Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: SULFAMETHOPRIM versus SULFATRIM.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: SULFAMETHOPRIM versus SULFATRIM.
SULFAMETHOPRIM vs SULFATRIM
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Sulfamethoprim is a combination of sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim. Sulfamethoxazole inhibits bacterial dihydropteroate synthase, blocking folic acid synthesis; trimethoprim inhibits bacterial dihydrofolate reductase, also blocking folic acid synthesis. This sequential blockade produces bactericidal effects.
Sulfatrim is a combination of sulfamethoxazole, a dihydropteroate synthase inhibitor that blocks folate synthesis, and trimethoprim, a dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor that blocks reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate, resulting in sequential inhibition of bacterial folate metabolism.
Oral or intravenous: 800 mg sulfamethoxazole / 160 mg trimethoprim every 12 hours.
160 mg trimethoprim / 800 mg sulfamethoxazole (1 DS tablet) orally every 12 hours for 10-14 days.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life: 8-12 hours in adults with normal renal function. Prolonged in renal impairment (up to 24-48 hours).
Sulfamethoxazole: 9-11 hours (prolonged in renal impairment, e.g., up to 30 hours in severe renal failure). Trimethoprim: 8-10 hours (prolonged in hepatic impairment).
Renal: 60-80% as unchanged drug via glomerular filtration and tubular secretion; biliary: 5-10%; fecal: <5%.
Renal (70-80% as unchanged sulfamethoxazole and N4-acetylated metabolite; 30-40% as unchanged trimethoprim), biliary/fecal (20-30% sulfamethoxazole; 10-20% trimethoprim)
Category C
Category C
Sulfonamide Antibiotic
Sulfonamide Antibiotic