Desensitization to Bactrim

[Susan L. Young]

Is there a protocol to desensitize someone who is allergic to Bactrim
(septra; tmp/smx) and who needs bactrim for life-threatening PCP.

[Cynthia Horton]

This is a good question..Can anyone also tell me if it is known for
someone to develope a rash after being on the Bactrim/Septra for a year?
What then?.......Cindy

On Tue, 31 Oct 1995 s...@wubios.wustl.edu wrote:

[Gary Babcock]

Two posters asked whether it is common to develop a rash after a year on
Bactrim. I suspect the answer is, It may not be common but it is certainly
not unheard of.

As for the desensitization routine, the answer is a resounding Yes, there
is such a routine, and in most ccases it works like a charm. I beliewve
Dr. Marcus Conant in San Francisco developed the routine which involves
taking tiny doses of Bactrim every six hours, each dose getting slightly
more concentrated, til after three or four days you are taking the full
double-strength pill.

I got a maculopapular (I think that is the term, or something like it)
rash when I first started Bactrim. After my first bout with PCP (and the
only one, thank heavens) my docs put me through the desensitization
routine. I have been taking Bactrim for about nine months now with no
problems.

Try having your doc call Dr. Marcus Conant in San Francisco. He can
probably fax the protocol.

Gary

--
"This is a novel which should not be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." -- Dorothy Parker

[d_ha...@ix.netcom.com]

sly...@ix.netcom.com (Susan L. Young ) wrote:

>Is there a protocol to desensitize someone who is allergic to Bactrim
>(septra; tmp/smx) and who needs bactrim for life-threatening PCP.

Hate to say I tried the desenstization protocal. It was expensive and
ineffective.

[Karl Habermas]

The question was asked:

> Is there a protocol to desensitize someone who is allergic to Bactrim
> (septra; tmp/smx) and who needs bactrim for life-threatening PCP.

Cortech, a Denver-based biotech. company, in conjunction with the NIH, is
conducting early (Phase I) clinical trials with Sulfasim, described as "an
antigen-specific immunomodulator for the treatment or prevention of
sulfamethoxazole allergy in AIDS patients." The IND was filed in March of
this year and safety studies began around May.

However, Cortech has suffered some recent setbacks, and has stated that
"further development of this compound will likely be dependent upon
securing additional funding" [such as a big drug company partner].

I'm not aware of anyone else working on the problem, although La Jolla
Pharmaceuticals is using a somewhat similar approach to treat SLE.

Karl Habermas