Question: sorry it's a little long as I need to explain the original issue hope that's ok? 6 years ago I got an attack of cystitis (which I've suffered from or many years on and off) however after approx 15 hours after the attack, I got the worst reaction in my vagina, with severe swelling, intense itching and within a few days, the skin started to peel away and my genitals fused together and blistered. I was in Canada with my husband and I flew home to the UK where I'm from and went to A&E. They said they'd never seen anything like it and tested me for Herpes as they said that was the closest thing they could think of. I was negative and had no further issues until four years ago, when I got the exact same thing, after sex with my husband the cystitis started and the exact same symptoms carried on. I saw a gynaecologist and even he didn't know what it was but said it looked like a severe allergic reaction. Having only had normal sex I couldn't fathom what could've caused it and I have the same again now which started Sunday night and the worst part is I know its at least two and a half weeks before I start to feel better. The question is, I have taken on all occasions, Trimethropin and although the itchiness began just before I took the tablets on one occasion, I don't know if the condition would have gotten so bad or if it's an allergic reaction to the medication. In the UK they gave me Trimethropin on it's own which I think never caused this problem whereas in Canada, both times, they've given me apo sulfatrim ds800/160mg sulfamethoxazole/Trimethropin. The doctor I saw yesterday suggested I take 3 x 50mg of Prednisone to counteract the reaction to my swelling and itching. However, I never took the tablets as frankly I'm a tiny person and having read what an aggressive drug it is and the bad side effects coming off the drug, I chose not to take it especially such a high dose. Apart from having no clue why I get this awful problem, which is the most painful condition I've ever had - what I really need to know is should I continue to take the antibiotics if they're causing this reaction - although it's difficult to say if they have or not but as it says in the contra indications that it could be life threatening to get that kind of skin reaction I'm concerned. By tomorrow morning, I will have had 3 days of antibiotics, would this be enough to come off them for the cystitis? Sorry this took so long, very confused and worried. Also, have a throbbing in my eyes and ears like a pulsing sensation, which may also be a side effect. Also, is there anything I can do to soothe the vagina Thanks so much.