JOKE, esp. in combo w/ Lupus, like Joann, look how much she goes thru with both, it is not a joke!!.....and needs to be treated. So, I think I need my blood drawn. See, as I had told Joann in the past I did show some pos. antibodies, but not all~ so at the time the doctor said she didn't think it was Lme's, just some positives from having Autoimmune such as Lupus.....Who Knows??? I really don't think they even know!! Which is sad & SCARY! Sure hope she wasn't wrong 4 1/2 yrs. ago, that means I am in advanced stages by now, UGH.....:( But, u r so right, between, my dogs, cows, chickens, I would say that I am a prime candidate. We'll see, all I know is I am miserable!! Hope I feel better soon..& Hope u r well too...I will TTYT! Thank U Ann!! <3 Xo Suzie :0)

Ann A. said:


LOL - of course I have loved the discussion of Lyme. My head kept saying, "She who plays with cows is liable to encounter ticks." Of course, I encounter them in the backyard with dogs.

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Suzie D. said:

I am in Sussex COunty, up by Highpoint, where is there a good Doc for Lyme's?? Thinking I should def. see one, but ins. is not there, just for a hosp. close to me, an assistance program, so therefore I am limited, which STINKS! :( Hoping to get ins. 4 me soon again though..... Are they (the docs) out of St. Claire's??? Thanks~~ Suzie :0)

Flutterbymare said:

Susie, where in NW NJ are you? I live in Warren County, and I know down in Denville there is a great lyme dr./ clinic.
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Suzie, I’m down in Blairstown by rte 80…the Lyme dr. In Denville probably is associated with St. Clare’s either in Dover or Denville. Check your insurance and if you want I will get you the contact information for him. Hope you feel better. ~Mare :slight_smile:

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I have been getting flares from taking sulfa drugs over 30years ....or anything that may have sulfa in it and i did not catch it. They called it "allergic" to sulfa drugs but how i get sick is exactly like how i do in bad flare...like extremely bad flu.

I also had ear aches as adult....where the were going to put tubes in my ear but than i tried trick doc suggested and it has worked....use blow dryer to dry your ears every time you shower or get ears wet . So far no more ear problems!!

good luck log

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Hi there Suzie, i dont think that cephalexin actually in itself causes a flare, or the symptoms you are saying. They are a horrible tasting drug though, i totally agree as i have had this one many times before. Also this is one of the antibiotics that have the effect of lessening the effect of painkillers. This drug the doctors try not to give out unless really necessary as its quite a heavy duty drug and usually used say if someone is allergic to anything else they prescribe. So you may be feeling the effects from having this, as it is a strong antibiotic, which could be making you feel really ill. I know it does me when i take it. The swelling is definately from the drug i'm sure. I would go and see your doctor, as if he is honest, he will tell you that this antibiotic does lessen the effect of certain pain meds, therfore making what pain we have worse. I hope it doesnt get any worse either, there is a known fact that antibiotics can make us worse, as our body is fighting against them rather than using them the way we should, so it can take longer for someone with Lupus to get better than an average healthy person. When i have had cephalexin for say a sore throat or chest infection, i always have to have two weeks worth of the antibiotics, as the way the system works with Lupus, it makes it harder for them to work as quick. Our bodies our attacking our own immune system as it is, and if you can imagine throwing something else in there for the immune cells to fight against, it mucks up the whole process that is already going on in us, making everything twice as hard for our bad immune system to work. This is why alot of Lupus patients need two weeks worth of antibiotics, where an average person can get away with one. I hope this helps abit, its hard to explain, i think i have put it as well as i can at the moment, as i am up early as my bed is arriving early. I would go back to your doctor and explain how you are feeling and maybe they wont give you that drug again, it could be your body just doesnt like that particular drug. I hope you dont get pneumonia too, as its not pleasant for us when it happens to say the least. Go and get a check up if you can, as this is not right how you are feeling, but i am sure alot of it is to do with how our body works and its attacking everything foreign that we add into our systems, my own doctor told me this a while ago. And he warned me about the pain aspect with some antibiotics and i remember this is one of them. Anyway my friend, you take care, let me know how you are, and please go and get checked out. All you have said isnt right anyway whether its the drug or whether you are not well again, you need to get some help for it, you cant suffer like this any more. Try and take it abit easier today if you can, i know thats easier said than done sometimes especially when you have children. But if you can put your feet up just for a little while it might help and have a short snooze, i was also told that having ten minutes nap can often be more refreshing than having say a whole hour, but then again i dont find that, i always feel more tired if i only have ten minutes, hehe. Anyway please go and get this sorted, take care, let me know how you get on, massive hugs and love Astrid40xoxox

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Hi Suzie, i am allergic to quite a few antibiotics, so it may be like i said that your body doesnt like this one. I found out i was allergic to Septrin and then later found out this particul drug can cause drug-induced Lupus, so sometimes i think they keep some of these things from us, in case we dwell on it, and then think its definately happening. They think we cant think for ourselves sometimes thats for sure, hehe. Anyway my dear friend, go and get it checked, have a restful day, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo

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Septrin is sulfa based drug...when i looked it up online. Thought that was one of the drugs i took that made me sick...and when we researched found it was sulfa based. They can make it with another base but batch or company i got it from ...was sulfa.

I just did not get sore joints...but was throwing up from both ends of my body...nicer way to say it...plus hurt not just in joints but all over.

Maybe yours is just because you are sick....i literally could not keep it down it is that bad. Of course the first time it happen...i was not sure like you are not questioning it....my doctor said that he said he felt it was really possible for it to be the sulfa..this was back in early 80's.

Since i could not keep it down...he switched me to something else...which i immediately began to feel better. I than tried it once more...to make sure and sure enough i again got extremely sick from 1st pill. So we just have put i am allergic to sulfa drugs.

Did it cause a big long flare...no but i was sick a couple weeks...was it from the drug making it worse...or just the ear infection..well all i can say is with other drugs, i was over the ear pain within day of taking drugs and able to go back to work.

With the sulfa I was out over a week. So we deducted ..the doc and I, that sulfa clearly did not agree with my..no i cannot prove it made my lupus worse...but i sure seem to us that it did.

I cannot think of one other drug that I reacted to so intensely in a lupus way. I got allergic to pencillians but that is swelling of lips ...i did not get physically sick. I have got physically sick from Sevella but not where once i stopped i still felt sick like i did with sulfa.

I think that is tricky part about Lupus/ auto immune diseases is that with each person it comes out and reacts a different way may it be in the drugs we take, or how some cannot it gluten, or night shade plants, even stress i think can create different symptoms in people. I think this is where we the patient must listen to what our gut instinct is telling us and follow it.

I hope you are better, lg

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Suzie, do you have the results of your Western Blot for Lyme disease from 4 years ago? I mean, can you find out which bands were positive? They actually do two tests: IgM and IgG. IgM antibodies are those that appear first, early during the illness, and IgG are those that show up later.

If you can share those results, I can at least tell you if any of the bands correspond to antibodies that are specific to Lyme disease.

((((((((((hugs)))))))))))

JoAnn

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Hi Susie,

Before I was diagnosed I had a bunch of infections and kept getting sulpha antibiotics and I knew that everytime I took them I got even more sick, rashes, fever ect. One time I took 3 back to back rounds of antibiotics for what they thought was an infection in my salivary gland and I had to be hospitalized with "a flu like illness" I am sure now was lupus. I got a full body rash, pain everywhere, high fever that did not respond to advil, mouth sores, lost 15 pounds in 10 days. After that I always told the docs I as allergic to sulpha drugs. I read somehwere that a lot of people with lupus are sensitive to sulpha drugs. If I were you I would ask for a different kind of antibiotic - there are some that are not supha related.

Take Care

Meg