Metronidazole Lasting Side Effects (Page 6) (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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Been off this med since febuary 20 2015 and still getting severe panic attacks can't drive the infection came back and brain fog never went away also still have a lot of pressure in my head. If your reading this and thinking of taking it DONT . I've been off work now for 2 months as I'm a mechanic and can't concentrate . Had every test done you can think of and they cant find anything.

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I continue to experience anxiety from it too, also about two months since I stopped taking it. The anxiety is lessening as time goes by. The panic attacks have faded away for me, those lessened at about 1.5 months, although I'll still get a random one. I still have brain fog that comes and goes, but it was there consistently in the first month. From what I've read, the anxiety and brain fog does ease off eventually for most people. I've seen a few cases where people said the anxiety tailed off at about 6 months. Published journal articles say most of the brain damage that can be caused by flagyl is reversible, but recovery time varies.

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I took flagyl for three weeks, 250mgs. four times a day for an intestinal infection after abdominal surgery. As I posted last year, the symptoms were unbearable. Irritability, panic attacks, depression and a feeling of loosing my mind. Got shock sensations all over my body a few months after stopping the flagyl. They lasted about six weeks. I will be off the medication one year this June 30. A few months ago got very anxious, have had a few panic attacks, get depressed and now I have a pinched nerve in my neck and have pins and needles in my arm and two of my fingers. Don't know if this is due to the flagyl but I have read that many people get the pins and needles experience from it. However, this just started about six weeks ago. I pray all this eventually stops. I did have a lot of this horrible stuff. Hope this helps someone.

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Melissa, sounds like the metronidazole to me. And yeah, I've read that a number of people have gotten better. There are more than a few in this thread with your symptoms that eventually got better. I had the depersonalization/brain fog plus tingling in my head, face, arms and legs really bad for the first month or so after stopping metronidazole. Those have improved a lot. They still come and go, but are not nearly as bad now. I've been off it for a little over two months. My biggest problems now are digestion issues and fatigue. But I can tell I am improving, slowly.

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I've read a few replies from neurologists regarding neuropathy/brain damage caused by flagyl. It would be incredibly rare for a short course of metronidazole to cause permanent damage. Almost all is reversible. One neurologist even gave a time frame. He said average time for recovery is around five weeks or so, with others taking a bit longer (3-6) months. A few (and from my understanding this is more rare) take a year or longer. I think it depends on preexisting conditions, nutrition, supplementation, etc. You would probably benefit from b vitamins and magnesium.

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Melissa, I've read a few accounts of others who were also on anti depressants. Find anxiety and/or depression online forums and do a search for flagyl to read them yourself. I have read that serotonin sickness is possible, but I doubt it's that. I have found a lot of anecdotal evidence that those with a history of anxiety and depression are more susceptible to the negative effects of flagyl. I have been prescribed antidepressants in the past and flagyl has sent me for quite the anxious ride. Do you notice your derealization/depersonalization is worse at certain times? Mine used to be pretty bad twenty four seven, now it comes on for just a little while after a meal. I've read this brain fog could be from yeast/dysbiosis. When I took flagyl it basically gave me horrible diarrhea for three days where I was going 10-15 times a day. So I think at least in my case dysbiosis makes sense. Gut bacteria are so important.

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Sick, I am so glad I could reach out to someone suffering similar to what I went through. I did not stick with the Antidepressants because in the long run I doubt they would have helped the physical symptoms anyways. Like seriously, I cannot believe that people who have taken this antibiotic now need to consider antidepressants just to feel better! Shows how brutal of a med it is. For me the headaches eventually passed on there own, along with the pains in my head and the eye pain. At the beginning I could not even look at the TV or computer monitor because my eyes felt so messed up, I got them checked out and everything was fine. Now my eyes are back to normal thank god! Acupuncture was the best thing I did for the pain in my limbs and the tingling. If you haven't tried this yet please do - it is simply amazing. Make sure you go to a reputable therapist with tons of experience. If you find a good one they can work magic I swear. After I did that I really started feeling better. Other than that just surrounding yourself with friends and family and trying to focus on other things will help time pass. And like most things in life - time can heal almost anything.

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I was prescribed this flagyl from dentist and I took one dose 250mg 3 hrs later I became seriously sick headache like I've never experienced diarrhea lightheaded nausea fainting chills no fever though. It was so bad I didn't sleep the first night I was up every ten mins in excruciating pain and pissing out my rear. I'm a high tolerance person but these side effects really got me down. The next day I couldn't even get out of bed I literally wanted to die so the pain would stop. At 4am on 2nd day of not sleeping I went to er I was dehydrated and in doubled over pain from cramping. After all diagnostics all they said was let it run its course. I had bleeding from colon also, they say that's because the meds irritated my stomach and colon lining. So I like a lot of you wonder AM I ALWAYS GOING TO FEEL THIS WAY!! My exit hole aches so much and I feel lots of pressure I can not eat I went from 117 lbs to 114 in 3 days. I'm see my primary dr in a week. Praying for you all and pls pray for me.

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Hi Melissa

I was a mess. I cried over anything. I felt a constant doom. I was in dark dark place for a number of months. Prayer meditation. Family and friends and sticking to natural remedies got me through it. Even though i still have some of the issues. I don't let it get to me as much.

I had this medication in October.

So it has been a long time.

There was a time i was getting worse. My feet would burn everynight. I had cupping for six months consecutively. I found relief. I just never gave up and still haven't.

Its a nasty nasty drug. I am not sure il ever recover but now i know not to take any drugs blindly.

You will get better. Have faith. The body has its own way of healing itself.

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Hello, Ihavefaith7. Thank you for acknowledging me the way you did. I'm sorry to hear that you are having such harsh side effects from this med which seems to be more of a poison to many of us. It's my faith in God that has given me the hope and strength I've needed to live in this body while waiting for better health. I've come a long way and I'm sure you will too. The symptoms do slowly get better and the relapses get fewer and farther in between. I have fibromyalgia so my symptoms are a combination and sometimes confusing. I will add you to my prayers., Lynda

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I was prescribed flaygl 1500mg a day for colon infection . I had side effects told dr about it and was told to continue medication that there was no other medication to take. Now I have been suffering from no sleep for two months now. I think my sleep cycle nerves in my brain have either been damged or died. This is a horrible way to live and I pray for healing every day. I no longer get sleepy or drowsey matter how much sleep I do not get. This is the worst thing in the world I have ever heard of or experienced. Been to many dr and most just pass it off as no big deal some have said it may be reaction from metronidazole. I stopped the medicine after ten days on June 29 2015. It is August 30 2015 today and I still can't go to sleep.

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Just had to come back and encourage others. Took Flagyl in May, experienced many side effects. After over four months I am beginning to feel "normal" again. The dizziness/woosie/lightheaded feeling, off balanced and other symptoms have substantially subsided. Like so many have said...it takes time. Hope everyone is healed or healing :).

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besides luxaper flagyl and cipro are the worst drugs made. they should be banned from sales. doctors should be banned from prescribing them

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I just had to provide some words of encouragement. I also had a long list of side effects from taking flagyl and it took awhile for many of the symptoms to subside. During that period of healing I was unable to work due to the dizziness, off balanced feeling and others symptoms. Read my previous posts. Be encouraged that they will subside. I am now back at work, still dealing with some issues but they are mild in comparison to what I experienced back in April and May of this year. I truly believe that no one should be prescribed flagyl. I've never had a medication affect me mentally and physically. Like many others I felt worst during and after treatment than I did before taking the medication, but over time it does get better. I've changed my diet, changed the supplements that I take, exercise, and most importantly pray. Hope this helps someone.

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Hi anna. My hands have issues. They get red, hot, almost like a burn. Used to be feet too, but that has improved. My hands are getting better slowly. Seems like diet helps as when i eat junk/sugar it is worse. I have used aloe vera straight from the plant at night and it seems to help.

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It will get better. I had horrible symptoms, like you. Horrible anxiety, depression, panic attacks, insomnia, fatigue, allergic reactions to food. My skin is still not back to normal, it itchest and burns some still. But most of the rest has gone. It's been right around ten months since I took flagyl. Took 500mg 3 time a day for five or six days. Like you I felt terrible and hopeless. Improvements happened very slowly. I still felt terrible 3 months after. You will get through this! Eat healthy, try some probiotics. Good luck.

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Hi, Melissa. Metronidazole is in a different class of antibiotics than fluoroquinolones like Cipro and Levaquin; however, both are broad-spectrum antibiotics and both can act as a nuerotoxin on the brain. I don't know about metronidazole causing anemia, but metronidazole can cause serious stomach issues and anorexia, leading to malnutrition (I had some malnutrition when I was at my worst).

As far as feeling better...I am doing much better now than I was last summer. It's been a very slow road and I still have flare ups of symptoms (I had a flare up on Monday, correlating with my menstrual cycle--anything that taxes my body and I can have a flare up). But it's better than a few months ago and it was better a few months ago than it was over the summer. I'm not 100% well but I can enjoy life again. It's been about 9 months for me. I don't know if this information will help anyone feel hopeful, but there were times when it felt like I'd never get better, but it did eventually start to happen.

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I started really improving about 8 months after I took the flagyl. For the depression and anxiety I just waited it out. I think the flagyl basically destroyed a good deal of the good bacteria, and there is a link between mood and gut bacteria. So eat yogurt every day and experiment with different probiotics. Kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut are good. You can make your own or you can buy decent varieties at natural foods, whole foods, Co op type places in the refrigerated section. It will fade with time. And yes I had head pressure, dizziness, brain fog too. Those are all gone. Horrible fatigue, that is also gone. There is a decent bit of peer reviewed literature you can find on flagyl and brain damage. Fortunately most of this damage is reversible. Most of the irreversible damage occurs when flagyl is given over a long period (some people are prescribed it for months at a time). Like you I was very scared that I would never recover. It has now been a year and I am just about back to normal. Hang in there.

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Flagylsucks, thanks for the words of encouragement. I started noticing improvement after about 5 months, then gradually many of the symptoms began to subside. I agree about the brain and gut connection and began to see improvement when I took Pepzin GI, magnesium, omegas, primrose oil and probiotics. Praying for our recovery.

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Hi I was prescribed this medicine too and I took it one each day for two days. The first day I took it and went to work later on and felt like I was going to pass out. My head started hurting terribly, I was shacking and my heart was racing fast. I felt nauseous and dizzy it was so bad. The next day I took it again to see if it really was the medicine that made me feel bad or I was just having a bad day. I took it around 7 and around 8 I started feeling the same way before that day. I was in so much pain I was in bed all day. I cried because I felt so terrible. It's been about a week now and I have migraines each day and feel nauseous at times. I shall be going to the doctors soon to get this fixed. No one warned me about the side effects.

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