Bactrim/Septra : (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) Oral Antibiotic

Just wanted to give a review on Bactrim because I have a love/hate relationship with it. About 7 years ago I had a mild-moderate winter outbreak and after dealing with it for a few months my dermatologist put me on Bactrim. It cleared up my skin so quickly, like a week or two, and I took it for about 7 months until it slowly stopped working. I didn't break out horribly I just stopped taking it and my skin broke out mildly, in fact I don't even really remember it being a big deal. Fast forward to 2013 and I took Bactrim again for a month prior to Accutane, only for a month and it nearly cleared up my horrible, HORRIBLE acne, fast. Unfortunately this winter I had another mild winter outbreak, like 5-10 active small pimples at a time but very persistent. I went to my dermatologist and started up Bactrim, within only a few hours I felt awful, painful anxiety and truly felt like my heart might explode. At first I thought it was all in my head, because me derm warned me that this drug could kill me (she wasn't very sensitive about it, but was just being honest). I wasn't making it up in my head. It was truly the worst anxiety I could have every even imagined. I felt like I was going insane and it was only after two pills. I called my Derm and she said to quit immediately. About 36 hours after my last pill I feel so much better, but am so heartbroken because this pill really does help heal acne FAST. So if you are going on it or thinking of going on it know it's very effective but please just be aware and cautious when starting it, it was actually pretty scary.... I would rather have mild acne than ever feel that way again.

I was really excited to try this drug because from what I read it seemed like it's very effective when it comes to clearing up skin. For years I've tried every topical prescription available plus every other antibiotic. This was the last drug my derm was going to prescribe before moving onto Accutane if necessary. I started seeing results after just a few days of taking Bactrim, however unfortunately I developed an allergic reaction after a couple weeks: rash, extreme muscle/joint pain, trouble breathing, etc. While this drug is totally not agreeable with me, I'd still recommend it to others despite the harm it can cause to your body. Just be alert ' if you start developing any signs of an allergy, stop before it gets worse! It can do some scary stuff.

It's a good acne medication, but i think they're is better out there. Maybe it's just my skin type though. Good luck to everyone else using it though! Acne blows! lol

Took Doryx for face acne for several months with moderate success, but then it stopped working. Dermatologist switched me to Bactrim. Saw results after around week 2 and face became much clearer. But after week 3, I developed flu symptoms -- fatigue, aches, nausea, chills, fever, loss of appetite. A few days later the fever and chills went away but my urine was unusually dark. Finally realized it might not be the flu, but a reaction to Bactrim. Stopped taking it and contacted my dermatologist and primary care physician. Blood work shows abnormal readings about my liver, but hopefully I'm on the mend. I've never been allergic to an antibiotic before, but also never taken one for so long. Bottom line: Bactrim works fine for some people, but pay close attention to the possible side effects and notify your doctor right away if you have them -- don't take chances that what you think is just a flu is really your liver telling you to stop!

After about a week and a half, this made me break out in hives over my entire body and it gave me a fever. After two days of not taking it, the hives started to go away. And now that I'm off of it, I'm breaking out worse than before. I've also heard that it can cause life-threatening allergic reactions, so pay attention to side effects!

ive been on this for over 6 months, cleared me up a little then i stopped taking it for like a week and broke out again, now i make sure not to miss any and its starting to work again, still went through 8 months of hell while everyone else worked immediatly, happy to have a semi decent face again

It's a wonderful product, if you aren't allergic.

I got horrendous cystic acne on one cheek when I was seventeen. I tried nearly every topical treatment under the sun and saw no progress. I was first prescribed doxy, but it gave me really bad GI side effects so I quit that after only a week or two. I got a dermatologist and was prescribed Bactrim. After about a month, it was working spectacularly. My acne was all but gone (mild breakouts with one to two pimples) and the scarring was starting to fade. I stayed on Bactrim, lowering the dosage from two pills daily to one. I felt great about myself and my appearance. However, fast forward six months. My acne started coming back, slowly but surely. Eventually, my cheek was back to being covered with acne (just in time for college, of course), despite the fact that I had started taking two pills again. My derm then prescribed me Solodyn, which did not work AT ALL. I went back to Bactrim and saw a little improvement. I went to my primary to get birth control, thinking that it may be hormonal. I should have researched BC more, I think, because I was prescribed the mini-pill due to my family's history of breast cancer. However, I was not informed that the mini-pill actually CAUSES acne. I started breaking out way more on my jawline and the opposite cheek. Now, after two months on the mini-pill, my right cheek (the initial one) is completely clear except for scarring, but I have four or five cysts on my left cheek. I'm going back to my primary to try and get on a real BC pill, despite the risk because my periods are irregular as well, leading me to believe that I might have some sort of estrogen deficiency or androgen surplus. My derm keeps pushing accutane, but I'm a collegiate athlete and can't afford the joint pain and muscle weakening that are common side effects of the drug (not to mention that my mother is not supportive of it in the slightest). So, yeah. I'm still taking Bactrim, but I still have moderate acne. tl;dr Bactrim is an antibiotic. Eventually, the bacteria will develop an immunity to the drug and it will stop working as well. Keep that in mind. That said, nothing else I've taken has worked as well for as long.

Very affordable, very strong, but it may take awhile to work and you may get worse before you get better, i still have yet to be better but we'll hope

It worked really well when i started using it. Clear up my skin. Now that I"m not using it, breaking out all over again...