Bactrim/Septra : (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) Oral Antibiotic

I was amazed at how quickly it worked when I initially started taking it in September 2010. I noticed the difference immediately, and within only 3 days most of my acne was going down. Within 2-3 weeks; however, i developed an allergic reaction to it. It started with headaches and fever, muscle pain. Then I developed a rash that started on my back and spread onto my arms and abdomen. It also became itchy. I discontinued taking it. The improved skin cindition continued for some months, I noticed I would only mildly break out just before my period. This is still the case. Most of the time now, my skin is clear. As the acne scars are fading, I find I don't need to wear make-up daily to cover up anymore. Although GP's tell you to take it until finished, I have now been taking it only for "spot treatments". Although it doesn't work as effectively as the initial impressive result, it does work for me (I take it for 3-4 days only) and I have not experienced any side effects. PS I have been battling adult acne for many years and it was usually moderately severe.

I began getting acne in high school and saw my dr. who prescribed me an oral medicine (can't remember what it was- minocycline maybe?) which only worked for a short time before the acne returned. Eventually he prescribed me Bactrim, which completely cleared all of my acne. I took it for 3-4 years with absolutely no side effects and seriously never got pimples, not even before my period. I started with 2 pills a day & then 1 a day with same results. I forgot I even had an acne problem. At the age of 21 my prescription ran out & I never got it refilled thinking that since I was no longer a teenager & hadn't gotten a pimple in so long that I had probably outgrown my acne. WRONG! About a month after stopping Bactrim my acne came back worse than ever. I visited a derm. and asked to be put back on Bactrim. I must have built up a tolerance to it because it took a few months to start working & even then it didn't work nearly as well as it had before. I would be clear for a week or two, then break out again. My derm then switched me to doxycycline which did not work very well & gave me horrible side effects including extreme sensitivity to sun (bright red hands & nose after being in sun for only a short time even with sunscreen!), yeast infections & nausea (It was guaranteed I would throw up if I didn't take the pill with food). Since I was only clear on the doxy for about two weeks total then continued to break out she switched me to the brand name Solodyn. This worked a little better but also gave me the yeast infections & never gave me complete clearing. Because my skin would be clear for a week or two then break out again my derm thinks my acne might be hormonal, & has prescribed me Spironolactone for hormonal acne. I am really hoping it works as it is my last option before Accutane... The only reason I am rating this medicine as a 4 and not a 5 is because it's not a long term solution, & your acne comes back just as bad if not worse once you stop t

Bactrim is a really great medication for acne. My dermatologist prescribed it to me feeling confident that it would help me out. It did. It took a little while to kick in, but it has improved my acne tremendously.

I expressed my dissatisfaction with using topicals for my skin & let the dermatologist know that I was also too afraid to take the leap in going on accutane. In discussing options, I was prescribed Septra, since it helps stop oil production & my skin was very oily. It took about two weeks to kick in but once it did, during my third month I was completely satisfied. Because the reviews here said that my breakouts would come back after I stopped taking this, I told the Derm I wanted to continue past Three months & did, surpassings Six months. Totaling to over a year in use. My breakouts came back due to another issue regarding Sunscreen, but I suggest this to any one suffering from breakouts. Of course, consult your dermatologist & make sure they understand your concerns.

IT WORKS WONDERS. It may not clear the small little pimples, but those are the least of my problems but it does keep them at bay. I don't get very many of those anymore. It takes care of the half dollar sized cysts that would take over my chin and cheeks for months at a time. I have a very old school Dermotologist and he is the first person to take me off the "childish" treatments other dermotologist had always put me on to treat my acne (which is no longer teenage acne). I have a feeling I am a lifer on the meds tho. (I don't mind as long as they don't cause life long problems)

I have tried every cream, birth control pill and antibiotic, and so far this has been working the best for me. The only things I haven't tried are spernolactone and accutane. If the stomach problems continue, I may try an androgen blocking drug such as spernolactone before dealing with gas and constant bathroom breaks.

I have had acne to varying degrees since I was about 13. I have tried everything, including accutane (which, for the record, did not really clear my skin, but the doc said it would sort of "re-sensitize it" so that things that previously didn't work may work after taking it). Once I finished the accutane, my doc put me back on low dose Bactrim. I told her we were wasting time because we tried it when I was younger and it didn't work. I was wrong. My skin was perfect in a week, and I was able to keep it that way by taking the Bactrim just once every other day!

Bactrim worked great for me the first couple of times I took it for acne. It cleared my skin relatively quickly during the first two courses (about 10-14 days), but the third course was a complete failure and may have actually exacerbated my acne. Prior to the third course of Bactrim, I had never experienced any known allergic reactions to the drug. However, the third time I took it, about three weeks in, I developed a rash on my chest and behind my ears. I stopped it that day and never went back on the drug. The rash lingered for a couple of days, disappeared and then reappeared for a few days a couple of weeks later (likely because the Bactrim was still in my system). Meanwhile, my acne began noticeably improving (it seemed to only be getting worse while I was taking the Bactrim) and is nearly erradicated as I write this. (No, I do not believe Bactrim was the cause of my acne, but I do think it may have made it worse due to my apparent allergy to the drug). I attribute these signs of allergy to Bactrim because there was no other change in my lifestyle at the time and, indeed, the rash appeared right after I took the Bactrim and long before I had anything to eat that day. There really is no other explanation and rashes are apparently a common side effect of Bactrim (presumably b/c a lot of people are allergic to it). Overall, I think Bactrim is a great drug to take for a short term solution to your acne woes, but I would not say it is a permanent fix given its potential to lose its efficacy and the chance that you may develop an allergy to it over time. Also, long-term use of antibiotics appears to be damaging to the liver and may affect your ability to fight off future infections. I have been told by multiple pharmacists and doctors that Bactrim is one of the antibiotics you particularly do not want to become immune to given that is is used to treat so many different infections (all of which likely pose a greater risk to your health than acne).

Yes, Bactrim worked, very well. However, when choosing to take this antibiotic, realize: 1. You can't be on it forever, it can take a toll on your liver. 2. You CAN build a resistance to it. 3. There is a lot of stress involved with taking this pill for fear of the dreaded allergic reaction. I spent the first 2 weeks on this medicine thinking that every little itch, every cough, every sign of anything meant that I was having an allergic reaction. I was dreadfully nervous that I was going to break out in a horrible rash with flu symptoms, and quite possibly end up with "Steven Johnsons Syndrome." This worsened when I got the stomach flu on my 12th day in, and had all the symptoms associated with an allergic reaction. I was terrified, but in the end, it had nothing to do with the pill. Coincidence is a damn thing. All I'm saying is, be smart. If you do choose to take this, monitor yourself. If you really start seeing tell tale signs of the allergic reaction, don't just up and quit right away. First call your dermatologist, see what he/she says, THEN decide whether or not to get off of it. You can self diagnose. Use the internet. Bottom line, if you stick with it and after 2 weeks, don't have any signs of reaction, you're going to have great skin. This worked better than anything has in the past for me, and it made me look great for prom! Good Luck! Hope it works for you readers like it worked for me.

See if benzol peroxide works for you better trying anti-biotics, because anti-biotics can effect your overall health in ways other than getting rid of acne. I would only try anti-biotics if you have persistent acne which you cannot control. An anti-biotic can clear you up, but you must maintain your skin with other methods after you cycle off the drug, or you'll just break out all over again.