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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To not want to take Metronidazole

65 replies

Weathergames · 19/02/2015 14:25

Have been given this by my GP under strict instructions not to drink alcohol (she suggested to start taking if after the weekend) as it can cause you to vomit violently.

Stupidly I have Googled and the side effects do not look good at all Shock

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Can I go back and ask for something else?

OP posts:
Muppetsbitch · 19/02/2015 14:28

I think I had this a few years ago for an abscess . If so, I found it horrible for the first few days, made me feel really woozy and horrible. Nealy gave up on it but just as I was at that point it settled down and I was fine.

Was the only thing that got rid of the access so was worth it inthelongrun.

InfinitySeven · 19/02/2015 14:29

I didn't have any side effects.

I didn't drink on it, either, but I don't think many people do. The vomiting caused by it and alcohol together is infamous.

I wouldn't go back and ask for something else, though. It's a really effective drug. Just save the wine for next weekend instead.

SoupDragon · 19/02/2015 14:29

I imagine that'd you google the possible side effects of lots of antibiotics they are horrendous. The key word is possible though.

I think DS2 had this for cellulitis in his cheek and he had no side effects at all beyond making a huge fuss about the absolutely foul taste. He was only 8 so alcohol wasn't an issue!

Original poster
Weathergames · 19/02/2015 14:30

She said it's the main thing in Antabuse - which is why no alcohol ...,

OP posts:
Dawndonnaagain · 19/02/2015 14:30

Metronidazole is a very good and very effective antibiotic. Why would you want something else? The only reason I can think of not to take it is if you have a problem with alchohol and can't lay off for a few days. It's not just vomiting violently, you can get some grim hallucinations/dreams too.
The side effects list for all drugs is pretty long, but they're also pretty rare. Try googling the side effects of amoxicillin/penicillin v/co-amoxiclav. They too are pretty grim.

RandomNPC · 19/02/2015 14:35

If you googled the potential side effects of any medication, you'd find various horrors.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 19/02/2015 14:36

"Try googling the side effects of amoxicillin/penicillin v/co-amoxiclav. They too are pretty grim."

I was just going to say that! I'm on ABs at the moment, nausea and vomiting are one of the possible side effects. Other potential highlights are live damage and permanent loss of vision. I'm guessing these things are pretty unusual though.

If your GP had prescribed this for you it's because it will cure whatever problem you have. It would be daft not to take it just because you can't have a glass of wine.

VivaLeBeaver · 19/02/2015 14:44

I've taken it. No side effects. I didn't drink while on them.

DustyBedhead · 19/02/2015 14:44

I've been prescribed metronidazole numerous times over the years and never noticed side affects. But you'd be wise to wait 3 clear days after finishing the course before any alcohol. I remember as a 21 yr old finishing the course of Metronidazole and thinking I'd be ok to have a drink but it hadn't even been 24 hrs, oh lordy it was bad, violent vomiting with more and more and more of the same. No booze and its fine.

gatewalker · 19/02/2015 14:47

OP -- Ask your GP about the possibility of being prescribed Tinidazole, which is, I think, a second-tier antibiotic in the same range. I took that because of the same concerns. Still no alcohol allowed, but I had few to no side-effects either.

Original poster
Weathergames · 19/02/2015 14:50

I do not have an issue with alcohol I have an issue with feeling neaseaous/ vomiting at work.....Hmm

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 19/02/2015 14:53

They are only possible side effects.

3littlefrogs · 19/02/2015 14:53

Metronidazole is not a nice drug to take - however, it is a highly specific medication - another antibiotic would probably not work. I am sure your GP would not have prescribed metronidazole specifically if there was an alternative.

Obviously it is your choice - but presumably you have a problem that needs treating.

CavalierQueenCharlotte · 19/02/2015 14:54

It isn't the vomiting that is an issue. When mixed with alcohol it can cause drastic drops in BP. When I was a nurse I remember a women with multiple broken ribs after she collapsed onto a table after two glasses of wine.

Dawndonnaagain · 19/02/2015 14:55

Sorry weather I wasn't trying to have a dig.
To be honest, I'd try it, and if you're unhappy, stop and get it changed. Most antibiotics will list feeling sick as a side effect, but again, it's rare.

3littlefrogs · 19/02/2015 14:56

I had it for a dental abscess.
I felt so ill and was in so much pain that TBH the side effects of the metronidazole were neither here nor there.

CavalierQueenCharlotte · 19/02/2015 14:56

If it says don't drink in big letters it means it. I have it for 3 week courses sometimes for my bowel and haven't ever felt ill but haven't drank.

PeaceOfWildThings · 19/02/2015 15:00

Take a day or two off work (presumably you feel bad enough with whatever you need the ABs for) and do not drink alcohol.

AnyoneforTurps · 19/02/2015 15:02

[GP here] - only a small number of patients get serious vomiting if they mix metronidazole and alcohol. Estimates vary but it is probably less than 2%, possibly much lower. However, when you do get the side-effects from mixing the two, it can be very nasty. Personally I would not take the risk and, as Dusty discovered, you should also wait 48h after finishing the course before having alcohol.

In terms of other side-effects, metronidazole is no more prone to cause them than any other antibiotic. Look up a few more and you'll see! You cannot easily substitute alternative antibiotics as metronidazole works on a particular type of bacteria that most other antibiotics don't kill. Tinidazole is the only real alternative and it has just as many side-effects: good summary here if you're interested.

As to whether you need to take it, it depends on why it has been prescribed. If it's for rosacea or BV, there are topical alternatives (a gel and a pessary respectively), you might prefer. Speak to your pharmacist and get some advice.

ThingummyJigg · 19/02/2015 15:04

Take it with a rich tea biscuit. I've taken it and felt a bit queasy for the first day or two, then I invested in boring biscuits and I was fine after that.

AnyoneforTurps · 19/02/2015 15:07

But would a hob-nob have worked just as well, thingummy? I think we need the first Mumsnet randomised controlled clinical trial.

ThingummyJigg · 19/02/2015 15:22

I really felt I needed the plainest, most boring biscuit for my over-excited innards, something really cardboardy. A hob-nob might be a nob too far.

However should anyone feel up to sacrificing themself for the good of us all, I say go for it. Maybe we could have people sign up for:

Hob-nobs
pink wafers
jammy dodgers
party rings
custard creams*

Depending on how that goes, maybe we could have a second phase in which we test the efficacy of chocolate biscuits in lessening potential side effects of ABs. I for one will volunteer for stuffing my face with chocolate biscuits whilst not on ABs. Just to see what happens like. My hypothesis is total fatness but I'm no scientist.

*other biscuits are available

SorchaN · 19/02/2015 15:23

I'm always given metronidazole for dental things because I can't take penicillin. I've never had any kind of reaction to it. And yes, I've had a few drinks while taking it and didn't have any kind of reaction at all even with alcohol.

Obviously different people react differently, and if you're worried take further advice, but the chances are very good that you'll be absolutely fine, especially if you heed the advice to avoid alcohol.

RandomNPC · 19/02/2015 15:27

Rich tea and ginger biscuits are good for nausea.

SaskiaRembrandtWasFramed · 19/02/2015 15:42

Could we add a garibaldi category to the testing list? I'm totally up for testing those.