Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

Descriptions


Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination is used to treat intestinal or urinary tract infections. It is also used to treat Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a very serious kind of pneumonia. This type of pneumonia occurs more commonly in patients whose immune systems are not working normally, such as cancer patients, transplant patients, and patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination is an antibiotic. It works by eliminating the bacteria that cause many kinds of infections. This medicine will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Solution

Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination in children older than 2 months of age. Safety and efficacy have not been established for infants less than 2 months of age.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have age-related kidney or liver problems, which may require an adjustment in the dose for patients receiving sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination.

Breastfeeding

Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

  • Dofetilide
  • Levomethadyl
  • Methenamine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Acecainide
  • Acenocoumarol
  • Ajmaline
  • Amiloride
  • Amiodarone
  • Amitriptyline
  • Amoxapine
  • Aprindine
  • Arsenic Trioxide
  • Astemizole
  • Azathioprine
  • Azilsartan
  • Azilsartan Medoxomil
  • Azimilide
  • Benazepril
  • Bretylium
  • Candesartan Cilexetil
  • Captopril
  • Ceritinib
  • Chloral Hydrate
  • Chloroquine
  • Chlorpromazine
  • Cholera Vaccine, Live
  • Clarithromycin
  • Desipramine
  • Dibenzepin
  • Digoxin
  • Disopyramide
  • Dolasetron
  • Doxepin
  • Dronedarone
  • Droperidol
  • Enalapril
  • Enalaprilat
  • Enflurane
  • Eplerenone
  • Eprosartan
  • Erythromycin
  • Flecainide
  • Fluconazole
  • Fluoxetine
  • Foscarnet
  • Fosinopril
  • Fosphenytoin
  • Gemifloxacin
  • Glyburide
  • Halofantrine
  • Haloperidol
  • Halothane
  • Hydroquinidine
  • Ibutilide
  • Imipramine
  • Irbesartan
  • Isoflurane
  • Isradipine
  • Leucovorin
  • Lidoflazine
  • Lisinopril
  • Lorcainide
  • Losartan
  • Mefloquine
  • Mercaptopurine
  • Methotrexate
  • Moexipril
  • Nortriptyline
  • Octreotide
  • Olmesartan Medoxomil
  • Pentamidine
  • Perindopril
  • Phenytoin
  • Pirmenol
  • Porfimer
  • Prajmaline
  • Probucol
  • Procainamide
  • Prochlorperazine
  • Propafenone
  • Pyrimethamine
  • Quinapril
  • Quinidine
  • Ramipril
  • Risperidone
  • Sapropterin
  • Sematilide
  • Sertindole
  • Sotalol
  • Spiramycin
  • Spironolactone
  • Sultopride
  • Tedisamil
  • Telithromycin
  • Telmisartan
  • Trandolapril
  • Triamterene
  • Trifluoperazine
  • Trimipramine
  • Valsartan
  • Warfarin
  • Zofenopril
  • Zotepine

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Acetohexamide
  • Amantadine
  • Aminolevulinic Acid
  • Anisindione
  • Didanosine
  • Repaglinide
  • Rifabutin
  • Rosiglitazone
  • Tolbutamide

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco.

  • Ethanol

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Anemia, megaloblastic (caused by not enough folic acid)—Should not be used in patients with this condition.
  • Asthma or
  • Folate deficiency (vitamin B9) or
  • Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency or
  • HIV or AIDS or
  • Kidney disease or
  • Liver disease or
  • Seizures, history of—Use with caution. May have an increased chance of side effects.

Proper Use

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. This medicine is given through a needle placed in one of your veins.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check your progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away. Do not breastfeed while using the medicine.

Very rarely, this medicine has caused severe side effects. If you start to have a skin rash, or if you think you are having a severe skin reaction, call your doctor or nurse right away. Symptoms of a severe reaction may include a skin rash, skin color that is very pale or yellow, or skin with purple spots, along with a sore throat, fever, muscle pain, cough, and trouble with breathing.

Check with your doctor right away if you have abdominal or stomach cramps; bloating; watery and severe diarrhea, which may also be bloody; nausea or vomiting; or unusual tiredness or weakness. These may be symptoms of a serious intestinal infection.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Check with your doctor right away if you have a rash; itching; swelling of the face, tongue, and throat; trouble with breathing; shortness of breath; or chest pain after you get the injection.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are taking this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

Rare

  1. Abdominal or stomach pain
  2. black, tarry stools
  3. blistering, peeling, or loosening of skin
  4. changes in skin color
  5. chest pain
  6. chills
  7. cough or hoarseness
  8. dark urine
  9. diarrhea
  10. dizziness
  11. fever with or without chills
  12. general feeling of tiredness or weakness
  13. headache
  14. itching
  15. joint or muscle pain
  16. light-colored stools
  17. loss of appetite
  18. lower back or side pain
  19. nausea
  20. pain, tenderness, or swelling of foot or leg
  21. painful or difficult urination
  22. pale skin
  23. rash
  24. red irritated eyes
  25. red skin lesions, often with a purple center
  26. shortness of breath
  27. sore throat
  28. sores, ulcers, or white spots in mouth or on lips
  29. swollen or painful glands
  30. tightness in chest
  31. unpleasant breath odor
  32. unusual bleeding or bruising
  33. unusual tiredness or weakness
  34. vomiting of blood
  35. wheezing
  36. yellow eyes or skin

Incidence not known

  1. Abdominal tenderness
  2. back, leg, or stomach pains
  3. bleeding gums
  4. bleeding under the skin
  5. blindness or vision changes
  6. blisters, hives, or itching
  7. bloating
  8. blood in urine or stools
  9. bluish-colored lips, fingernails, or palms
  10. burning, crawling, itching, numbness, painful, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
  11. burning of face or mouth
  12. clumsiness or unsteadiness
  13. cloudy urine
  14. confusion
  15. constipation
  16. continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in ears
  17. convulsions
  18. cracks in the skin
  19. decreased frequency or amount of urine
  20. diarrhea, watery and severe, which may also be bloody
  21. difficulty breathing
  22. difficulty swallowing
  23. dizziness or lightheadedness
  24. fainting spells
  25. general body swelling
  26. general feeling of discomfort or illness
  27. hair loss
  28. hearing loss
  29. increased blood pressure
  30. increased thirst
  31. indigestion
  32. irregular heartbeat
  33. large, flat, blue or purplish patches in the skin
  34. large, hive-like swelling on face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs
  35. loss of heat from the body
  36. muscle or joint pain
  37. nosebleeds
  38. not able to pass urine
  39. numbness or tingling in hands, feet, or lips
  40. pain or burning while urinating
  41. pains in the stomach, side, or abdomen, possibly radiating to the back
  42. painful knees and ankles
  43. pinpoint red spots on skin
  44. puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips or tongue
  45. raised red swellings on the skin, the buttocks, legs or ankles
  46. rapid heart rate
  47. red, swollen skin
  48. redness of the white part of the eyes
  49. redness, swelling, or soreness of tongue
  50. scaly skin
  51. shakiness and unsteady walk
  52. soreness of muscles
  53. stiff neck or back
  54. swelling of face, hands, legs, and feet
  55. swelling or inflammation of the mouth
  56. trouble breathing
  57. unsteadiness, trembling, or other problems with muscle control or coordination
  58. unusual weight loss
  59. weakness in hands or feet
  60. weakness or heaviness of legs
  61. weight gain

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

  1. Hives or welts
  2. passing of gas
  3. redness of skin
  4. stomach pain, fullness, or discomfort

Incidence not known

  1. Discouragement
  2. feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
  3. feeling sad or empty
  4. increased sensitivity of skin to sunlight
  5. irritability
  6. lack of feeling or emotion
  7. loss of interest or pleasure
  8. nervousness
  9. redness or other discoloration of skin
  10. seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
  11. sensation of spinning
  12. severe sunburn
  13. sleeplessness
  14. trouble concentrating
  15. trouble sleeping
  16. unable to sleep
  17. uncaring

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.