Bactrim how long is it good

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. 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:.

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. Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination in children 2 months of age and older.

Because of the toxicity of the combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim, use in infants younger than 2 months of age is not recommended. 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 a folate deficiency, age-related kidney or liver problems, and may be more likely to experience unwanted side effects eg, severe skin rash, increased potassium in the body, or problems with blood clotting or the immune system. There may be an adjustment in the dose for elderly patients receiving sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination. Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.

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 taking 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. 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.

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. 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. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. Products and services. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor. Do not take any other medicines whether they require a prescription or not without first telling your doctor or consulting with a pharmacist.

Sometimes use of this medicine allows other bacteria and fungi which are not sensitive to Bactrim to grow. If other infections such as thrush occur while you are taking Bactrim, tell your doctor. If you take the tablets out of the blister pack or the oral suspension out of the bottle before it is time to take them, they may not keep well. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines. If your doctor tells you to stop taking Bactrim, or the tablets or oral suspension has passed its expiry date, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.

Bactrim is a Prescription Only S4 medicine. Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Bactrim. Bactrim helps most people with susceptible infections but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not.

You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects. Very rarely, people have died from complications due to certain severe skin, liver or blood reactions. Elderly people, people with liver or kidney disease and people taking certain other medicines are more at risk of these severe reactions.

This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Others may occur in some people and there may be some side effects not yet known. Tell your doctor if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell, even if it is not on this list. View more information about myVMC. Please be aware that we do not give advice on your individual medical condition, if you want advice please see your treating physician.

Parenting information is available at Parenthub. Are you a Health Professional? Jump over to the doctors only platform. Click Here. Bactrim is used to treat bacterial infections in different parts of the body. Your doctor may have prescribed Bactrim for another purpose.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions why Bactrim has been prescribed for you. Action: How Bactrim works Bactrim works by stopping the growth of the bacteria causing the infection. Dose advice: How to use Bactrim Before you take Bactrim When you must not take it Do not take Bactrim if: You have had an allergic reaction to sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, any other sulfonamide, or any of the ingredients listed here.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include: Skin rash ; Peeling of the skin; Itching or hives; Swelling of the face, lips or tongue which may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing; Wheezing or shortness of breath. You have severe liver or kidney disease, any blood disorder or megaloblastic anaemia ; The child you are treating is less than 3 months of age; You have streptococcal pharyngitis; The package is torn or shows signs of tampering; You are taking dofetilide, a medicine used to treat irregular heartbeats; The expiry date EXP printed on the pack has passed.

If you take this medicine after the expiry date has passed, it may not work as well. If you are not sure if you should be taking Bactrim, talk to your doctor. Before you start to take it Your doctor must know about all the following before you can start to take Bactrim. Tell your doctor if: You are pregnant or intend to become pregnant.

If Bactrim is taken late in pregnancy, it may harm the baby. As mentioned, it is fairly uncommon that expired medications "go bad" and could cause harm. One rare exception is degraded tetracycline. There have been rare reports of kidney damage in patients who took outdated tetracycline in the s.

It is extremely important to store medications, like Bactrim, properly. The expected life span of a drug is highly dependent on proper storage. All of the following can potentially lessen the shelf life of a medication:. As there are often too many unknowns, you typically will not hear a health care professional recommend that it is OK to take expired drugs like Bactrim.

In addition, it is generally not a good idea to treat infections without seeing a doctor. Most infections are susceptible only to certain antibiotics. Although an infection may look the same, it may be caused by a different bacteria and should be properly diagnosed and treated by your doctor. He has been featured in numerous publications including the Huffington Post as well as a variety of health and pharmacy-related blogs.