I've used it. It definitely dried your skin out and makes it red and itchy.
Weirdly I can use it on large areas on my jaw with no irritation at all, but a tiny amount on other areas is really painful.
My doctor suggested just applying it sparingly at first and even washing it off after a couple of hours.
I try to just use really smll amounts on the areas necessary and try and keep it localised if it's an area that goes red.
Even saying all this, it does work. The antibiotic in it helps the general problem.
(I moved house so had to move doctors and my new doctor won't give it to me even though I had my old prescription. Really annoying! He reckons my skin looks fine, but that's because it takes ages to get an appointment and girls are good at makeup! I can't predict when my face will be a disaster and preemptively make an appointment!!)
I would persevere, but sparingly. My old doctor said it can take 6-8 weeks to get used to it and for you to see an improvement.If you're really concerned though, you can always go back and ask for a different treament, or just to have a general discussion about treatments.
Hope you find something that works for you