Et tu, Bactrim?

[cariad]

  I think I have developed a Bactrim allergy. I've been told by my surgeon that these are terribly unusual, but that's what comes of being exposed to far too many antibiotic medications for far too long. I tried to warn the surgeon that I feared something like this was going to happen because it is exactly what happened with me and penicillian, but he acted as if I were worried about being abducted by aliens.

I came down with a vicious case of hives over the weekend. Hydrocortisone did not help very much, neither did Benadryl, although it at least knocked me out so I could sleep. I went for any homeopathic remedy I could find - nettle tea (vile!vile!vile!) baby oil, probiotics, calendula - if we had it in the house, I tried it. I did not try a bath with oatmeal and baking soda because I did not want to risk another UTI and extremes of heat and cold are both bad for hives. (I take my soak hot enough to soft boil an egg.)

When I wake up, groggy from Benadryl and not in the best mood, I find my hands and feet still itch but I put a bit of Gold Bond on and it does not bother me for the rest of the day. Then I take my evening meds - the only difference between my morning and evening meds is that I take Valcyte mornings and Bactrim evenings. Otherwise, exactly the same in each. Last night, after proclaiming myself finally cured, I took my meds at 10PM, sat down with Gwyn to watch our evening programs, and started itching like mad. Also, my face does not get hives but it turns bright red (more on the right side than the left, curiously) and I can feel the heat with my hand.

No, I have not reported to Northwestern. I know, I know - bad, bad, non-compliant, super-naughty patient. I am not going down to Chicago for a stupid case of hives. I am terribly busy right now in all aspects of my life, so shoot me, I don't feel I can afford all of that wasted time at the moment. I've decided that tonight I shall take all of my drugs except Bactrim, wait an hour or two to see if i break out again, then take the Bactrim. That should give me the definitive answer. After that, what are my antibiotic options going to be? This will make the third class of antibiotics that I am allergic to, and it's all down to horrific overexposure through my entire life. I am really angry right now because this did not have to happen. I have written about my nausea with Levaquin before, and my fear of that class due to the risk of tendon rupture. I have not come this far to suffer a setback like that in the eleventh hour. I will not take that drug. Never, never again!

[bette1]

So sorry to hear about you bout with the meds.  Hope you find an answer soon and can stay away from bactrim.

[MooseMom]

You'll hate me for saying this, but I am so glad to read this, cariad.   Before you kill me, I'll explain.  I had my first ever UTI back in 2002, and I was successfully treated with Bactrim.  Then a year later, I was treated with clindamycin for a gum abscess, and by coincidence, I got another UTI and was treated with Bactrim.  So, for a couple of days, I was taking both clindamycin and Bactim prescribed by two different doctors (this was when I first moved back to the US and was before I started seeing a neph for my kidneys).  I was under a lot of stress (very much an understatement), too.  One morning I was having breakfast and reading the paper, and I noticed that my back was itchy.  I finally went and looked in the mirror, and to my horror, I saw hives that were in the process of spreading so quickly that I could actually watch the lumps forming.  It was awful.  But I didn't have a GP at the time (again, I had just moved here), so I didn't see anyone about it.  It lasted three days.  And then it went away.  So all this time I assumed I was allergic to Bactrim and have had to take levaquin..did you know that they use levaquin to treat anthrax?  I hate that stuff...makes me nauseous.  Anyway, I was reading a post here on IHD last week about Bactrim, and it set me to thinking that maybe my assumption that I was allergic to Bactrim is unfounded.  I wrote all of this up in a letter...I actually have the documentation from 2003 (talk about keeping outstanding records!  haahha!  I must be barmy!)...and sent it all to my transplant coordinator and my neph for their records.  They can sort it out.  Bottom line is I don't know exactly what I am allergic to.  Last year, I had to use clindamycin in the form of (gulp) vaginal suppositories, and I won't tell you what THAT was like, but let's just say that I think I'm allergic to that, too (or maybe instead of the Bactrim?).

Anyway, enough about me.  I'm really curious to know whether or not in the end you decide it is indeed an allergy to Bactrim.  I don't blame you for not wanting to drive all the way down to Chicago for hives, but it does give me pause.  Like you've said, it would be awful if after all you've been through, you are thwarted by HIVES!  That sounds like a really bad episode of House.  Whatever you decide to do, you're going to have to at least discuss it with NWestern, and they will have to find something else that will work for you...I'll be very curious to know what they say.

Also, let us know if you find any homeopathic remedy for hives.

[cariad]

Thanks, Bette, and yes, you too, MooseMom! 

I am about to take the Bactrim. I took the other meds about 2 hours ago. I shall report back! (Kind of exciting, my own little science experiment....)

[natnnnat]

Well? 

[MooseMom]

Are you hivey?  Inquiring minds want to know!

[cariad]

Hiya! Sorry, did not realise there was still curiosity on this. Thanks MM and Nat for checking up on me. MM, 'hivey'? Sounds like it belongs in a limerick. "There once was a patient named Ivy...."

I took the Bactrim several hours after my other drugs, two nights in a row, and have not experienced a single hive. I'm back to taking my drugs as normal and still nothing. They say that hives are one of the most difficult conditions to trace back to a cause, and so I think this one is just always going to be a mystery. I think I may have inadvertently ingested a bit of mold, and since Gwyn is allergic to mold, I may well have acquired his allergy. (This can happen with stem cell transplants.) While my research failed to yield any conclusive results, I couldn't care less! Hives are gone, and I am ecstatic! 

[MooseMom]

The moral to this story may be "Don't eat mold."

[Sax-O-Trix]

I hope you solved the hives issue...   Just a side note:  I hope Northwestern treats you well and you have a good experience there.  I graduated from Northwestern with my Masters degree about 20 years ago - I loved the school and am very proud to call NU my alma mater.