Generic Name: Flagyl for Bacterial Infection (metronidazole)
"I thought I had COVID, but I was experiencing the effects of taking this Flagyl. Pure nightmare!!!!!!! Don’t take it. Warn everyone, friends, family, strangers. No one should experience this. I feel angry now with my gyno for doing this to me."
"I felt it was important for anyone prescribed Flagyl and looking at possible side effects. I delayed treatment due to reading comments and becoming horrified at the stories of other people's experiences. For me, NOTHING HAPPENED!! I am the most sensitive person when it comes to medications. I had no side effects on this medication except for a slight headache on Day 1. That could also have been attributed to me coming off of sugar and caffeine as well. NO SIDE EFFECTS. All I did was put coconut oil around the pill, threw it to the back of my throat, and washed it down with juice. Problem solved regarding the awful pill taste. I did not touch alcohol. I cut out caffeine and sugar as to not add to any potential anxiety. There could be many reasons others have side effects, including other prescription drug interactions. Please don't get thrown off by other people's horror stories like I did. Just follow directions, eat properly, stay away from alcohol, and get better."
"I have never felt so ill before with these tablets. Heartburn, sickness, can not eat, backache, and feeling like I am going to fall over. I thought I was going to die. I have today asked my doctor to change my tabs. I feel sorry for anyone who takes these tablets."
"If I could give this medication 0 stars, I would. My gyno prescribed me this for bacterial vaginosis. My side effects were horrible... increased anxiety/panic attacks, nausea, horrible taste in my mouth, and I had the most vivid nightmares. I would wake up trembling/shaking out of my sleep, and it took me a few days to realize that it was the Flagyl that was making me feel this way. I will never take this medication again unless I absolutely have no choice. I’m glad I’m not the only one that had a terrible experience on this drug."
"I went to my GYN for my annual pap and tested positive - asymptomatic BV, so prescribed Flagyl. NO ALCOHOL during the course of treatment and up to 3 days after treatment. Take it SERIOUSLY. There should be some kind of warning against drinking anything with alcohol 48 hours PRIOR to taking it. Obviously, you don't want anything with alcohol in it 48 prior to taking it, either. Makes sense, doesn't it? Without ruining the effectiveness, I took a probiotic 1-1/2 - 2 hrs. after taking my 1st dose. I ate a filling meal when I took it (bread, rice, bananas, cheez-its, crackers, 1-2 Probiotic Activia yogurts a day). No nausea, no diarrhea, no stomach cramps, no headaches; NOTHING. I researched the warning about Propylene Glycol & the side effects. I could not find 1 thing to have this chemical in it that I ate. This IS the 1st time I have taken Flagyl and my dose was 500 mg, 2 X a day for 7 days. I hope this review helps someone. I had 100% NO SIDE EFFECTS."
"I have been ill since the start of June this year. Finally received a diagnosis of BV last Thursday. Very concerned about taking this antibiotic after reading about so many bad experiences. Well, I am happy to report that after taking 4 tablets to date, the only side effects I have experienced are a bit of dizziness after taking the tablet and slight stomach cramps, which resolve after about an hour. Hope this feedback offers some reassurance to someone. Oops, almost forgot - I actually feel that I'm starting to get my life back - feel so much better."
"Awful tablets, I was given a 7-day course. I couldn't eat, the taste was horrendous. Drinking water made it worse. I experienced confusion, feeling sick, and feeling genuinely unwell. I would never take it again for stomach bacteria."
"If I could rate this medication a 0, I would. This medication has altered my life and I have experienced a toxic reaction to it. I have experienced neuropathy all over my body, numbness, become bedridden due to weakness, and have had seizure and stroke-like symptoms. Please tell your loved ones to avoid this medication if possible."
"Flagyl was a miracle drug for my SIBO/IBS. The first time I used it 20 years ago I was unexplainably sick/nauseated and losing weight for months, and after a colonoscopy and gallbladder scan, the docs didn’t know what was wrong. One happened to put me on Flagyl, and the next day I was better! I had no problem with this drug at all. I have just recently had the same flare-up for the past 6 weeks, and my doc put me on Flagyl. Within 4 hours, I was feeling better. I am 7 days into a 10-day run, and I haven’t felt this good in years. I am 66, have motility issues, and this drug worked wonders for SIBO/IBS."
"I would not recommend taking Flagyl at all. I was given a one-time high dosage of 5 pills at once and have experienced terrible anxiety, shortness of breath, insomnia, and diarrhea. I was up all night worried sick about how I am feeling and just wishing I never took them at all. I don’t know why this drug is still on the market. Hoping my side effects disappear within 24 hours. It has definitely taken the infection away but in my opinion not worth the paranoia."
"Nah-ah. Never again. Worst medication I have ever taken. On my second day of taking this tablet, I was feeling nauseous. My appetite was bad, and my stomach felt sick. Headaches, fatigue, easily irritated. I dreaded taking it when the time came. It made me absolutely miserable. My resting heart rate went up to 105 bpm. Even raising my voice ever so slightly made my heart pound harder. It was very stressful. Steer clear. I felt stupid taking this medicine for side effects that were much worse than the reason I needed them for."
"Just finished taking a week’s worth of Flagyl, twice a day. It’s brutal, but your body will adjust. It helped me to sip ginger tea when nauseous and to eat a small meal and drink a full glass of water when I take it. As a nurse, I just want to remind people that even if this drug is wrecking your body, always consult your doctor before stopping treatment. If you only take 4/5 days and are prescribed 7, the bacteria left in your body will have time to develop an immunity to meds, and your infection will rebuild and turn into a superinfection and the antibiotics won’t work next time. There is a reason antibiotics are given over prescribed amounts of time, and stopping them before completion is going to bring on something much worse than side effects. Trust me, I wanted to die taking this medication - many sleepless nights and bad side effects - but an antibiotic-resistant infection is much worse than one week of side effects. If you absolutely have to, call your doctor first. Good luck!"
"Been on this for a week! Even though it's taking care of my issue, I can't wait to take my last pill. I've been sick to my stomach, loss of appetite, headache, dizzy, blurry vision, disoriented, fatigued, can't sleep well. Just ready for this course to be over."
"I really don't understand all the negative reviews for this medicine. I've been on it for three solid days now and have had absolutely no issues. I'm taking 500 mg, one pill twice a day. I've been taking it after lunch and dinner and haven't had any issues with diarrhea, nausea, or dizziness. As for people complaining about the taste of the pill, how are you even able to know what it tastes like? It should be in your mouth for less than a second, just swallow it down with a glass of water or some orange juice."
"Just finished a 14-day course of Xifaxin and Flagyl for SIBO-C (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth with constipation). I was admittedly anxious about taking it at all due to some of the horrible reviews in general on the internet. However, I was fine. I actually stuck the pill inside a blueberry and took it on a spoon of applesauce. It worked like a charm. I also followed the instructions to take the Flagyl every 8 hours, which meant keeping a weird eating schedule. I experienced virtually no metallic taste issues, had some minor side effects, but generally felt well with good energy. I wanted to comment, as I believe people who tolerate it do not tend to make the effort to comment. The only way to know is to try. I am hoping this course of antibiotics will reduce the bacteria in my gut and help on the journey to healing."
"Went in for my Pap smear and found out I had BV. I was prescribed Flagyl (1 tablet 2x a day). The first day I only took one pill during my lunch break but forgot to take the second that night. The next day I took two pills as prescribed (morning and night). The following morning I noticed dark urine... allegedly that's a 'rare' side effect. I’ve also experienced dry mouth, a metallic aftertaste, headaches, and loss of appetite. Other than that, I do see an improvement already. I’m glad these pills work quickly, just hoping I won’t have to take it ever again after the 7th day."
"I almost think it’s better for people to read this if they also had a bad reaction and don’t want to feel so alone because I have heard of this working really well for some people, as with any drug. It seems to me that if you do have a bad experience with this, it isn’t mild, but extreme, as was the case for me. I don’t do well on many antibiotics, but this one was in a class of its own for me. It took me over three months to feel somewhat normal again. It went from bad hives to feeling like my joints were trying to leave my body, to feeling incredibly dizzy and nauseous, to stomach pain. It sounds dramatic, but I have never felt worse on any antibiotic. What it was prescribed for was so much easier to handle than the side effects of this train wreck. Every inch of my body felt off on this medicine. Even mentally, it gave me anxiety. The only antibiotic that came close to this one as far as feeling horrible is Cipro."
"Flagyl antibiotic sent me to the psych hospital! Within 24 hours of taking Flagyl, I was having side effects of being super drowsy, couldn't eat, having panic attacks, hallucinations, and so depressed I couldn't even get out of bed. I was also really confused and just out of it. I went to the psych hospital, where they made me finish the course, and it took WEEKS before I felt okay mentally. In its defense, it got rid of the BV. Flagyl is one of the most powerful and potent antibiotics out there, and I would only recommend it if you really need it."
"I’m on day 4 of a 7-day treatment for BV (bacterial vaginitis) with Flagyl. I feel amazing. I was warned by my doctor and pharmacist of alcohol and side effects. On my 2nd pill, I did get abdominal pain and minimal diarrhea, but that was it. I expected it to continue, but so far I feel better than ever. I feel like it helped me in so many other ways than just BV treatment. I feel healthy and awake. All meds have side effects, some worse than others, and some experience more than others. My experience so far has been great."
"I've never had any medication make me as sick as Flagyl has. The nausea is so bad, it has been waking me up at night. I'm calling my doctor today to get a different medication. I'm halfway through, but I can't handle another day of this. Absolutely never again."
"500 mg Flagyl, 2 per day for BV. By the 3rd day, I wanted to quit, it was too strong. It made urine a dark brownish-red color because of the way it breaks down in your body. I forced myself to complete the 7 days, on day 7, I was feeling better, so I had half a beer. Big mistake, I didn't feel the reaction until 5 days after I stopped. Broke out in hives, itchy and warm to the touch, appearing in many places on my body, some hives would burn. Still feeling it after 13 days, along with chills, but no fever. At night, I swear I could feel things swell inside me, like my kidney, then the pain would move to my right knee joint, then my left. Dr. said it sounded like I had an allergic reaction. Also, it felt like there was a pressure tightness feeling in my inner ear or like air was inside but not painful like an earache. My lymph nodes under my neck were swollen. It felt like the right side of my face was going to go numb."
"I went into the hospital on Saturday with extreme stomach pain and constipation. CT scan and blood work showed colitis with a bacterial infection. Prescribed 500 mg Flagyl 3x a day and 500 mg Cipro 2x a day. I've taken Cipro before but had never heard of Flagyl. I made the mistake of reading reviews and became panicked. But most people don't leave reviews when things are good. I'm on day 3, but things are okay. I have to take it with milk. Keeps the nausea and metallic taste to a minimum. I have mild stomach upset (but nothing compared to before) and a headache. It's not pleasant, but I'm almost halfway through. My suggestion is to eat and drink different things. I also found spacing out the Flagyl and Cipro helped with nausea as well. The medicine seems to be working. And the side effects have been bearable so far. Take each review with a grain of salt and remember-every body is different and will respond to things differently."
"I'm 14 weeks pregnant and was prescribed this medication, metronidazole 500 mg, 2 times a day. I also want to mention I have anxiety and panic attacks and I'm scared to take anything, especially after reading the reviews. Well, I have to say I'm glad I went ahead and took my meds as described and had zero side effects at all. It did take like 3 days to finally get relief, but I'm glad because I was hurting bad and literally had zero side effects at all. So whoever sees this, take the meds, don't read a lot. These comments scared me, but nothing at all happened, and I finally feel amazing."
"I'm on day 6 of a 7-day treatment, and I'm throwing in the towel. I've never had such terrible side effects: severe dizziness, insomnia, dehydration, irritated bladder, racing heart, anxiety, and a constant bad taste in my mouth. I barely had any BV symptoms to begin with, so the meds have felt like unnecessary torture. Never again."
"Bread is the key. I've taken metronidazole 500 mg 2 times a day for 7 days. This is my 9th set of them, seeing that I'm prone to BV. Every time I get them, I get nauseous, sick headaches, stomach pains, weak, and the taste is the worst thing in life. It always hits my tongue or back of my throat. I never finish a bottle, I always leave about 3-4 pills because I can never finish, and the symptoms clear after about 3 days. Well, after my last visit, that is why it always comes back, you have to take the whole dosage. But it was such a hard pill I never could. Well, this time I learned to wrap them in bread. Problem solved!!! I wrap it around the bread and just swallow it. It's like you never took a pill :) No taste, no headaches, no nausea, and I even take it without food sometimes. No symptoms whatsoever! This is a big help in my life because I've dealt with this for a year and a half back to back because I have a very sensitive body! Now, if I ever need to take them, everything is perfectly fine :) I recommend doing that because I believe the taste is what causes the symptoms... at least for me."
Likmez, Flagyl ER
Likmez, Flagyl ER
