Can someone share if they have experienced ?allergic reactions to antiobiotics for UTI

General
1

Hello everyone.

First time I post. Have been having just the worst time ever. I am 33yrs old and recently by personal choice, decided to have in n out surgery this past December. Two weeks after the surgery I had the most painful UTI ever....My Gyno put me on BACTRIUM and it didn't work. So then he switched me to KEFLEX and had unbarrable stomach pain...to the where my husband had to take me to the ER the next morning. There they put me on LAVAQUIN for 5 days. After two days, the pain was completely gone and was feeling almost 100% better. On third day, that morning, my left eye swelled shut. Was freaking out and called my Gyno. He told me to stop all meds and to see him if worse. Next morning, my entire face, throat, tungue swelled up....like a balloon. I looked like the wax museum manequins. Freaked out even more and went back to ER. The ER doctor decided to admit me after they gave me a shot of Epinephrene, an IV and through the IV, injected me with 60 mg of Prednizone and 50 mg of Benadryl. Stayed in hospital for another 6 days.

Let me describe the crazy things that my body did while I was in the hospital. Both my eyes decided to swell up..first one at a time then both. My lips reacted the sameway. I got little tiny, red spots all over my legs, toes and lower back. I compare them to the pictures of those people with lepracy in the kids bible. Huge patches of hives all over my body, and boy are they itchy.

Once hospitalist felt that I was ok to go home and reaction had almost completely faded away. He put me on Predizone for next 5 days, each day one less dose. Fine for the first 3 days, then I relapced again. Went back to ER and stayed another night. ..FRUSTRATED by now.

DR. extended the prednizone for another 10 days. Towards the end of the meds got the red dotts again this time all over my entire body and now they hurt. Went to see my Rheumy and put me on a higher dose of Predinizone for a longer time. Mean time, It makes me feel very disoriented, jittery and exhausted at times. NOt to metion the swelling of my face. I look as if I was stung by a bee hive. I am also loosing my hair. I am so afraid of getting off the prednizone and relapcing.

In the mean time, not working, waiting for disability, been referred to 5 different doctors all with different specialties (Urologist, UCSF Rheumatalogy Clinic, Allergist, Dermatologist, Internalist and my own Docs.) Hard to deal right now, along with taking care of my 10 yrs old daughter, 3 yrs. Autistic son and sometimes my 35 yr. old husband that thinks I just need to find the right pill and I will be back to normal.

My confusion with all of this is that I feel this has to do with me having Sjogrens. Been diagnosed since 2006 with no symptoms. After I had my 3 yr.old, started having bad flares, joint ache, swelling, stiffness, mouth sores, chronic fatigue, head aches and probably more but right now I can't remember. Rheumy has me on 250 mg of Plaquenyl but feel it doesn't work. I feel really strong about me having lupus. Do carry the antibodies but have not been diagnoced...yet.

I know it is alot to read but would appreciate some advice or just hear your experience if you had a similar one...maybe not as bad but would still like to know.

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Hi I had the same problem our bodies reject the antibiotics Stop taking the medicine its killiing us not making us better my opinion the bactrim gave me like burns with you know bubbles with fluid use diaper rash cream and it will help anything with sulpha don’t take good luck!

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Hi newbe, sorry that you are haveing these problems ... Are you resting when need to ? or takeing on alot of things that can wait to be done one thing at a time , causeing - STRESS ? Stress cause Flares that will cause this to happen . I haven't had no swellening , such as this , but have read about some people going through this situation . It must be very painful and upsetting to experince this . But we Living with LUPUS , go through so many changes and the doctors really don't know what to do or what type of meds. to use .smile I really pray that you get better and that the doctors find you some relief this situation - soon ... talk with you later and get some rest .... Beverly L.

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Hi it is Mimi;

I have not had quite the experience you have had but I have, during the course of my illness, had multiple reactions to various antibiotics which were lethal in nature. My breathing ability just clamped up on me and I required immediate emergency attention. I am deathly allergic to bactrim. What is going on with you sounds so very demoralizing. I have known of people whose allergic reaction lasts months long and it usually presents with a very itchy rash that moves around the entire body. Have you tried some natural remedies such as an oatmeal bath or calamine lotion. Stuff is from the dark ages but works really well sometimes. keep your spirits up, deal only with what is going on on any given day. Do not worry about what is going to happen when you wean. I know it is easier said than done but try. Hubby needs to get on board. It may take more than one pill or more to help you. How about the pill called TLC????? (I have a doubting THomas hubby too). My best to you newbe....

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this is very important lesson for all...if your lips, tongue, face begins to itch and swell up...STOP THE DRUG NOW! That is bad allergic reaction. Now you can be like me where just lips swelled a bit....but next time if i took same drug with out letting doc know about the swelling....my entire throat could close and i can die!

SO take it seriously if you swell up in your face, lips tongue, throat etc...stop the drug immediately...take benedry if swelling is bad and get to emergency..if still swelling.

Okay..i had repeated UTI infections as young wife....Part was My SLE in my kidneys acting up but you would know because it backs up into kidneys within hour if you have fever and bladder infection going on.

But just UTI....and they keep happening....could be your allergic to condoms. You should drink large glass of water before sex so you can pee immediately at end of it and you should ask your husband to wash his penis if he is not always wearing a condom because he can spread bacteria up inside your UTI tube.

Usually it is one of these things....so if you keep clean and do above i bet it will stop ..just may need to find a different kind of condom ...some are made out of different materials. think they call it honey mood cystitis ! lol!

GOOD LUCk, lg

6

I am so sorry that you are dealing with soooo much trouble. I also have problem with finding an antibiotic that actually makes me feel better and take care of whatever the problem is that I'm taking them for. I got terrrible hives when I was taking BIAXIN, which I was taking for pneumonia, and then when I got the hives, they admitted me to the hospital with pneumonia and chicken pox; however they later determined that I was allergic to the BIAXIN. I usually have good results with the LEVAQUIN.

I only have one child and she is now 19 and lives fifteen and a half hours from me in Alabama. She is attending college there. Yeah, as for your husband; it is very sad that most people just doesn't understand how we only wish we could take a pill and feel normal again. If only it was that simple.

I also take PLAQUENIL, I have had very good results with it, but I've takin' it for a long time now. How long have you been on it? I took me probably four months before I really started feeling better, but it has made a huge difference in my life.

I hope that you do find some help. It is a very hard illness to deal with. I have had Lupus for 36 years and I have suffered a lot in that time. Unfortunately we have to deal with it, and that is very tough.

Take care of yourself, Connie

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man, you have really had a hard time! im sorry you had to go through it.

but hang in there---we will find a cure one of these day...someone with have a bad reaction and voila! a cure.

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Yes. I stopped the Bactrium, Keflex and the Lavaquin. These medicines have all been charted that I am allergic to them. Actually all within this catergory of antibiotics. Since I am still having some form of reaction, the docs have stopped all meds, including over the counter and supplements. They fear that I will develop a reaction to them too.

Just trying to get better. It is definitely frustrating and scary. I am just trying to take one day at a time and like someone mentioned before in a previous discussion, "Treat the problem and not the illness". Not untill we do find a cure.

Thank you for your advice and kind words.

Jamie Talley said:

Hi I had the same problem our bodies reject the antibiotics Stop taking the medicine its killiing us not making us better my opinion the bactrim gave me like burns with you know bubbles with fluid use diaper rash cream and it will help anything with sulpha don't take good luck!
9

Thank you for your advice and kind words.

Good to hear that the meds do work for some. It is just weird for me to be going through this because I was perfectly fine. My flares were actually controlled with the PLaquenyl but some days were pretty bad. Where I did need a shot of PRednizone. Have tried to avoid taking prednizone in the past and deal with pain but a few times couldnt avoid it.

My Rheumy has now mentioned that she might put me on Methotrexate a chemo med. Have you heard of it? A little scared of it CHEMO. Researched it and seems to be a popular maintenance drug. Hoping that it might help me.

I am still on PRednizone for another month at 40 mg per day. I take one tablet in the morning and the other a few hours before bed. Have to take it with a benadryl (25mg) to be able to stay asleep. Prednizone makes me feel jittery and been getting these weird sweat spells, where I wake up completely soaked. WEIRD>> Have a f/up appt with G/P on Tuesday. Good thing is I document everything, so have a collection of pictures, recordings of myself explaining how I feel and time. This helps me prove to all docs what I am going through and helps me remember everything that I need to explain to doc.

Just resting this weekend. Feel bad for kids that they also have to deal with my fatigue and lack of energy but they are pretty understanding. My daughter helps me around the house aswell as my husband. My 3 yrd old is just really clingy right now. He wants MAMA for everything. Have been trying to make a bit more effort to spend time with them when I feel OK.

Thank you again for your advice.

Connie L. Simmons said:

I am so sorry that you are dealing with soooo much trouble. I also have problem with finding an antibiotic that actually makes me feel better and take care of whatever the problem is that I'm taking them for. I got terrrible hives when I was taking BIAXIN, which I was taking for pneumonia, and then when I got the hives, they admitted me to the hospital with pneumonia and chicken pox; however they later determined that I was allergic to the BIAXIN. I usually have good results with the LEVAQUIN.

I only have one child and she is now 19 and lives fifteen and a half hours from me in Alabama. She is attending college there. Yeah, as for your husband; it is very sad that most people just doesn't understand how we only wish we could take a pill and feel normal again. If only it was that simple.

I also take PLAQUENIL, I have had very good results with it, but I've takin' it for a long time now. How long have you been on it? I took me probably four months before I really started feeling better, but it has made a huge difference in my life.

I hope that you do find some help. It is a very hard illness to deal with. I have had Lupus for 36 years and I have suffered a lot in that time. Unfortunately we have to deal with it, and that is very tough.

Take care of yourself, Connie

10

Hi there newbe, i am so sorry you have been going through all this, it must be so awful for you and so scary too. Its great you have come on to LWL to chat to people and get some support. We have all been through similar things, i have had horrendous reactions after taking antibiotics before just like yourself. I was covered in these massive red raised blotches once before on one antibiotic and was admitted to hospital as my whole body swelled up, my throat, and face etc. They stopped everything and gradually restarted everything to work out which drug was causing it. Another drug i had a really bad reaction to was Septrin, which made me so violently sick, when it was supposed to help not make me sick, it was ridiculous, and i heard later on that Septrin could bring on drug-induced Lupus. Antibiotics are not good with Lupus, so its trial and error, alot of us have trouble taking antibiotics, eventually you will work out if there are any you can take. I have about three left i can take now, but they still make me feel really ill. I have pneumonia and MRSA and MRSA in my urinary tract and i am taking two lots of different antibiotics including the dreaded Cephalexin that everyone seems to have problems with taking. So you are not alone with that one. It must be so hard for you when you have children and a husband who thinks you just need a quick fix and everything will be okay. I also have Sjorgrens Sydrome, and lots of other things that go with Lupus. You sound very similar to myself. I am suprised that they havent put you on something abit stronger than the Plaquenil, perhapps they are trying to work out whats best for you. Have you tried talking to your Rhuemy and telling him that you feel the Planquenil isnt doing much for you. This is quite normal about not being diagnosed yet as it can take some time, there are a quite a few tests that have to be done, and Rhuematologists are relunctant to say for sure that someone has Lupus until they are completely sure about it, as there are so many other autoimmune diseases that have the same or similar symptoms, but i am sure thats what your Rhuemy must think really otherwise he wouldnt of put you on the Plaqunenil and steroids. Dont worry if there is alot to read, we all have been where you are at some point, and we all have times where we need to talk more than other times. Everyone is really lovely on LWL, and i am sure you will be soon knowing who is who, and feeling better for having spoken to some of us, hopefully. I am thinking of you, any time you would like to talk, feel free to message me, or just join in with any of the conversations going on here. Take care, look after yourself, bye for now, love and hugs Astrid40xoxo