levaquin, bactrim and sulfa?
 

So I had a reaction to levaquin a few years ago and the doc tells me I am allergic to sulfa. So I go along telling docs that I am allergic to sulfa.

Then at one of my C-spine injections the nurse asks about the sulfa allergy and tell her about it and she says levaquin does not have sulfa in it. She even went and looked it up. I still always said I had an allergy to sulfa and levaquin to cover all bases.

Then at another procedure (different doc) I am also told that levaquin does not have sulfa so I assume that I am allergic to levaquin not sulfa.

So last week I am given Bactrim for a UTI and take it for 3 days and on the 4th day my lymph nodes in my neck swell up, both sides in front of and behind my ears and start to swell in my neck. Very very painful.

I call the docs office on Sat they say it is something going around and it is not the medicine. So I take another one after that and still feel really bad so I quit taking them. Also had bad headache, diarreah, some itching not alot.

So by Sunday afternoon I am feeling human again but I am left to wonder...does levaquin have sulfa and can a reaction to it causes such severe swelling in my lymph nodes? Sorry this is so long but I have read and read online and I still am not sure. Thanks...Sue

It is important...
 

It is really important to know if you are allergic to sulfa (sulfonamides).

Some food additives will cross react with this allergy..Sulfur dioxide (preserves fruits like raisins), and sodium bisulfite (in some foods and salad bars), can
cause headache, and asthma in sulfonamide allergic people.

If a patient with sulfa allergy is exposed to any sulfonamide drug, there is a potential for a severe reaction, called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which may result in death if severe. There was a drug in the 70's called Kynex made by Lederle labs, which was a once every 24 sulfa. People who developed allergies to it while it remained in the body for several days after stopping, became very ill, some lost their hearing and some died. It was taken off the market. Bactrim and Septra are 12 hr duration tablets, and that is a long time too.
Some reactions are confined to the skin only (severe rashes), and others may include asthma, and shock.

Levaquin is a fluoroquinolone. I am not aware of cross sensitivity of this family of drugs to sulfonamides.
here is a site that gives details on this drug:
http://www.drugs.com/mmx/levofloxacin.html
Here are the ingredients of the tablets:
from http://www.rxmed.com/b.main/b2.pharm.../LEVAQUIN.html

I have seen patients react to povidone ingredients in tablets, if they are allergic to organic iodine. This is very uncommon, however, and only the smaller 250mg tablet has it.

Not all reactions to drugs are allergic in nature. Some are side effects, unpleasant, but not life threatening. A true allergy may be sudden, and overwhelming, but it gives warnings as a rule first. Itching (hives), redness of the skin,shortness of breath, etc, are the typical warning signs of allergy.

Nausea, headache, aches and pains, are not typically found in allergic responses. Levaquin and other fluoroquinolone drugs enter the brain and cause excitability there. They can cause seizures (Floxin was the worst in this regard), confusion, mental apathy, which is worse in elderly than in younger patients. This is not an allergy, it is side effects and intolerance. So it is important to understand the differences.