Metronidazole please help panicking!!

[emilylouisex1]

I've now decided to stop the anti biotics I think I'm allergic, I've come out in a rash and I feel a strong need to vomit but can't! My stomach also feels like it's burning and churning, is this normal? I'm really worried I'm trying to get the vomit out but I'm just gagging nothing is coming out but feels like it wants to! Sorry if this sounds irrational, I know you are not supposed to drink alcohol on these but I didn't realise mouthwash was out of bounds I thought it was just drink! I took listerine last night as normal and I'm worried this has now caused this reaction! Sorry I'm just really panicking

I also have emetophobia and it's triggering me badly, I can't even sleep because I keep feeling like I'm going to vomit, my whole stomach is literally burning

I'm allergic to metronidazole and get covered in an itchy rash - it's horrible, hope it calms down soon. Do you have any antihistamines? That'll help with the rash. I'd stop taking the metronidazole and contact 111/GP depending on how bad you feel.

Most antibiotics cause nausea and upset stomachs, normal side effect and not an allergy. The rash would be more concerning in terms of allergic response. Please seek medical advice, people cannot diagnose you on mumsnet, but your anxiety due to the emetophobia could be contributing heavily to your symptoms.

Oh please don't say that😩 I was hoping I would get comments saying it's normal to feel this way, would the mouthwash affect me today if it was last night? It's only literally the past hour that this has happened, I have been fine since! Minus feeling a bit off here and there

I'm a known sufferer of anxiety so I don't want to bother a doctor if it's normal, the rash is only tiny on my neck a bit like hives

For some people metronidazole blocks the way their body metabolises alcohol so even a small quantity of alcohol can make you feel awful (think really bad hangover, nausea, headache etc).... Not everyone is affected to such an extreme degree, but as there's no easy way of predicting who will react really badly, everyone is advised not to have any alcohol at all while on it and for 48 hours after. You'd expect to experience this soon after having alcohol, not the next day, so the mouthwash is unlikely to be the cause.

Even without this interaction with alcohol it can still cause mild rashes or stomach upsets and nausea in many people who take it. Taking it with food or a snack can help to reduce the nausea. A mild rash and nausea doesn't mean you are allergic though.

I’ve had health anxiety and it sounds very much like it. If it were a Listerine issue you’d have had the symptoms last night. Anxiety can make you very nauseous.

Feel for you, anxiety is awful, it did get better for me though. Age helped.

Thank you. So is it normal to feel really awful stomach wise? My stomach just feels like it's churning and burning like I have acid! I'm going to stop the anti biotic anyway because I have the tiniest little hivey rash on my neck but wow I've never felt so disgusting

Thank you, I have generalised anxiety disorder and depression due to personal issues in my life currently, I'm very on edge and scared all the time and anything medical related really really scares me, when I don't feel well it scares me aswell so I know I probably come across very irrational but I'm just scared lol

Pop to the pharmacist tomorrow and show them the rash.

Definitely do not take metronidazole if you have had alcohol! Am not suggesting you have ,but it can make you very unwell. !!

I know I was told this, but last night I used listerine mouthwash and thought it was just drink, so now I'm overthinking that I'm like this because of the mouthwash, I feel so unwell

I'm genuinely worried to sleep incase I throw up in my sleep🫣😩

I assume you didn't swallow the listerine? Have you checked it even contains alcohol, because many nowadays don't! I've had metronidazole years ago and it made me feel nauseous and gave me a metallic taste in the mouth. Common side effect rather than an allergy though. IF the mouthwash does contain alcohol, just dont use it, or buy an alcohol free one when on the meds. I agree with showing the rash the pharmacist and taking it from there. It sounds far more like anxiety, but we cant see the rash, know how you feel etc.

Have you eaten? Make sure you eat something from calm your stomach. It’ll probably give you diarrhoea. You can get probiotics to counter the effects or get some love yoghurt. I would strongly advise you to keep taking it-you don’t get prescribed it unless you have a horrible bacterial infection which is far
more likely to make you ill!!

If it was going to react with the alcohol in mouthwash and make you vomit it would have done so within hours, not a day later.

I get that awful feeling in my stomach, which you have described very eloquently, with some antibiotics.
For me it wasn’t an allergy. Just the antibiotic irritating my stomach lining, my GP advised me to continue with the antibiotic each time.
I find it helps if I don’t let my stomach get too empty. I eat little and often and drink lots of water.
I would avoid any acidic food or drink too.
I do sympathise with you. It’s an awful feeling and no wonder you feel panicky.
Do check with your GP though.
I hope it resolves soon for you.

Hang in there OP, it will be alright. Sending you a hand-hold, as I know myself about what anxiety around these issues can be like.
Forget about the Listerine - as others have said, if that was going to affect you it would have done so last night.
It could indeed be a normal reaction to the antibiotic which some people have, but this is still normal, albeit unpleasant. It will pass though. Drink water if you can. And, I know it is what people always say ( but it really helps me), try deep breathing. Breathe SLOWLY in through your nose and out through your mouth. It will really help the anxiety. Hope you feel better soon

I was recently on Metronidazole. It's really really important to take each dose with a massive glass of water (I had a pint with every dose). I also took it after eating to reduce the stomach effects. I literally had no side effects at all or stomach/gut issues. I also drank Kefir and took probiotics in between doses and for a while afterwards. Obviously everyone reacts differently, but I have a sensitive stomach and have had gastritis before and had many years of IBS so I am ultra cautious!

The rash could be a side effect or could be a sign of allergy so you definitely need to get this checked out. Give 111 a call. I developed a rash one Christmas from amoxycillin and they sent me for an out of hours appt, and they reviewed the rash and gave me a different set of antibiotics. I have never found pharmacists very good with rashes/skin issues, and as it could be an allergy, you should call 111.

Unless you actually drank the mouthwash, I very much doubt it's that. You'd need to actually consume the alcohol to have a reaction.

On metronidazole at the moment. Horrible stomach symptoms which will go once I have finished the course which I need to do to sort out my original problem.
Perfectly normal side effect of strong antibiotics.