Bactrim/Septra : (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) Oral Antibiotic

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!

I am a 22-year-old female and my moderate cystic acne cleared completely within a month of taking this drug. I have been on Bactrim for several months now and have not had a single pimple since I first cleared up. My skin looks beautiful (this is likely also due to the vitamin C,E and zinc I take, daily) and I have even received a few compliments on it from complete strangers. As wonderfully as this drug has worked for my acne, I am discontinuing it due to the damaging effect it can have on one's liver and kidneys over time. I started spironolactone (a hormonal treatment) about a month into Bactrim and plan to continue it with the hope that it will suffice to ward off future breakouts. It is my understanding that spironolactone is much safer for long-term use than oral antibiotics and can be very effective for women whose acne is due to an excess of androgens (male hormones) in the body.

I really give it a 4.5/5, but that wasn't an option. I have taken Bactrim before years ago and it did work, but because of my fear of needles I quit after the first blood drawing for lab testing. I'll start by saying I rated my acne before starting Bactim as maybe a 6/10 on my face, and 7/10 on my back, this is me already on the regimen for several years. I started taking Bactrim again about 2 months ago and within 3 weeks 80% of my facial acne had cleared, along with 60% of my back acne (which was more of a reason I started taking it again). Now 2 months in I would say my face is 95% cleared up with maybe a single pimple every week or two popping up, but they only last a short time compared to before. The body acne has reduced further to maybe 80% clear, with only a few really deep and hard to treat cystic bumps remaining. The new bumps on my back that do appear, which is rarely, go away within a week or two compared to maybe months before, and they are less severe. The only thing I really have left now is to worry about how to clear up scars and reduce redness left behind with the scars. My face is still prone to look red and bumpy when I sweat, but they are just scars or damage left behind from years of acne. Same goes for my back, lots of large cystic bumps have left some pretty deep and red looking spots. I think time will heal these. It also doesn't help that I'm pretty pale and need to get out in the sun more. Night shift work doesn't help that. So Bactrim for me worked very well where topical treatments failed me for years. I do still use the benzoyl peroxide and moisturizer regimen, but it never had complete success, it only lessened the severity. the two working together however seems to be very effective. Considering the cost and very minimal side effects, I would highly recommend seeing a dermatologist and seeing what they say about this antibiotic for your acne.

Cleared moderate acne almost instantly, was clear for 2 years then I became immune to the antibiotic and it came back twice as bad.. had to resort to accutane which is probably a better decision anyway around $10.00 a month for this, but it was a short time miracle for me-just screwed me in the end.

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.

try it! It works really fast.. its been less than a week and im amazed at the way its drying everything up.

This antibiotic cleared cystic acne that Solodyn could not. Began working after the first week; cleared all zits by the end of week two. Unfortunately, this drug is not ideal for long-term use and I do not plan on taking it more than one or two months. If necessary, I will get on spironolactone after discontinuing this product since it is probably safer for long-term use and will address what I suspect is the underlying issue for my acne--excess androgens. Additionally, I have had a small, localized rash on my stomach for the past week. At the same time that this occurred, I began getting a sore throat, headache and low fever. The doctor said I did not have strep throat, so I am wondering if I had an allergic reaction to the Bactrim. Fortunately, my sore throat went away, but the rash remains...I may not know what is causing it until I stop using Bactrim in a few days.

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 was on this for 3 weeks when i developed a bad rash all over my body. when i stopped taking it i was almost clear though. my acne slowly came back. in about 3 months it was getting pretty bad again. i am now on yaz which is helping, but hasnt cleared me up yet. frustrated. i might start doxycycline soon, but im nervous to start it.

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