Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Allergic to Bactrim and Keflex! Help!

Hi everyone! I've had cellulitis for a many months now. My doctor first put me on Bactrim, and I had a rash all over my body and developed a fungal infenction as well. This was on day 8 of 10 on Bactrim. The doctor switched me to Keflex, and this time, that same day I got another rash all over my body. Then, she gave me a cream call Muciprocin, but i've been using it for over a week and see no improvement, although no rashes.

Has this happened to anyone? Are there other antibiotics out there? Is this an allergic reaction, or is my immune system being compromised and therefore allowing other things to happen? I have horrible allergies, so I suspect my immune system is already poor to begin with.

Thanks for listening, and I appreciate any input!
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1605619 tn?1301631851
Have you tried Levaquin?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Try the following

Pycnogenol is available from many health food stores. Take 100 milligrams three times a day for two months.

Horse chestnut extract is also available in most health food stores. Take 600 milligrams per day.
Helpful - 0
1415174 tn?1453243103
Hi and so sorry you are going through all this.  You are probably allergic to the sulfa drug in the Bacterim (ampicillin/sulbactam) and the Keflex I don't know but can be allergic to any drug/antibiotic. I'm allergic to Murpirocin, neosporin, bacitracin, clindamycin, metronidazole all topicals and had a syncope from a tetracycline type drug. My brother is anaphylaxic to penicillin. It sounds like you can tolerate Mupirocin but the topical isn't enough for your tissue infection. Celluitis can be pretty deep in the tissue so if it isn't working either the bacteria are resistant to it or it isn't penetrating the tissue well enough. You could ask to try mupircin oral and see if that works better. Most celluitis is caused by Staphylococci and Streptococci but other bacteria such as Haemophilus influenzae, pneumococci and Clostridium sp. can cause it as well. MRSA is a factor too. So it is hard to get the right drug. Did they do a culture on the area? It sounds like if they haven't they need to in order to get the right antibiotic. Was it actually a fungal infection or a yeast? It is not too uncommon to get a fungal infection too depending on your circumstances. Is the fungal infection resolved? If not you may need a antifungal too if you can tolerate it. What are you allergic to? Did you or do you have a fever? Sometimes they treat with an IV antibiotic. I think it is an allergic reaction to the antibiotics not necessarily that you are immunocompromised. Did they give you Mupirocin for two weeks or one week? It may take two weeks or so to clear. If it doesn't improve or gets worse go back in to the doctor. Have you ever had this before? Are you diabetic? Diabetics can get this more often. There are lots of other drugs but you don't want to wipe out your intestinal flora. If you are not taking probiotics I would start now. Either buy some pills (that have Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium etc. in them) or eat two yogurts a day with live bacteria like Activia (which has several) and the greek yogurts usually do too. I was on Bacterium and Keflex too recently (luckily I wasn't allergic to them) and am still on an antifungal for  my toe. It is like a cellulitis but it is due to a toe nail fungus which broke the skin because it was irregular and I bumped it. I still have a swolen toe but the pain is gone. It took the full two weeks of both drugs to get out of pain. It isn't as deep an injury as cellulitis though. I think you need an oral drug/ maybe mupirocin since you tolerate it but also they should have done a culture. If they did a culture now, the organism should be dead if it is working and if not then they can do a antibiotic sensitivity test to check which antibiotic works. Do you have an open wound or area that they could culture. Let me know what happens and if this helps or you have other questions.
mkh9
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the General Health Community

Top General Health Answerers
363281 tn?1643235611
Nelson, New Zealand
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
19694731 tn?1482849837
AL
80052 tn?1550343332
way off the beaten track!, BC
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
In this unique and fascinating report from Missouri Medicine, world-renowned expert Dr. Raymond Moody examines what really happens when we almost die.
Think a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? Here are five warning signs to watch for.
When it comes to your health, timing is everything
We’ve got a crash course on metabolism basics.
Learn what you can do to avoid ski injury and other common winter sports injury.