Patient was educated on the side effects of using Bactrim as follows:
- Nausea and vomiting
- This is the most common side effect of Bactrim. Taking the antibiotic with some food and water can minimize the effects of nausea and vomiting.
- Diarrhea
- Human intestines have a lot of bacteria, both good and bad, living in a sensitive balance with each other.
- This helps maintain the normal natural intestinal environment. Bactrim works by killing the bacteria.
- While doing this, Bactrim does not differentiate between good and bad bacteria.
- Consequently, apart from killing the bad infectious bacteria, Bactrim also kills the good bacteria in the intestinal system, thus compromising the balance between good and bad bacteria.
- This can result in reduction in the number of good bacteria and increase in the number of Bactrim resistant bad bacteria, leading to irritation of the intestinal mucosa and diarrhea.
- Diarrhea secondary to the clostridium difficile bacteria in the intestines, is a standard example for this.
- Blood disorders
- Bactrim taken for long-term can result in diminished blood cell number with agranulocytosis and aplastic anemia.
