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What Do My Lab Test Reports Indicate?
Question: My mother is 99 years old. She had a syncope (not the first time) and was taken to Lenox Hill Sunday around 5:30 pm. After several tests, every test came back negatif (blood work, scan, etc.) The urine test showed UTI and she was prescribed Bactrim. The pharmacist gave smz tmp ds 800 160 mg. My mom takes Diovan 320, carlevilol, alendronate once a week. Should I give her the smz although the hospital typed Bactrim?
Thank you for your answer.
Thank you for your answer.
Brief Answer:
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX
Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (abbreviated TMP/SMX or SMX/TMP) is the generic name for the brand name antibiotics Bactrim or Septra. I am not familiar with it being abbreviated SMZ/TMP, but I suppose that would be a possible alternative abbreviation. You can call the pharmacist that filled it to confirm whether that is the case.
DS stands for "double strength". The dose you wrote (800/160) is the double strength form of Bactrim and should only be filled as double strength if the doctor had written "Bactrim DS" and not just "Bactrim". Again, have the pharmacist confirm which of those 2 possibilities the doctor prescribed.
Bactrim or Bactrim DS are sulfa based antibiotics.
Unless the doctor specifically wrote "brand name only", or you specificially ask for brand name, most pharmacies nowadays will fill the prescription with a generic form if it is available.
So do ask the pharmacist:
1. Is he/she sure it was supposed to be Bactrim DS and not single strength Bactrim?
2. What does the "SMZ" stand for. If he says sulfamethoxazole, then it is the generic for Bactrim.
I hope this information helps and your mom is feeling better soon.
Information
Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXXXXX
Trimethoprim sulfamethoxazole (abbreviated TMP/SMX or SMX/TMP) is the generic name for the brand name antibiotics Bactrim or Septra. I am not familiar with it being abbreviated SMZ/TMP, but I suppose that would be a possible alternative abbreviation. You can call the pharmacist that filled it to confirm whether that is the case.
DS stands for "double strength". The dose you wrote (800/160) is the double strength form of Bactrim and should only be filled as double strength if the doctor had written "Bactrim DS" and not just "Bactrim". Again, have the pharmacist confirm which of those 2 possibilities the doctor prescribed.
Bactrim or Bactrim DS are sulfa based antibiotics.
Unless the doctor specifically wrote "brand name only", or you specificially ask for brand name, most pharmacies nowadays will fill the prescription with a generic form if it is available.
So do ask the pharmacist:
1. Is he/she sure it was supposed to be Bactrim DS and not single strength Bactrim?
2. What does the "SMZ" stand for. If he says sulfamethoxazole, then it is the generic for Bactrim.
I hope this information helps and your mom is feeling better soon.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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