Sulfatrim is available as an oral suspension (liquid), an ideal dosage form for children.
Brand-name Sulfatrim is manufactured by Actavis US. Generic versions are made by various different manufacturers.
Sulfatrim contains two different antibiotics, sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim (hence the name Sulfatrim). These two antibiotics work in different but similar ways. Combining sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim increases the effectiveness of the drugs and decreases the chance of antibiotic resistance (the development of bacteria with the ability to resist antibiotics).
Trimethoprim does not belong to a specific class of medications. Sulfamethoxazole belongs to a group of drugs known as sulfonamides ("sulfa" drugs). Essentially, both sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim work by inhibiting the production of
folic acid in bacteria, although they work in different stages of folic acid production. Folic acid is important for making proteins and DNA. Because humans obtain folic acid from the diet (and bacteria cannot), human cells are less affected by Sulfatrim.
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