AboutBarbara Judge Expertise Outpatient pharmacy and general health. I have recently completed a Pharmceutical Care Certificate Program offered by Purdue University (Spring 1999 completion). I have personal experience dealing with terminally ill persons and their needs, as well as their families` needs. I graduated in 1984 from Pharmacy School and have been a Licensed Pharmacist since then. I have 18 years retail pharmacy experience. Prior to my pharmacy training I have 3 years hospital experience as a Nurse`s Aide.
Question Good afternoon,Ms. Judge. I just finished taking the antibiotic sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim for 14 days because of a urinary tract infection. On Day 13 of taking this antibiotic, I went to get a blood/urine test and my aspartate transaminase (AST) was elevated (it was 82 U/L). Is it possible this antibiotic caused this elevation? 35 or 37 is the upper limit for the reference range for AST.
Thanks a lot!!
Answer It is possible that sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim could cause an elevation in your AST levels, but this does not usually present itself as the only symptom when this occurs. I would assume your doctor is looking into both your complete liver function as well as your other cardiac enzymes to try to determine why this blood level was out of the normal range. I would contact your doctor to discuss what other tests he/she has planned to help determine the correct diagnosis for your case.
