Metronidazole Lasting Side Effects (Page 5) (Top voted first)

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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I've gotten a bit better. I'm feeling leveled out. Meaning I can control my response to the panic attacks now. Your gut is your second brain so I'm guessing I'm just sensitive to my gut neurons. Antibiotics are notorious for stripping the gut of it's good bacteria too. I picked up some homeopathic anti anxiety meds and they seem to be doing the trick. I'm also taking red reishi to aid in the detox. Best of luck

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hi whatnow the brain fog which was totally horrid has now gone 100%. im still weak and wobbley dragging my feet some times, arms & legs feel so heavy tingling has eased but the really strange feeling on my back which is like the clothes are sticking to me is still there, i took this for 7 days and a few days later had to take for another 7 day course of a tooth infection so 14 days in total when i think back to last year when i was on the phone to the gp saying im so weak i cant even hold the phone to my ear (my wife was holding phone i really did not have the strength ) and all they said was well see how you get on over the weekend ,well to days later i was in A/E they were useless they said i was fine and to drink plenty of water what a joke iv never drunk soooo much it did nothing the damage had already begun i thing with this in mind im a lot better now but in my view this stage may now be permanent this drug has almost destroyed my buisness as iam self employed and for a while was turning work away not knowing where my health was going this is just very wrong i wish we colud group together to bring some justice.

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Cipro is in the fluorquinolone class of antibiotics and the FDA recently posted a warning as a black box warning for peripheral neuropathy and before that there was a black box warning for tendon rupture.

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Joanna you must stop please this is how i started its now been over a year and im still very ill from this drug please STOP!

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Joanna, like DCLC, it has been over a year for me too and the symptoms you describe were mine as well. Not too scare you, but please STOP!! I should have posted this sooner. I hope after reading some of the post on here you didn't take the extra 2 days worth that you had left.

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Hi Gabe, Sorry to hear that you have been negatively affected too. It's been a year and 2 months since I took flagyl and I am doing better but I do still have periods of days to weeks with the crazy nerve sensations in my legs and arms, especially legs. I also feel dizzy when it happens and sometimes feel like I'm walking on air. Like I'm not stable on my feet. (Hard to describe) Stress makes it worse and also if I eat sugar my feet burn terribly. I at times lose my balance when I turn around. I wanted to know more info from Dgirl about the cholesterol pills she mentioned. I haven't been able to find it. I have made an appointment with a Naturopathic Dr. for the 21st of this month. I pray and hope it's not too late to help my body heal. I really can't afford it but I also can't afford not to. I should have gone right away but I opted for light laser treatment done at the Chiropractor's office. It was very expensive. It was $1900 for 15 treatments and although I did feel better when I was going the symptoms came back when I had to stop because the cost was just too much for me. I wish I had gone to a Naturopathic Dr. instead. I believe I'd be better today if I had. We should be able to sue so we could have some compensation for all of the money we have to pay in order seek wellness.

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Hi all,

I've been following this thread for quite some time now and I feel for everyone who is having to deal with these horrendous after effects of this nasty medication. My name is Adam, I am 25 years old and I am also experiencing problems almost three months after a 5 day 3 x daily course of Flagyl and wanted to share my experience to see whether anyone was suffering from some of the other symptoms not commonly mentioned. Like many, I was started on a course of metronidazole after my back right wisdom tooth became infected. The infection spread to my inner ear around the time I commenced the course of antibiotics. I was suffering from nausea (without vomiting), off balance, dizziness and feeling generally quite awful! I attributed these symptoms to the ear infection not thinking they could actually be a side effect of the antibiotic. On the 5th day of the course I had a fairly severe reaction to the metronidazole. My lips swelled, my eyes became extremely itchy and I had an instant burning red rash across my chest, neck and face. I visited hospital where they told me to discontinue the flagyl and I did not need to be asked twice! For weeks thereafter, the nausea, dizziness and other symptoms remained although they did begin to gradually ease little by little. Then, one day, I woke up with a strange sensation in the top right area of my skull. Not so much painful, more like a constant pressure which also began to tingle every so often. This 'tingling pressure' has gradually over time became a pressure which effects all areas of the head yet still seems that the main centre of pain has remained ever present at that initial spot at the top right of my skull. I have also been suffering from a strange visual disturbance whereby everything in my field of vision has become somewhat pix-elated or if you can imagine viewing life through an old TV where the picture is slightly disrupted by static. I've tried my best to research this and the best information diagnosis I can find is something that is not yet recognised by the wider medical community and is known as 'Visual Snow'. Other symptoms I now suffer from (almost three months after I commenced flagyl) include - Numbness in fingers and toes upon waking, vivid and disturbing nightmares, trembling upon waking through the night, pounding heart after mundane activity such as walking up a few steps, feeling as though I may faint at any given time, increased headache/pressure after mild physical exertion i.e walking to the shops, trouble getting up in the morning and feeling very foggy. I have also had to stop drinking alcohol (not that I was a big drinker in the first place or anything) as this seems to make my head much worse and makes me feel absolutely awful the morning after. I have been back and forward to the doctors and hospital on countless occasions now. They have diagnosed me several times with chronic migraine and prescribed me preventive medications to no avail. I have had several tests, CT scan and I am now awaiting an MRI next week. Every time I have mentioned the metronidazole to the doctors I have been met with a raised eyebrow and an instant brush off as if the mere suggestion that a tried and tested medication could have such far reaching adverse effects is a ludicrous notion yet I remained utterly convinced that this evil drug is more than likely the root cause of what myself and everyone on this forum are having to go through. My personal suspicion is that the drug may have caused some kind of nerve damage which has in turn caused problems with blood flow amongst other essential bodily functions. My apologies for such a long post but I just wanted to give as much detail as possible in the hope that someone may be able to relate to some of the symptoms I have mentioned and I look forward to hearing back from you all. In the meantime, I hope you are all on the road to recovery and feeling better with each passing day.

Regards

Adam

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Hi Gabe, sorry for the delayed reply. I've been feeling alot worse in the past week or so. Symptoms have remained the same and have even developed some new ones. My temporal artery at the left side of my head has became enlarged and throbs heavily. It is painful and several days ago I was rushed to A+E after touching it for a few seconds caused me to black out. Again doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong and I was discharged. My results for my MRI scan came back normal as I suspected they would so now I'm practically back to square one in terms of getting some kind of diagnosis. I'm starting to suspect they may have been some kind of vascular change or damage occur during the metronidazole course so I am going to be requesting a full MRA which is essentially the same as an MRI but with contrast dye used so blood vessel structures can be seen in detail. I strongly suspect a circulatory problem as it would seem to make sense with all the symptoms I've been suffering yet again it seems doctors believe that a problem like this will only occur in the over 60's and would not effect a younger person let alone be a nasty after effect of a prescribed antibiotic. I've been taking all kinds of vitamins; b-complex, b12, c, d, e, omega-3, iron, odourless garlic, folic acid and some multivits specifically for brain repair and mental function though I'm not entirely sure they're having any impact. I've changed my diet completely eating as healthily as possible, cut out fatty foods and foods with high sugar content, cut out alcohol and caffeine completely and I have also had to quit smoking last week as the cigarettes had begun to increase the pressure in my head massively whilst making me feel incredibly nauseas (again, this is another reason I believe the problem may be vascular). So despite all these lifestyle changes I still remain the same in terms of my symptoms whilst new symptoms have cropped up to add to the list so it's back to the drawing board and back to the doctors for me. Hope you have been feeling better?

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Hi chuckwagon, Sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. The symptoms you've described are like mine minus the painful lower back which I didn't have before the meds but had soon after. It's been close to a year and a half since I took Flagyl and I still have flare ups of these symptoms. Just when I think maybe I'm back to being myself I am reminded by dizziness, weakness, burning etc. I'm still on a quest for health and have spent a lot of money trying to get there. One day at a time is all I can do. I try not to let it get me down but it has been and is a struggle. You may try some of the advice others have given. You are in the early stages so you have a much better chance to get better. Hang in there and take an active role in healing your body. I think I've waited to long, but I'm still not giving up hope.

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Melinda, I can only speak for myself and say that I only took Flagyl. From hearing your story I can be thankful. Peripheral Neuropathy is also a potential side effect of Flagyl. Now they have added it to on the print out given out at the pharmacy but it wasn't when I took it. Nevertheless, I found it when I did further research. We should be allowed to sue. If you ask me, it's a crime to let people take these kinds of antibiotics.

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Update on symptoms of Flagyl Cipro and Bactrim:
It has now been about 6 months since I had been on the above. I had all the symptoms I listed in earlier posts such as burning in feet and legs, weakness, unsteadiness, dizziness, tremors, and more. I was having actual attacks of these symptoms not just constant symptoms. They would hit me like a ton of bricks with no rhyme or reason where or when and duration of attacks would vary. Much of the day when not in an actual attack they were still with me.

After about 3-4 months, the symptoms started to fade slowly and the actual attacks happened less frequently. I'd go 1/2 day, one whole day, 1.5 days without an actual attack. I still have burning in toes and feet and weakness in legs which happens often. I also get tremors in various parts of the body, which vary in severity.

No, I am not living a normal life and I can't make plans and often keep them. I often try to do things quickly when there is a window of opportunity when I'm not feeling horrible. The good news is the symptoms stop at times and at other times they are not as severe as they once were. There is hope! I can definitely say that 6 months ago I feared I'd be in a wheelchair within weeks, or that I had Guillain Barre, or that my nervous system was destroyed and could never improve, but after 6 months of being off the poison I am not in a wheelchair and I am able to see rays of sunlight. Do not give up. The progress is very slow, but it's possible. I do not expect it to improve beyond the way it is now, but anything is better than 6 months ago. If you can keep track of when the really bad symptoms occur perhaps you will see them happen less often and have your own rays of sunlight in between the days of poison. To be medically accurate I was diagnosed with neuropathy and autonomic nerve irregularity, but there is no healing treatment for these. I had neither of these things before those drugs. I have no doubt they are the cause.

I refuse to take Neurontin for the symptoms. Doctors do not often understand nor seem to care what they prescribe anymore or what the risks are to patients. How many times do doctors monitor drugs prescribed as stated in the drug literature? I cant think of any. How about the ads you hear on TV saying call your Dr. immediately if you have any of a whole list of serious side effects? Have you ever had your doctor speak to you about side effects. What a joke! Almost as bad as going to the ER when taking Viagra if you have a problem lasting over 4 hrs. Yes I can just see someone walking in saying that. I bet they keep a frozen pail of water ready to throw at anyone coming to the ER with that problem.

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Im having fevers and chills headache has stopped and loss of appetite and i think loosing weight is anyonelse.

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I just went through through neuropathy with this medicine-flagyl last year after a taking it 500mg twice daily for a week. Unsteady walking, dizziness, tingling, headaches and of course all these symptoms created anxiety. Unfortunately, it takes time for damaged nerves to heal (a long time) and that's the bad part. First, I started drinking a lot of water to get this stuff out of my system. No caffeine. Then I started on a low dose of magnesium which is suppose to help muscles and nerves. Noticed some results in about two weeks. The symptoms are better now after about 2 months. Keep positive and eat healthy.

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Thanks, my doc wants to take me steroid but im still thinking for now .. its been 6weeks. Off to flagyl.,sorry i was getting crazy that night , i feel horible as always, but sometimes i had symptoms .. when my symptoms not so strong my hope came back again , but. Still. Im more deppressed. Than to have hope. He also want to take me xanax , and pirecetam for my head, its not headache, or dizzy .but it is so heavy and. I feel my nerves on my face hardly move .. and when it move i could feel it breath and i can sleep .. i have burning feet, hands, chest tremors, sweating , stomach issues, nerve pinch evrywhere... that i cant understand whats happening ..all symptoms changed. Except for my head. Im afraid to have swelling on my face ..when i take vb12 it. Not so good , i just take foods coz i dont vomit , green leafy foods, fruits , all kind of foods, sunset, exercise, sauna .. improvement. Is very slow, im thinking if i would. Try that med or i would let it heal byitself, or my nerves will die coz i didnt do any action ..im so confused i know all of us doing whats best we can .. im really confused, i. Try to watch comedy movie all movie which can help me for my depprression , i can sleep and forget tthe days full of pain .. meditation also .. how are you, sorry to hear but i hope you doing fine compare on your first year, your dna. Didnt change in 5years.. i believe my dna also damage. From this .. and step to change. Tht dna is to be happy .. i didnt believe that word still exists. ? I still dont know if the toxic already. Flush out and it leaves our organ damage . When the med fight the bacteria. Detoxfying would be worthless. Or its still here in our system ..,thanks

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let me start off by saying thanks for all the post that everyone is sharing.

ill keep this short but I doubt it will be for the full understanding. I have H pylori. I had to diagnose myself before I found a doctor willing to test for it. after a handful of specialist that said I had an ulcer because of my age, I began to hate these i****s. the one doctor that was willing to test me for h pylori, gave me some triple meds. metronidazole, amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and a proton pump inhibitor of my choice was used to cure me.

taking these twice a day I began felling good after two days. on the third day I began feeling itchiness around the rectum. i thought i had pin worms. but i couldn't bare it anymore so i took an over the counter med to cure it. i did try to look for them which is to use a tape and press on the rectum in the morning. i found nothing. after thinking about it, i think the meds i was using caused an allergic reaction. but

i did try taking the meds again after a month had gone by.

so trying it again (second run at this med process), on the 5th day i felt really sick. I did it for a fourth day but I couldn't take it anymore. I was getting chills and felt sick. i just had to stop. i actually thought i was going to die.

i knew that the meds that help but the side effects are huge.

i decided that the risk was worth it but they all say that we need to use it long enough to kill the bacteria. and the last time i tried it, i did notice a difference. so here goes. before i go into it again i need to fix something.

facts:
-the meds do actually work.
-side effects are super aggressive.
-each person is different in biology.
-meds are prescribed as a general and not to catered to each person individually. i was actually told this by my doctor because she showed me a general hand book. she is really up front. they use a book to use as a guide. nothing more. that's why they sometimes disappear from the room and come back with a diagnosis and a prescription. they don't and really cant know every symptom in the world.
-i personally am very sensitive to meds. why?? cause i don't drink alcohol, im not over weight, i don't smoke, i do exercise, and eat my veggies. so if your somewhat healthy your technically screwed.

luckly i am smart, i can fix things and figure out problems.

i intereviewed over the phone with pharmacist and doctors along with reading up more information from various places, i figured out more about the meds and the bacteria. which is going to help me fix me.

to test out a theory i have i needed to wait a good amount of time to have all the past meds get out of the body. everyone is different but one thing i am sure, is that you need to flush out the meds by waiting it out. you will know its out when you feel the same way as you were before your med intake and only the bacteria symptoms are left.

once i felt the same as before i then decided to try this new method. i did not have enough left over meds to complete it but what choice did i have.

what i did was change out the med times and amount. for me personally i figured out that metronidazole is the one i needed to continue on with. nothing else. just that and reduce the amount of times during the day. i took one a day with a full meal and stayed full the whole day with multiple meals. i only had 6 pills left so if was to work it had to happen within 6 days. on the second day i felt a little better. still a little pain from the med but i had energy. i decided to go to the gym and work out. i had energy and it seemed to be working but as i neared the 6th day i knew i wasn't cured yet and i had run out.

with out the extra pills i needed to last the two weeks the bacteria came back.

since this is so long now ill stop.

what you all need to know is that everyone is different. feeling sick is going to happen, bloating is going to happen, and no one is the same. the cure is here but you need to know how to use it. your doctor doesn't know you that well. he can only see what is happening afterwards. your body is telling you something and only you can figure it out.

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I have had some serious side effects - horrific unsteadines, massive headaches, constipation, dizziness and just a feeling of feeling unwell. It has been over 7 weeks and I am still experiencing very bad headaches.

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I was on Cipro and Metronidazole in August, then Levequen in September, then BOTH Metronidazole and Fluconazole in early October. I stopped everything on October 6. Now I'm back at full strength (THANK THE GODS!), but I still have the PN on and off, tremors in my hands, and sometimes a pounding heart. The neurologist thinks it's just panic attacks, but I'm having an MRI tomorrow and an EEG net week to rule out other stuff. I will post again when I have other news.

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I took metronidazole for seven days. I started feeling a tingling sensation in my arms and feet. It's been a week and I still feel this sensation.

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Dgirl I need your help right now. you seem to be the only person who has made a drastic recovery. I'm thinking about making a trip to Cali to see your naturopath.

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hi guys its been a year for me and im back to my normal life far from those side effects, although i still have some issues the effects no longer control my life.. i just do kefir everyday and do healthy foods and sauna .. also i cant be on a perfect diet coz of our environment but i have supplements that makes my recovery speed up (called transfer factor) and help me a lot to boost my immune system; allowing it to recover by itself. all in all although im a bit damaged I will not stop myself but renewing again by utilizing the right kind of treatment on it. i suggest transfer factor by a colostrum of immune cells also will be a hope for us. also there is riovida which contains diff kinds of berries help me to recover. im strong enough now to go a normal life. my post last year was miserable. i did not imagine i can be like this again. i thought i was going to die but my body healed itself.

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