the patient is a 74 year old woman who is prescribed to take trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim) for a severe urinary tract infection. The prescription says she is to take 1 tablet every 12 hours for the next 14 days. She tells you that we all take too many drugs and plans to stop taking the drug as soon as the pain and burning on urination goes away.

1) What type of drug is trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and how does it work?

2) Is it okey for her to stop taking the drug as soon as the symptoms are gone? Why or why not?

3) What are the side effects of this drug?

4) What precaution and actions should this patient be taught about this drug?

(any help is well received please and thank you)

Remedy of UTIs. whilst treating clear-cut, acute cystitis within the walking-properly geriatric population, using first-line antibiotics, such as sulfa drugs (sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim) for three days or ampicillin, is enough. No cultures are vital if that is a primary-time event.A 3-day course of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX; Bactrim, Septra) is suggested as an empiric remedy for straightforward urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women, in regions wherein the rate of resistant escherichia coli are much less than 20 percent.Sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim combination is used to treat infections such as urinary tract infections, middle ear infections (otitis media), bronchitis, traveler's diarrhea, and shigellosis (bacillary dysentery).