Co-trimoxazole injection is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, including those of the urinary tract, lungs, and intestines. Children under 2 months old shouldn’t be given co-trimoxazole. Sulfonamides are a group of drugs that includes co-trimoxazole injection. It kills bacteria to work.

For colds, the flu, or other viral diseases, antibiotics such as co-trimoxazole injection are ineffective. Your risk of developing an illness that won’t respond to antibiotic therapy increases if you take antibiotics when you don’t need to.

Co-trimoxazole injection is available as a liquid solution that must be combined with other fluids before being administered intravenously (into a vein) over a 60- to 90-minute period. Typically, it is administered every 6, 8, or 12 hours. The type of illness you have and how your body reacts to the medication will determine how long your treatment will last.

You can administer co-trimoxazole injection at home or have it as an injection in a hospital. Your doctor will demonstrate how to use the drug if you will be receiving co-trimoxazole injection at home. Make sure you comprehend these instructions, and if you have any issues, consult your healthcare professional.

Within the first several days of co-trimoxazole injectable therapy, you should start to feel better. Call your doctor if your symptoms don’t go away or get worse.

Even if you feel better, keep using the co-trimoxazole injection until the prescription is finished. Your infection could not be entirely treated if you stop using co-trimoxazole injection too soon or skip doses, and the bacteria might develop an antibiotic resistance.

Other severe bacterial infections are occasionally treated with co-trimoxazole injection. The dangers of using this drug for your illness should be discussed with your doctor.

Before receiving co-trimoxazole injection,

• If you have an allergy to sulfamethoxazole, trimethoprim, benzyl alcohol, any other sulfa medications, any other drugs, or any of the ingredients in co-trimoxazole injection, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. Get a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Incorporate any of the following: Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors such benazepril (Lotensin), captopril (Capoten), and enalapril, as well as amantadine (Symmetrel) (Vasotec), ‘blood thinners’ such as warfarin (Coumadin); cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune); lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril), fosinopril (Monopril), moexipril (Univasc), perindopril (Aceon), quinapril (Accupril), ramipril (Altace), and trandolapril (Mavik); diabetic drugs used orally, digoxin (Digitek, Lanoxicaps, Lanoxin), diuretics (‘water pills’), indomethacin (Indocin), leucovorin (Fusilev), methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek), pyrimethamine (Daraprim), and tricyclic antidepressants (mood elevator (Asendin), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), imipramine (Tofranil), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin, and trimipramine (Surmontil). Your physician might need to adjust the dosage of your drugs or keep a close eye on you for side effects.
• Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had megaloblastic anaemia (abnormal red blood cells caused by folate deficiency), which is caused by taking sulfonamides or trimethoprim, or thrombocytopenia (less than usual amount of platelets) (low blood levels of folic acid). Co-trimoxazole injection may not be used, according to your doctor.
• If you have malabsorption syndrome (issues absorbing food), consume a lot of alcohol now or in the past, or take medicine to manage seizures, let your doctor know. Inform your physician if you have or have ever had asthma, low folic acid levels, severe allergies, HIV infection, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency (an inherited blood disorder), phenylketonuria (PKU), porphyria (an inherited blood disease that may cause skin or nervous system problems), or problems with the thyroid, liver, or kidney.
• If you are breastfeeding a child or intend to become pregnant, let your doctor know. Call your doctor right away if you get pregnant while taking co-trimoxazole injectable. The foetus could suffer from co-trimoxazole.
• Have a plan to limit your time spent in the sun and to use sunscreen, sunglasses, and protective clothes. The injection of co-trimoxazole may increase your skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

Throughout your co-trimoxazole injectable treatment, make sure you drink enough of water.

Side effects from co-trimoxazole injection are possible. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Reduced appetite
• Diarrhea
• Muscle or joint pain
• An injection location that is painful or itchy

Some adverse effects may be severe. Call your doctor right away or seek emergency medical attention if you have any of these symptoms:

• Skin rashes or alterations
• Blistered or flaky skin
• Hives
• Itching
• Skin blemishes that are red or purple
• Recurrence of infection-related symptoms including fever, chills, or sore throat
• Cough
• Breathing difficulty
• Severe diarrhoea (watery or bloody faeces), which may or may not be accompanied by fever and cramping in the stomach (may occur up to 2 months or more after your treatment)
• Rapid heart rate
• Hungry, a headache, exhaustion, perspiration, uncontrollable shaking of a body part, agitation, blurred vision, trouble focusing, or loss of awareness
• Skin or eyes turning yellow
• Swelling of the lower legs, hands, feet, ankles, or face, neck, tongue, lips, eyes, or mouth
• Hoarseness
• Breathing or swallowing challenges
• Uncommon bruising or bleeding
• Paleness
• Swelling at the site of the injection
• Less urinations
• Seizure

Further negative effects from co-trimoxazole injection are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this drug, call your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose signs could include the following:

• Reduced appetite
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
• Fever
• Urethral blood
• Skin or eyes turning yellow
• Consciousness loss

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To monitor your body’s reaction to the co-trimoxazole injection, your doctor will request a number of lab tests.

Inform the lab staff and your doctor that you are receiving co-trimoxazole injection prior to any laboratory test.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. Also, it is crucial to keep this information with you in case of emergency.