Metronidazole Lasting Side Effects (Page 50)

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...

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Ken, I agree with BJH. You're describing an adverse reaction to metronidazole, especially neurotoxicity, and you need another drug. Don't let your doctor tell you it's fine--or rare--to have this. They underplay drug reactions; you need another antibiotic. Never take: metronidazole, cipro, levaquin or avelox. Most other antibiotics are "safe" (or as safe as any drug can be). Just avoid those. Good luck!

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I was taking flagyl for only 5 days and the last 2 days only took half my dose it's now a week later and I'm still so bloated having horrible gas the headaches and back neck pain is out of this world, I'm so dehydrated and after reading all these posts I'm afraid it won't go away I will be calling my doctor tomorrow to see what he say I'll come back here and post what he says.... please wish me luck!

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Hi Carmen
Good luck
Even if many in here are harmed by this drug (my self), it dosent mean that you cant heal or get better. I hope your doctor appointment goes Well. Maybe you can try probiotics for you stomach? It has helped some People. Eat as healthy as you can, and try to avoid sugar, gluten and so on.

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So sorry your going through this, nobody deserves to go through this. It's been so hard on me but hopefully your gonna get better. Doctors are no help but I hope yours is understanding. Good luck.

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Did you ever completely recover? I am dealing with symptoms from a course of flagyl 3 months ago and I'm scared too.

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Hi.. i have same symptoms like you. Try to take a tea of ginger in the morning with empty stomach. I am feeling better now. Minor headaches and symptoms right now. GOD BLESS

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I do believe I'm completely healed.. physical therapy helped with the dizziness and I've been released from that.. also tai chi, personal sessions, also a form of yoga to relax.
Chiropractor said I have poor circulation in my left leg but we have no idea where that came from nor how long it's been a problem. the neuropathy seems to be gone. I took the med in Sept 2016 and started PT and tai chi in late Dec... graduated from the tai chi/yoga private sessions...very expensive but very helpful. I'm using dry needle acupuncture now to get my muscles to relax and it is THE most amazing treatment I've ever had and is really working. The stiff muscles could have been caused by fibromyalgia or anything else...

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Karol, what symptoms do you have? Mental, physical, emotional? Different symptoms have different levels of recovery.

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BJH, that's great to hear. I really hope things continue to go well for you. Dry needling? Hmm...that sounds interesting. I did 4 months of PT on my neck, and it did help greatly, but it's still not where I want it to be. I think the nerves are damaged back there--it's, luckily, the only neuropathy I have--but the muscles can tense up and become irritated when the nerves are irritated, so working on the muscles isn't a bad idea. Thanks for sharing your update--it gives people hope for their recovery.

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Erin, since I posted that question I read the entire thread and now believe it's either the Flagyl or the Cipro....or both....that are causing my symptoms. I was prescribed both for diverticulitis, and took them in Feb. I don't think I had any noticeable symptoms while I was on them except for feeling sick. Since then, and having a CT scan and blood work 5 weeks after (that all came back fine and scan shows no diverticulitis), I have had severe anxiety. I mentioned it to my doctor when he sent me for the tests, but he didn't seem to pay much heed. When the tests came back fine I thought I'd feel relief and stop worrying, but if anything I've been more anxious and feel "gloom and doom" although there's no obvious thing to be fretting about. Also I feel sort of apathetic...hard to describe, but just no enthusiasm for things. I thought this went with the diverticulitis until someone mentioned to me that it could be from the drugs. I've also had a weakness in my left arm that seems to have gone away, and numbness on my face and lower lip, that also comes and goes. Last week I started having a dull headache at the base of my skull, that feels like it's connected to muscles in my back, and tingling in my scalp at the same place the dull ache is.

I am so worried that all this anxiety will cause the diverticulitis to flare up and they will want me to go back on antibiotics, but I refuse to take either of those again! And I'm so tired of not being myself. I have had only a couple of days where I felt normal again, and my hoe is that, if I can actually feel normal, perhaps I'm not forever lost and will regain myself eventually. Thank you for sharing and being concerned. I've never experienced anything like this before.

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I've been on flagyl for 2 weeks tomorrow, some mild diarrhea but nothing major. However today I have a rash, everywhere, itchy and uncomfortable, ugh!!

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Hi, Karol. Thank you for taking the time to read through the posts; other people have explained about metronidazole's (and cipro's) toxicity before, so it's a good thing to do.

It could be either drug--both can affect the central nervous system--but from what you're describing, I'm going with metronidazole and here's why. The aching at the base of your skull--that's classic metronidazole. I'm not saying Cipro can't cause this (it causes a lot of things), but to be frank, metronidazole's toxicity is bad but Cipro is typically worse and usually affects more (sometimes all) of the body.

What you're describing is depression and anxiety. That "lack of motivation" and doom and gloom--psychiatric effects seem to be the most common issues with metronidazole, despite what your doctor thinks (doctors are clueless when it comes to adverse drug reactions).

Here's some good news--from what I've read, the psychiatric effects have the best chance of recovery. That's no guarantee but the odds are in your favor. It might just take some time. Basically, your central nervous system is a little wacko right now, and needs time to heal from the toxicity.

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A couple of things: first, the base of the skull pain. I spoke to a PT about this for myself, and heat therapy (aka, a heating pad) did help calm that down some. Lay down with it behind your neck for twenty minutes (no longer) once or twice a day, and see if that doesn't help soothe it a little. If it lingers, you might want to consider physical therapy for your neck; it can help.

For the anxiety...it's a symptom of this toxicity, but if it's still sticking around, it might need treatment. Some people have tried magnesium (the calming mineral) to help. Probiotics, to get your gut back on track--happy gut, happy brain. Also, guided meditation audio and video; I liked sleep hypnosis. You can find these on YT or other places online. They didn't hypnotize me but right now, it sounds like the voice in your head is temporarily out of order. It happens to everyone dealing with the anxiety. But just know--this is not you and that's not your fault. Just because it's like this today doesn't mean it'll be like this forever. Having "good days" and then "bad days" is normal for this.

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If all else fails, you might want to try an antidepressant. I consider this a last resort (more drugs, blah), but people have tried this, including me, with some success. The one I took was mirtazapine, half of the lowest dose. It's the one I recommend to people because it has a sedating quality that could help you sleep (I assume you're not sleeping so great right now).

Don't worry about your doctor--almost all doctors react the same exact way yours reacted. It's like they can't believe a drug could harm their patient, even though it happens all the time. They are rarely helpful when it comes to this.

I hope you feel better.

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Erin, thank you very much for your reply! I also read a ton at floxie hope and I'm also leaning towards thinking this is related to metronidazole more than Cipro. I do have some pains that are sort of weird, but don't seem to fit the ones I see described on that page. I like the suggestion of heat on my neck area...I usually sit with a heating pad nearby.

I take all kinds of supplements too. Magnesium of a couple different types and two probiotics, along with vit D, B complex and B12 (although bloodwork said B12 was in normal range), folic acid, l-glutamine, turmeric, ginger, fish oil, and enzymes. My chiro gave me something called serenegen that is helping he anxiety.....it is herbs. It has helped me to see that others struggle with this too. In fact my husband just called me and a co-worker's wife just had a colonoscopy and was prescribed the same cocktail for diverticulitis. I shared this forum with her just now.

I used to take Protonix for reflux but I stopped it in this whole saga after reading its side effects. My ears feel plugged and I'm not sure if that's from stopping the Protonix or another side effect of the antibiotics. Thank you again for taking the time to respond to me. It really helps to have someone to talk to!

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Erin,

I've also been sort of lightheaded since the headache thing started. Not really dizzy per se, but lightheaded.

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Brain fog, head pressure, soreness at the base of skull...all typical for this. It's horrible but typical.

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Erin, that makes me feel better to know that because when my head starts that dull ache, my imagination thinks up all kinds of horrible stuff. My face had also been numb-ish on my cheek and my lower lip, but that seems to have passed a few days ago. I told my husband that this brain fog/anxiety/depression thing feels like when you try to accelerate your car but the rev limiter kicks in and suddenly you are restrained. That's how my brain feels sometimes, and I'm a wedding florist and I need to be sharp. You have helped me so much with your comments and knowledge.

I hope they post my previous reply to you soon.

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Karol, if your diver acts up again, ask for something else besides cipro/flagyl. After having a diverticulitis flare up, you may develop IBS. I had three diver attacks all 8 weeks apart. The third time I asked for something else.... can't remember what they gave me. I really think the third bout was just IBS-C. The ER gave me a shot of ibuprofen and 90 days worth of bentyl. I've been taking citrucel and miralax once daily and a probiotic every other day. I've felt pretty good now for about 22 weeks with the exception of a few cramps after eating spicy foods. I know I still worry about it returning. Try and relax and take it day by day.

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dry needling is a form of acupuncture that involves inserting the needles into the muscle which has the effect of getting them to relax and it happens pretty quickly. I've been amazed how much pain it took out of my muscles everywhere it has been done!

I'd not heard of this 2 months ago. A friend recommended it.

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