Bactrim/Septra : (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) Oral Antibiotic

I have been on Bactrim for about 5 years now. I am male, healthy, and 23 years old now. I've been struggling with nodular cystic acne since I was a young teen (12-13 years old), I had it all over my chest, shoulders, face, and neck. Currently I am a graduate student, so that will speak to my intelligence. Here is my take- everyone is different. Personally I tried every single antibiotic and topical out there to tame my acne. Nothing worked including acutane. Ever since I've been on Bactrim my acne has been mitigated. Bactrim never 'cured' my acne, but I do strongly believe it drastically mitigates cystic acne. I still have acne, but am concerned about the health effects of staying on it for more years. Now since my acne is minimal I think I will start weaning myself off before I develop some type of allergy. I have tried every topical, Zianna, Epiduo, Benzo-creams. The best thing that works for me is Clindomyicin phospate gel. My skin always looks clearer in the morning after applying before bed. Recently I switched to a top dermatologist in Philly, he used to teach dermatology at the University of Penn. He recommended I start washing my face with HIBICLENSE. This can be bought at a CVS or grocery store over the counter (it is a red liquid). Surgeons use it to wash their hands before operating to kill the bacteria. Now I apply it on my face twice a day while in the shower. I let it sit on my skin for about 30 seconds and then rinse it off. Then I use a neutrogena benzo face wash (no exfoliator beads) after (also good for killing bacteria). I let that sit for about a minute and wash that off. This is the best regimen I came up with after 10 years of combating acne. Meanwhile I still take Bactrim DS twice daily. I also spot treat with a pink sulfur medicine i buy online (nothing works better). Since my skin is looking a lot better now, I will try to wean off the pills, and keep doing my shower regimine, and use clyndomyicin gel at night. Nothing is worth the risk of developing an allergy to this Bactrim I've come to realize from reading so many reviews. Use with caution.

I still get a pimple or two but not as frequently and this stuff has really made my skin softer. It took about a month to really kick in though, so stay patient.

If you are willing to get a dermatologist's prescription and are not allergic, Septra works AMAZINGLY well. My only disappointment with it is that, like other oral antibiotics, it eventually became ineffective. Septra offered 1 great year of relief from whiteheads, blackheads, and mild cystic acne. A pharmacy at a local grocery store chain (Schnucks) also offers FREE oral antibiotics, so I never paid a dime for my Septra. Extra bonus! There may be similar offers at other pharmacies... shop around before you drop off your script!

Still sick from the side effects. Quit taking medicine 3 weeks ago.

I only took this for 3 months but it did a decent job while I took it. I had horribly, huge cysts (half dollar size) and this helped with all the infection. All my cysts went down in size. Even more awesome, I didn't get yeast infections while on this. I still ended up on Accutane but this helped out a lot while I waited to get on Accutane.

My acne was fairly severe although it could have been worse. The first drug I tried was Doxycycline and it worked for a little while (not quickly) but then it just stopped working. I have tried most OTC acne creams and also prescription ones....NONE of them worked. I got on birth control to try and help with my skin...it doesn't. I started taking Bactrim in March of this year and was extremely nervous because of the extensive research and some of the very scary and real side effects that come along with this drug. I did hours of research and poured over this site and the reviews over and over to try and make my decision. I decided to try it and see what happened. Well, I was very careful about knowing what the side effects were and watching my body to make sure I didn't have any symptoms. I recommend doing this in case some of the more serious side effects (Steven-johnsons syndrome) happens. It is important to get the blood tests necessary to determine whether it is safe for you to take this medicine. I would say that people should try this drug as a last resort only because of the potential life treatening side effects that people who are alergic to sulfides may experience. It DOES work but your health should be a first priority over the apprearance of your skin.

I would recommend this for sure. However, this is a sulfa drug-- something that people are allergic to. I have a feeling that a lot of the negative reviews here are from people that didn't realize that they were allergic to sulfa medication.

Bactrim works very well, better than Doxy or Minocycline, took Doxy for 4 months and I became resistant to it, broke out like a teenager.. Trying Bactrim as the last stop, will NOT take Accutane, took it 20 years ago, worked like a miracle but very harsh side effects and long term illness, Accutane is a God send but prepare for health issue's later in life, SERIOUS health issues. Bactrim has done a terrific job clearing up my acne and cystic acne, but will only take at short term increments. Good luck everyone, I know how frustrating acne is, I am a 44 year old female who has been batteling Cystic acne since I was 16.

I have only been on it for about two weeks, but noticed better skin clairty and almost no new breakouts. will update again in another two weeks. so far nothing to0 odd to report as far as side effects. I have felt a bit tired lately and the last few days have felt sick. Also, last night at 2am a priest knocked at my door and asked if I believe in the devil..ok, that last part is not true.. Dunno if I can attribute any of this to Bactrim...will see. so far, so good.

I have struggled with moderate/severe cystic acne off and on since I was 12 (I'm now a 31 y.o. female). A few years ago I started Bactrim. It completely cleared my skin within 3 months. I enjoyed continued clear skin as long as I took it - about 2 years. I stopped taking it about 6 months ago because I would like to become pregnant, after which the acne returned. If you take this drug, please also take a probiotic as it can cause damage to your gut, especially over long-term use. I'm currently seeing a naturopath to restore my gut flora to a healthy state and hopefully heal my skin naturally. Gut imbalances can cause/worsen acne, so be careful.