jtroy
02-03-2009, 07:25 PM
Every day when we put something (read medication) into our bodies we take a risk....EVERY SINGLE TIME NO MATTER IF YOU'VE TAKEN IT BEFORE...and so a recent event that has shaken me, something I've always known about...and it pisses me off.
My wife is a 1st grade teacher and for the last couple of years she's been blessed to have an assistant in her room (small town here.) This person has, of course, become close to her and also is near and dear to me (anybody who makes my wife's day easier is golden to me.) She also has a sister that is from our town...lives an hour or so away...and has an inspirational story to me (since my little sister has been addicted to Methamphetamine for 15 years or so.) She's also my age. I've only met her...my wife knows her better...but she lived an hour away to avoid the small-town "stuff" even though she was on a better path.
This woman was very addicted to Meth at one time. It caused her alot of trouble with everyone. Also, she was in a relationship with another addict and was abused by him. Long story short she kicked the guy out of her life, got treatment, and was clean....and had been for a long time....today she was a functional, working, mother of an 18 month old baby and 4 year old. Those stories inspire me as I know my little sis can kick it if she wants to.
Now the story: a week before this past Sunday this woman took Bactrim for potential Strep throat...she's taken it before...the doc knew that it could cause some rashes but she's never had a "reaction" great enough to cause the doc pause (dummy.) Lately, i.e., the last couple years, she's taken it with absolutely no ill effects....which should be a warning about all meds but particularly Bactrim. So she took a dosage and within hours began to feel like she had the flu...which she figured was normal....and so she took her dosage and went to bed.
When she awoke she had blisters in her mouth and throat...as well as rashes more severe than she'd ever had in years past with Bactrim. Called the Doc...was advised her mouth and throat "discomfort" was just the Strep, continue taking the stuff and call if it got worse...well, it did before she even had time to get another dose....her entire mouth was blistered and now her "rashes" turned into blisters....she called the office and they told her to get to the ER.
Within 12 hours she had to be intubated because all of her mucosal surfaces were blistered. Within 24 hours she had 3rd deg. "burns" on a large part of her body...she was transferred to Oklahoma City to a burn unit....24 hours after that 100% of her body had 3rd degree "burns." The obvious culprit being the Bactrim and although there are a ton of people allergic to it there are a ton who are "not" that take it and end up in a similar situation, though usually not so severe. You'll even find "lawyers" who "specialize" in suing Wellcome or generic cos over JUST this drug....which I find telling.
So, this past Sunday after a week of fighting she died in that burn unit. She leaves behind a huge family, 2 babies that now have only a father, a sister who may never be able to come back to my wife's classroom...but should in due time b/c of a large support system there. This woman kicked an abusive man, kicked Meth, kicked feeling like she was worth nothing....married and had beautiful kids....and was taking something every family doc scripts out every single day (who also needed his patient to be intubated before he realized wtf was going on) only to kick a sore throat in order to get back to work.
People often report being allergic to "sulfa" drugs. The thing is this: most if not all sulfonamides are potentiated (basically made to work better...won't get all scientific here) with something called Trimethoprim. And Trimethoprim call also cause an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity. I can't comment about people only animals...and what I know is that there is also a problem with "sulfa drugs" in animals as well....and this sucks for all of us because for reasons that'll only take longer these meds are great for UTI's, kidney infections, etc. My question, and it has plagued me for years, is if the huge aresenal of other meds we have is so small and less effective or whatever reason...basically I wonder if potentiated sulfonamides are worth their increased risk.
Why not try Amoxicillin, or a quinolone, or something else for her Strep throat? The questions go on and on....like, why give a patient with a known hypersensitivity to Bactrim that very drug...for STREP THROAT?? I'm mad at the guy but I cannot hold him responsible...as a matter of fact...I can't hold anyone responsible...and that makes me mad to. Her family will probably get a chunk of money from whoever made the particular pill she took which will likely at least pay for her kids' college....but it's just not worth it.
Too many times I saw this in animals....and I'll tell you that although I found the severe TENS/Stevens-Johnson syndrome to be even rarer in animals....there are likely more dogs that have dermatological issues with these meds (which so often are scripted by vets first when likely a cephalosporin would be better.)....and all in all I'm really starting to question Trimethoprim as being more of the culprit....maybe the docs here can comment. Either way our community is devestated and my wife is very devestated. And tommorrow I get to attend her funeral.
Just a long post to remind all of us that it doesn't matter whether you've taken something before, take it all the time, etc., there always always is a risk with taking a medication. If you are allergic to a sulfa drug don't you ever take it. As for me and my family I'm resorting to some old-fashioned empirically based, totally biased, information and not allowing it...and a doc will have to show me a significant reason why another wouldn't also be effective.
Wishing you and yours the best,
T. Jones, DVM
My wife is a 1st grade teacher and for the last couple of years she's been blessed to have an assistant in her room (small town here.) This person has, of course, become close to her and also is near and dear to me (anybody who makes my wife's day easier is golden to me.) She also has a sister that is from our town...lives an hour or so away...and has an inspirational story to me (since my little sister has been addicted to Methamphetamine for 15 years or so.) She's also my age. I've only met her...my wife knows her better...but she lived an hour away to avoid the small-town "stuff" even though she was on a better path.
This woman was very addicted to Meth at one time. It caused her alot of trouble with everyone. Also, she was in a relationship with another addict and was abused by him. Long story short she kicked the guy out of her life, got treatment, and was clean....and had been for a long time....today she was a functional, working, mother of an 18 month old baby and 4 year old. Those stories inspire me as I know my little sis can kick it if she wants to.
Now the story: a week before this past Sunday this woman took Bactrim for potential Strep throat...she's taken it before...the doc knew that it could cause some rashes but she's never had a "reaction" great enough to cause the doc pause (dummy.) Lately, i.e., the last couple years, she's taken it with absolutely no ill effects....which should be a warning about all meds but particularly Bactrim. So she took a dosage and within hours began to feel like she had the flu...which she figured was normal....and so she took her dosage and went to bed.
When she awoke she had blisters in her mouth and throat...as well as rashes more severe than she'd ever had in years past with Bactrim. Called the Doc...was advised her mouth and throat "discomfort" was just the Strep, continue taking the stuff and call if it got worse...well, it did before she even had time to get another dose....her entire mouth was blistered and now her "rashes" turned into blisters....she called the office and they told her to get to the ER.
Within 12 hours she had to be intubated because all of her mucosal surfaces were blistered. Within 24 hours she had 3rd deg. "burns" on a large part of her body...she was transferred to Oklahoma City to a burn unit....24 hours after that 100% of her body had 3rd degree "burns." The obvious culprit being the Bactrim and although there are a ton of people allergic to it there are a ton who are "not" that take it and end up in a similar situation, though usually not so severe. You'll even find "lawyers" who "specialize" in suing Wellcome or generic cos over JUST this drug....which I find telling.
So, this past Sunday after a week of fighting she died in that burn unit. She leaves behind a huge family, 2 babies that now have only a father, a sister who may never be able to come back to my wife's classroom...but should in due time b/c of a large support system there. This woman kicked an abusive man, kicked Meth, kicked feeling like she was worth nothing....married and had beautiful kids....and was taking something every family doc scripts out every single day (who also needed his patient to be intubated before he realized wtf was going on) only to kick a sore throat in order to get back to work.
People often report being allergic to "sulfa" drugs. The thing is this: most if not all sulfonamides are potentiated (basically made to work better...won't get all scientific here) with something called Trimethoprim. And Trimethoprim call also cause an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity. I can't comment about people only animals...and what I know is that there is also a problem with "sulfa drugs" in animals as well....and this sucks for all of us because for reasons that'll only take longer these meds are great for UTI's, kidney infections, etc. My question, and it has plagued me for years, is if the huge aresenal of other meds we have is so small and less effective or whatever reason...basically I wonder if potentiated sulfonamides are worth their increased risk.
Why not try Amoxicillin, or a quinolone, or something else for her Strep throat? The questions go on and on....like, why give a patient with a known hypersensitivity to Bactrim that very drug...for STREP THROAT?? I'm mad at the guy but I cannot hold him responsible...as a matter of fact...I can't hold anyone responsible...and that makes me mad to. Her family will probably get a chunk of money from whoever made the particular pill she took which will likely at least pay for her kids' college....but it's just not worth it.
Too many times I saw this in animals....and I'll tell you that although I found the severe TENS/Stevens-Johnson syndrome to be even rarer in animals....there are likely more dogs that have dermatological issues with these meds (which so often are scripted by vets first when likely a cephalosporin would be better.)....and all in all I'm really starting to question Trimethoprim as being more of the culprit....maybe the docs here can comment. Either way our community is devestated and my wife is very devestated. And tommorrow I get to attend her funeral.
Just a long post to remind all of us that it doesn't matter whether you've taken something before, take it all the time, etc., there always always is a risk with taking a medication. If you are allergic to a sulfa drug don't you ever take it. As for me and my family I'm resorting to some old-fashioned empirically based, totally biased, information and not allowing it...and a doc will have to show me a significant reason why another wouldn't also be effective.
Wishing you and yours the best,
T. Jones, DVM