What activities should be avoided w/low White blood count?

Question

My 16 y/o son took Sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) for acne which apparently caused his WBC to plunge to 3.5. He's on wrestling team. Can he continue wrestling & practices? How soon should his WBC count increase? What can he do to help the numbers increase?

Answer 1

Because WBCs are primarily involved in fighting infection he should avoid large crowds, anyone with a known infectious disease (cold/flu), wear a mask when outside, and yes, possibly not being involved with wrestling as this would include close contact with others who might be infectious. Talk to your doctor about increasing his WBCs, there are some medications that help with increasing WBCs.
Happy NEW YEAR!

Answer 2

Your son is extremely vulnerable to bacterial infections at this time. He should avoid most other people (crowds, malls, stores, etc.) especially with the count being that low. He might not show normal signs of infection such as: Redness, Swelling, Cough, Nasal drainage (from a sinus or respiratory infection), so it is very important to take into consideration any changes in the way he feels. As for wrestling, I would highly suggest taking him out for a while, no matter how much he might not want to miss out. You should explain the risks to him.

To make things easier, anyone in contact with him should wash their hands before being around him; and you should contact your doctor if he presents a fever over 101, sores in his mouth, white coating on the tongue, or signs of a bladder infection. If you contact your doctor about treating this, certain antiobiotics or antimicrobials can take care of it usually. Just take precautions and he will be kicking butt in the ring before long!

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Answer 3

You need to talk to the doctor about increasing his white count. There is no do-it-yourself remedy.

In the meantime, he needs to avoid contact with sick people because his body lacks the defenses to fight infection. He should us hand sanitizer often and wash his hands often. Avoid touching the face, nose, eyes, ears after touching things in public. Each body makes blood cells at different rates. There is no way to tell when his white count will return to normal.

Here are excerpts from the site below.
GENERIC NAME: sulfamethoxazole
BRAND NAME: Gantanol
DRUG CLASS AND MECHANISM: Sulfamethoxazole is an anti- bacterial sulfonamide. It prevents the formation of dihydrofolic acid, a compound that bacteria must be able to make in order to survive. Although it was once a very useful antibiotic, it is almost obsolete as a single agent today due to the development of bacterial resistance to its effects. Sulfamethoxazole is now used primarily in combination with trimethoprim, a combination product known as Bactrim or Septra. Sulfamethoxazole was approved by the FDA in 1961.

PRESCRIBED FOR: Sulfamethoxazole is used for the treatment of malaria (in combination with quinine sulfate and pyrimethamine), conjunctivitis (inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye) due to chlamydia, toxoplasmosis (in combination with pyrimethamine), and urinary tract infections (UTI).

SIDE EFFECTS: Sulfamethoxazole may cause dizziness, headache, lethargy, diarrhea, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, and rash. Sulfamethoxazole should be stopped at the first appearance of a skin rash since the rash may become severe. Serious rashes include Stevens-Johnson syndrome (aching joints and muscles; redness, blistering, and peeling of the skin); toxic epidermal necrolysis (difficulty in swallowing; peeling, redness, loosening, and blistering of the skin). Sulfamethoxazole therapy also can cause extensive sunburn, following exposure to sunlight. Patients receiving sulfamethoxazole should avoid excessive exposure to sunlight and should wear sunscreen.

Other rare side effects include liver damage, low white blood cell count, low platelet count, and anemia.

Sulfamethoxazole may form crystals in the urine which may damage the kidney and cause bleeding into the urine. It is important to drink additional liquids during sulfonamide therapy to prevent these side effects.