Metronidazole Lasting Side Effects (Page 47)

I have been taking this medication for 7 days and off of it since a week and still have severe side effects, abdominal cramps, severe headaches, dizziness, unsteadiness... How long is it expected to last? It was prescribed with Ciprofloxacin to me and I take Entrophen on a regular basis...

REPLY

REPORT

Just because these two can be prescribed together is not a good reason for doing so and way to many of us take them without asking questions.. unfortunately...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I do...
No anwsers no help just wasting away. I have 24/7 pins and needles as well as muscle weakness. My brain and vision symptoms bother me most though.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Aren't the side effects of both these drugs about the same? It would seem that if that is so then one gets a double whammy.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Keeping asking for help and ask to see a different neurologist... ask your doctor why you were referred to that particular neurologist and whether if he or she had to see a neurologist who would he or she see and why?

Doesn't anyone besides me think that rather than our making these comments here that we should be announcing to the world about the dangers of these drugs? I saw a lady the other night that is an RN and she was shocked to hear of the side effects I had from this drug stating that it's a very old drug as if it was evaluated and never caused a problem.. yet my own doctor wrote in my records that the cause of this ataxia was the drug.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

What a rude and ignorant thing to say. My father died from being an alcoholic so I've always stayed away from it. I've still been suffering for almost a year. I hope you don't ever have to feel half of what I do everyday and no doctor can help or tell you whats wrong. Not even you deserve it. People are genuinely suffering and you have the nerve to say a nasty thing like that.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

BJH, I think Cipro and metronidazole have similar side effects, but I think it's caused by different reasons. Also, metronidazole has a better recovery rate--not so encouraging when you're on the wrong side of the statistic, though. I'm experiencing another flare-up this week, but it is better than the last one I had and they seem to be less and less as time goes by. June will be my 2-year "anniversary" of taking metronidazole.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Dee Dee, I do not drink at all and have had bad side effects so you are way off base on that. Besides that feels really cruel on your part to suggest it. Until you have the same side effects as these other people you can have no understanding of the issues involved.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

If the recovery rate is better on metro... then I'm glad I insisted on NOT taking Cipro. I'm not sure that I'm up on the reasons why these two meds produce the same side effects for different reason. Any input on why that would be?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Cipro damages the mitochondrial DNA. This type of DNA is found in certain places more than others, including the heart, lungs, joints, and brain. I don't know all the specifics but if the MtDNA in the central nervous system get messed up, then it can cause brain damage, and you get all the CNS side effects like depression, anxiety, head pressure, brain fog, etc, plus any number of weird symptoms. It's more likely for someone to suffer from full-blown psychosis with Cipro than metronidazole but metronidazole can cause a confused, disorienting state of mind that can lead to psychosis.

Metronidazole causes brain lesions. They are mainly on the cerebellum, which causes the difficulty walking (ataxia), difficulty speaking (dysarthria), dizziness, weakness, involuntary eye movement and possibly seizures.

But they can be a number of different places, including the midbrain, the basal ganglia, and even the brain stem. Anna probably has some type of damage to her brain stem (if I were to guess) which is why her autonomic system is not functioning correctly. It affects the automatic functions like breathing, blood pressure, digestion...when I was really sick, my heart was skipping beats, racing, and my blood pressure was strangely low. I had a hard time eating, not just because I had no appetite but because I'd take two bites of something and feel full. I was also constipated, which is not a problem I've ever had (I had IBS-D before this). And my breathing is still messed up to this day--never had a respiratory issue before, and now it feels like something similar to asthma (although it's much better than it was). But the problem doesn't seem to be with my lungs.

I also believe that metronidazole affects the GABA in the brain. That's the calming neurotransmitter and metronidazole can have an impact on it. If the GABA is compromised then the CNS gets overstimulated and you end up feeling like you're having a panic attack for days/weeks/months. It's one reason why dogs with metronidazole toxicity are given Valium--Valium helps to calm down the brain when the GABA is compromised.

Is it possible that metronidazole also affects our DNA? I wouldn't rule it out, but as of right now, it appears the the drug causes brain lesions and also damage to nerves (although I know less about the nerve damage the the CNS damage).

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

thank you for this well thought out explanation. I'm certain it will help others. I know that I was having major constipation issues before taking metro...and it only resolved once I started taking HCL with pepsin.. Since then I'm regular and in better shape than I had been in 30 yrs since my gall bladder was removed... also tax ox bile when i eat anything with fat in it.. makes everything work nicely.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

You are ignorant DeeDee. I was on Levaquin for a sinus infection April 2009. At the age of 41, EXTREMELY healthy, I lost everything and not a drop of alcohol. I was at work the next morning teaching my students when the symptoms started and never stopped. I lost everything that meant anything to me due to this drug and yes, tried everything possible to get cured mostly natural, but I would have done anything to get out of that kind of pain and have my life back. No one in my family would let anyone get off with saying a comment like that knowing what happened to me and a family member of a friend of ours as well. If I have a reaction to peanuts and you do not, does this mean I am doing something wrong? Of course not, we do not all have the same reactions. Be careful what you think for if you feel these medications are fine and you tell your family to take them and one of them has these terrible reactions you are not going to feel the same way.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Mel, please don't feed the troll. I've already reported it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I was on Metradonizole for 2 weeks and I started having heart palpitations and head pounding 24/7 after the first 6 days of being on it. I was advised by 3 different doctors to just finish the course. I have been off it for 1 week and 6 days and it has not stopped. I do have some dizziness but more balance issues but I am not sure if it is related at all to my head pounding because I feel unstable. I haven't seen too many posts with similar symptoms. Any suggestions or someone with similar symptom, since I have only been off it for a short period of time I could really use someone I can relate to and find some hope

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I should mention that the heart palpitations and head pounding are painless. Just really annoying and are 24/7.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Request that your doctor send you to a neurologist and perhaps actually admit that this drug is the issue.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Whatnow, erin, dawn, Pat etc I know your posts are like from 2011. Did you guys ever get your lives back? I'm so scared and hopeless reading most of these posts that I won't ever get mine back because of these awful side effects! Any response would be great!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi, Hopeless. I'm almost back to normal now--I get a few minor flare-ups of symptoms but they are few and far between. It's just enough to remind me that something isn't quite right, but not enough to affect my life in any significant way. What are your symptoms and how long have you had them? I can give you the stats that I know--they're are not based on a huge pool of people but they are from medical journals, so it'll give some idea of what you're dealing with.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Needhelp15, this "head pounding"--you mean head pressure, right? This awful feeling like your brain is a bag of popcorn, just expanding in your skull? Is it everywhere or just at the back of your head?

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi Erin thanks for your last two posts the head pounding is just like as if I had my heart beating in my head if that makes sense? Also how long did it take for you to get to this point of normalcy? Did you take just metradanozole or the cipro as well? Did you seek out treatment, medication or noticed anything that helped ? I have been doing every test I can under the sun with no resolution. Any information would be much appreciated since I'm still in the early stages of these symptoms so I wouldn't mind the stats as well. I also have been noticing the PN ALOT which has been discussed quite frequently on this board. Did that ever go away for you? Sorry for so many questions

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi, NeedHelp. PN...do you mean peripheral neuropathy? That's a little different than the heart palpitations you're experiencing. I assume you also have anxiety (common problem with this). It's a little difficult to pin down because you took metronidazole AND Cipro, and both can cause these effects. So it's hard to know which caused what.

By itself, metronidazole can cause the heart palpitations. Most people who have this also have raging anxiety, insomnia, head pressure, brain fog, etc. It's a central nervous system issue--basically, the brain is overstimulated. There are a couple reasons why this could be: 1) metronidazole can affect the GABA in the brain, which is a calming neurotransmitter. That goes out of whack and the brain goes a a bit hyper-crazy; or 2) the drug has caused some damage. Metronidazole can cause brain lesions and personality changes and problems with the autonomic system (the part of the brain that regulars heart rate, blood pressure, breathing) can be a symptom. If I were to guess, I'd say you're dealing with problem one, not two, because most people who have the lesions have a lot more physical symptoms. As an example, I lost the ability to walk and speak while on the drug--those are the most common physical ailments (but not all of them). It could be #2 or both--it's hard to say. If it is brain lesions, the only thing that can spot them is an MRI (not a CT scan), and usually only when you're taking the drug or shortly thereafter. They usually clear up quickly, which is a good thing but it means the "proof" might be gone.

As for Cipro, it can affect GABA as well, hindering its ability to work. I looked this up recently because I was trying to explain the differences with this class of drugs and metronidazole, and forgot that Cipro can also affect GABA. So Cipro can cause all those central nervous system affects as well, all on its own. However, Cipro (and the other drugs in its class of antibiotics) are best known for damaging mitochondrial DNA. This includes tendon ruptures and a lot of other very odd and devastating symptoms. Basically, the body can fall apart, but I don't think this DNA issue is what's happening to you.

Both Cipro and metronidazole can cause PN. That's damage to the nerves, and nerves have a tendency to heal slowly, so it could be a problem that lingers for a while. I did not have this issue, but many people on metronidazole (and/or Cipro) complain about it.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I used flagyl almost 4 months ago for 7 days. I still have a terrible, sometimes salty, sometimes metallic taste in my m...

3 REPLIES

I have a tingling sensation all over the body! ## Has it changed or improved any yet? Learn more Metronidazole details h...

24 REPLIES

Hy,i am 13 weeks preg,and i had an abdomen pain so I went to the clinic the nurse gave me Bio-metronidazole 400mg,she ad...

5 REPLIES

I was on Metronidazole for 7 days & finished it 3 days ago. I experienced some nausea & even vomited a couple of...

5 REPLIES

My doctor provided me with this and i dont know what the side effects are? ## Hello, Ladypink! How are you? The side eff...

1 REPLY

Ive been on pliva334 for 4 days now. I have noticed a change in the color of my pee, it the normal? ## Metronidazole is ...

3 REPLIES

I have been taking this medication for three days now, 3 times a day for 7 days. I have noticed an increase in my appeti...

1 REPLY

I am on metronidazole 500 mg, 3 times a day, and doxycycline 100mg, twice a day. I am almost finished with them. But can...

2 REPLIES

I had to take plan b in early November, and ended up having two periods a week apart from each other. 11/14-11/18 and 11...

2 REPLIES

## what is this? ## WHAT DOES THIS DRUG DO TO ME.......... ## There are several brands with this active chemical; Please...

5 REPLIES