Alcohol and Flagyl = disulfiram rxn? Where're the data, dood?!
I think probably the first "real" counseling point any pharmacy student learns is "Don't drink alcohol with Flagyl!" If it's not the first thing, it's easily the second or third. In fact, I've seen this hand-written on prescription labels for added emphasis, even though the auxiliary labels that print out already say it. You don't often see "Take with food" hand-written, even though it would probably provide more real-world benefit to the patient than the standard "Don't drink alcohol" mantra.
"Heresy!" you shout. Well, hear me out…
You see, there's almost no data to support the assertion that alcohol and metronidazole combine to create a disulfiram-like reaction. It's crazy, I know. How could this age-old advice be wrong? The reason this is drilled into pharmacy and med students' heads is because the conventional wisdom is old. It got here because "everyone knows" that ethanol + metronidazole = A Bad Time. Even though there's no meaningful evidence to support this conclusion.
Regular readers know my distaste (hah!) for metronidazole. In fact, I missed out on my best friend's 21st birthday drunkfestcelebration because of it. As it turns out, I missed out for naught. Alas.
Exhibit A is a meta-analysis of published anecdotes, "Do Ethanol and Metronidazole Interact to Produce a Disulfiram-Like Reaction" published in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy. Exhibit B is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study out of Finland, also published in TAOP entitled "Lack of Disulfiram-Like Reaction with Metronidazole and Ethanol" which is a bit more science-y and a little less meta-analysis-y.
This is a long entry, so here's a ToC.
Bits and bobs from Exhibit A (Back to top)
The first account of a metronidazole-ethanol interaction was noted in 1964. At that time, folks wondered if Flagyl could be used to curb alcohol abuse. A sort of proto-Antabuse, if you will. 8 of 17 studies found it to be marginally effective. But only marginally, and only 2 of the 8 positive studies were double-blind, and these 2 studies were statistically significant only when dropouts had been excluded.
My commentary after each quote.
revealed six case reports involving a total of eight patients. Tunguy-Desmerais reported on a two-year-old child taking acetaminophen and amoxicillin for pharyngitis. After a febrile seizure, ulcerative gingivostomatitis was diagnosed, phenobarbital–vitamin B6 syrup was added, and oral metronidazole was started. The next evening, the child was flushed but not febrile and, because both the analgesic and phenobarbital–vitamin B6 syrup contained ethanol, a metronidazole–ethanol reaction was considered likely.
I'm not an expert in pediatric liver function, but I do know that it takes longer for children to metabolize EtOH than it does for an adult. And the flushing is certainly a side effect of plain old alcohol consumption. Going right for the metronidazole-ethanol "reaction" seems a little too convenient, and more than a little irresponsible.
Another report involved three patients: a woman prescribed rectal metronidazole following hysterectomy, who became nauseous, pale, and dyspneic 36 and 60 hours postoperatively and was discovered to have taken a large amount of whiskey just prior to each episode; an 18-year old patient being treated with amoxicillin and metronidazole for pelvic inflammatory disease who experienced nausea, flushing, and headaches each evening after drinking ethanol; and a man who, after a 1g dose of metronidazole and a shared bottle of wine at his evening meal, vomited violently.
- Taking whiskey in a post-operative state is probably not advisable regardless of the circumstance. Hysterectomy, while relatively common, isn't a walk in the park.
- Metronidazole can nausea and even vomiting all by itself. It doesn't need any help from alcohol.
- See #2. 1g is a lot of metronidazole all at once, especially if you're unused its GI effects. Would the man have vomited even if he'd not had a bottle of wine? We can't be sure, but you can bet that it wouldn't have been mentioned in the literature if it hadn't. It would have been chalked up to a bad reaction to the medication.
Plosker reported a reaction following intravaginal use of metronidazole. This case involved a female pharmacist who, after two or three cocktails (each contained ~1 oz of (vodka), inserted a single vaginal suppository of metronidazole 500 mg and went to sleep. She awakened an hour later with a burning sensation in her stomach, nausea, and a severe headache accompanied by a cold sweat, which she believed was a metronidazole–ethanol reaction.
I could go for the easy ad hominem attack here, but it doesn't serve any real purpose — and in any case, I am on my way towards showing that EtOH and metronidazole is not necessarily the End of the World. That said, the burning sensation and nausea could have been from the medication itself. Flagyl can cause this type of reaction, even when it's not administered orally.
A potentially serious reaction involved a 16-year-old male who, nine days after resection of an hepatic echinococcal cyst, developed a staphylococcal infection. He was treated initially with intravenous vancomycin, followed by a combination of intravenous nafcillin, clindamycin, and gentamicin. This regimen was then changed to intravenous trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) and intravenous metronidazole, in addition to his chronic therapy with albendazole, docusate sodium, and ferrous sulfate. After 12 hours and for the following 60 hours until the TMP/SMX was switched to oral therapy, he vomited and experienced flushing, which was attributed to a metronidazole interaction with the alcohol in intravenous TMP/SMX.
Attributing these side effects to the EtOH in the TMP/SMX is easy. It's also irresponsible, because a mechanism of action had been proposed by this point in time, but not substantiated. (Exhibit B will cover this more.) This reaction is not completely out of the question — metronidazole can indeed increase the levels of intracolonic alcohol dehydrogenase — but it's still irresponsible to put down, for certain, that this was the cause of the boy's distress. I wonder if the heavy antibiotics he was on could have contributed to this. It seems possible that by mowing down his normal intestinal flora, he's in a position to experience these effects anyway.
Another potentially serious reaction reported by Harries et al. also involved intravenous metronidazole, this time combined with cefotaxime and papaveretum in a patient who had been drinking heavily and stabbed in the chest and abdomen. A chest drain was inserted and 500 mL of blood was drained; peritoneal lavage produced clear fluid only and the patient was admitted for observation. Four hours after an initial improvement, he became short of breath and nauseous; he vomited, had a headache, and was profoundly acidotic. This metabolic disturbance was attributed to a metronidazole–ethanol interaction.
Drunken guy stabbed in the chest and abdomen. Chest drain removes half a liter of fluid, and four hours later the patient complains of nausea, vomits, has a headache, and is acidotic. And then it's attributed to a metronidazole-ethanol interaction.
I could think of a few things that're more likely to have caused this. Can you? He's been stabbed and he's probably developing a hangover spring readily to mind.
This last one is a real doozy:
Toxicity due to an ethanol–metronidazole interaction appeared on the death certificate of a 31-year-old woman. Cina et al. described the case of an alcohol abuser who had been in frail health for four years following a serious car accident involving severe chest, abdominal, and closed head injuries. After being assaulted by a man, the patient had collapsed and died. Medications found at the scene included propoxyphene, acetaminophen, naproxen, metaxalone, carisoprodol, amitriptyline, hydroxyzine, vitamins, and cough syrup. No metronidazole or empty metronidazole container was found and she had not recently been prescribed metronidazole by her doctor. Because high concentrations of ethanol and acetaldehyde were found, assays were performed for disulfiram and metronidazole. There was no discussion of the methodology that reportedly found metronidazole in her serum, despite the fact that this was not one of the drugs found at the scene. In addition, there was no discussion about whether any of the other drugs in her possession, for which she was apparently not tested, may have cross-reacted in the metronidazole assay. It was concluded that she had probably ingested metronidazole without the knowledge of her physician and had discarded the bottle before she died.
I think the idiocy here speaks for itself. "It was concluded that she had probably ingested metronidazole without the knowledge of her physician and had discarded the bottle" my ass. Flagyl ain't a drug people are likely to abuse.
Indeed the common thread throughout these cases has been the assumption that metronidazole and ethanol are the culprits without any real testing to verify whether or not this is the case. This study was published in 2000, and while there was a proposed mechanism of action for this EtOH-metronidazole reaction, there was no real evidence yet to support the proposed mechanism. There are also possible — and I would be so bold as to suggest more probable — causes for each of these adverse events, and I have done my best to explain them.
Now on to Exhibit B which talks about the science of the proposed alcohol-metronidazole interaction.
Bits and Bobs from Exhibit B (Back to top)
Disulfiram works its magic by inhibiting the hepatic low aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) which increases blood acetaldehyde concentrations after alcohol is consumed. This is exactly like "Asian flush" — a common, genetic condition wherein those affected are unable to effectively metabolize alcohol completely leading to flushing, nausea, and a quickened pulse.
It was theorized that metronidazole may have a similar effect on ALDH. However, studies have shown that this is not true in rats. So, what about people?
Well, it doesn't do it in humans, either. In fact, it had the opposite effect. Metronidazole caused a reduction in acetaldehyde production, opposite to the effect of disulfiram(!). Indeed, in Exhibit B, the graphs show (probably clinically insignificant) that the participants in the double-blind, placebo-controlled, alcohol-metronidazole study that the blood alcohol levels for the participants taking metronidazole were slightly lower than their placebo-controlled counterparts between the 40 and 80 minute marks:
None of the participants noted any dyspnea, flushing, vertigo, or headache during the test. Interestingly, the heart rates for the metronidazole group tended to be about 10bpm lower than the control group throughout the test. I don't know that this is clinically significant, but it is interesting:
Final thoughts (Back to top)
So we've got some age-old advice that doesn't stand up when tested properly, and we have a proposed mechanism of action that doesn't hold up to closer scrutiny, either. Where does that leave us?
It leaves us with a couple things… Some people experience GI distress while on Flagyl. Sometimes they vomit. Sometimes they drink alcohol and vomit. Sometimes they drink alcohol and don't vomit. That tells us that:
- Flagyl is hard on the stomach. It's a difficult medication to tolerate for a good percentage of folks, regardless of its effect on blood acetaldehyde levels.
- Flagyl is not a disulfiram-like drug, and should not be referred to as such.
- Flagyl will not absolutely cause the vomiting associated with Antabuse when consumed in conjunction with alcohol. Pharmacists should stop counseling that it will.
- Adverse events are too often attributed to metronidazole because it is convenient, and "everyone knows" that alcohol and Flagyl are a recipe for disaster.
- Flagyl remains an unpleasant drug to take; its side effects are real and often severe, and should not be downplayed.
- Patients should be educated about these side effects, and how to minimize them. Avoiding alcohol is one way to do this. Taking it with food is probably more effective. Doing both is obviously better than doing just one of the two.
It is my suspicion that early researchers thought there was a link between metronidazole and alcoholism due to the medication's side effects. Taste perversion. Smell perversion. These things will cause folks to avoid certain foods for the duration of the drug therapy. Alcohol is one of those things. It's coincidental, and its usefulness in the real world is questionable.
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Interesting. I'll have to have a look at what my Stockley says.
Comment by ukcommunitypharmacist — August 17, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
Thank you for the post — universally, I always see: "NEVER – take Flagyl with Alcohol". 3 years ago, I was prescribed this drug for about 20 days. I recall going out one night and drinking, and feeling no adverse effects, wondering if something was wrong.. but more likely, the packaging is wrong and outdated.
Comment by Miles — September 1, 2007 @ 9:42 am
how long after taking Metronidazole can you drink a glass of wine. I was prescibed 8 pills to take in one shot doctar said 24hrs and the pharmacist said 48 hrs without having any violent reactions
Comment by Gaby — September 24, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
The pharmacist is closer. Of course, you won't have a violent reaction anyway, which you'd know, if you'd bothered to read the entry you've commented on.
Comment by RJS — September 25, 2007 @ 7:13 am
This is useful information, contrasting to the end-of-the-world hysteria launched at me by a generally pleasant and I am sure well-meaning pharmacist. I was counseled "DO NOT USE ALCOHOL WITH THIS! I MEAN, NO MOUTHWASH, NO COLOGNE, NO ALCOHOL HAND STERILIZER." (She was actually talking in all caps.)
But, out of habit, at the hospital, I used alcohol hand sterilizer and nothing dire happened. So I began to wonder about the real risks associated with this medication. Well phooie. I'll buy THESE odds, any day.
Agree also on the taste of the pill — seismically horrible, though the taste and smell perversion have yet to emerge. Fingers crossed and knocking wood.
Comment by BH — September 29, 2007 @ 2:19 am
Thanks for the info. It was very useful! Hope mine helps anyone looking into this topic also.
I have taken Metronidazole in two different doses and neither bothered me when I drank wine during the the "don't drink" time.I was just fine! Granted it was only a glass but hey if hand sanitizer is supposed to affect you then I'm sure a glass of wine would have.
First dose was 4 500 mg tabs all at once and second dose was 1 500 mg tab 2Xs a day for 7 days.
Comment by CG — October 6, 2007 @ 2:15 am
As a current pharmacy student who has worked previously in the retail setting….THANK YOU!! I've always struggled to find the evidence for the "disulfiram" reaction associated with Metro. My brother is a doctor and told me years ago the reaction was bogus. I still think it's a C.Y.A. warning, though. It's better to err on the side of caution when someone asks, "Can I take this with alcohol?" in this sue-happy nation.
Comment by Dan Irizarry — December 12, 2007 @ 1:31 am
Thanks for this useful information – I was lectured twice yesterday by my dentist and pharmacist. Both of them told me that there is extensive evidence to suggest metronidazole and alcohol are an absolute 'no-no'.
Comment by Iain Carson — January 9, 2008 @ 11:51 am
I TOOK IT AFTER DRINKING 2 GLASSES OF WINE. I WENT TO BED AND TWO HOURS LATER WOKE UP IN HELL. I VOMITED FOR 3 HOURS STRAIGHT, CHILLS, WEAK AND BAD BURNING IN STOMACH FOR SEVERAL DAYS.I ALMOST WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, WORST NIGHT EVER. I TOOK IT FOR THREE DAYS FINE UNTIL I HAD WINE. MAYBE ONLY WINE MAKES YOU ILL, NOT GRAIN ALCOHOL. IT DEFINATELY HAD AN EFFECT ON ME.
Comment by jen — January 10, 2008 @ 12:31 am
I tried to have a glass of wine while on Flagyl and immediately got a headache and just didn't feel good. After that I had no desire to drink while I was on it.
Comment by CCC — January 11, 2008 @ 3:00 pm
ok- I have taken Flagyl 500 mg twice daily for 5 days. On the 6th day I took the am dose but had skipped the pm dose. I had gone out with friends to dinner and drank a significant amount of alcohol. ( more than 6 drinks) I experienced NO vomiting or nausea at all. I woke up the next morning took my am dose on time and have still had no problems. A previous doctor that put me on it- claimed it would cause SEVERE sickness and I couldnt even take Nyquil b/c of the alcohol. These claims about Flagyl and alcohol are bogus.
Comment by Random Anonymous — January 12, 2008 @ 11:14 am
I have a history of diverticulitis and have been prescribed flagyl and cipro too many times to count, sometimes for two weeks at a time. I'm on it right now, have had a very hard day at work and need a few drinks!! I've drank SMALL amounts of alcohol while taking the flagyl several times, always anticipating the terrible vomiting nightmare I've been warned about, but have never experienced it. So, after reading this I am going to bite the bullet and actually try to enjoy two full glasses of Bacardi and diet coke while on the medication. If I get violently ill as I've been told I will by every pharmacist and doctor, I will add a comment tomorrow to this site, but the entry above is convincing enough to me that I'm going to take the chance. Cheers!
Comment by Kate — January 16, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
I have been prescribed Flagyl and was also given the "you will experience horrible things if you even touch a drop of alcohol" speech. I am a flight attendant who uses hand sanitizer constantly throughout a day. No effects. I also am a perfue whore…no effects. Going through a divorce, to quote Bridget Jones, "my most significant relationship is with a bottle of wine", I really enjoy my glass or two a night. I'm on day three and about ready to go postal. (Maybe I should check into AA…hmmm) ANYWAY, I am encouraged to at least try a tiny glass with my dinner. Cheers!
Comment by Brooke — January 17, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
I don't want this to sound like an endorsement. But, I'm taking Metronidazole for diverticulitis (500MG 3xs daily) and skipped my PM dose last night and had three normal (small) glasses of white wine.
I drank it slowly over a period of a few hours, had a full stomach of food, and drank plenty of water as well.
I had no nausea at any point at night or this morning. I have no headache, and am otherwise fine.
Again, this isn't meant to be an endorsement. Like mixing ibuprofen and alcohol, so many people have done it with no noticeable side effect, but that doesn't mean that it isn't damaging the liver…right?
Comment by Alex — January 21, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
Ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) with alcohol is fine. You don't want to mix Tylenol (acetaminophen, paracetamol) with booze. Always check the labels before you imbibe.
Comment by RJS — January 21, 2008 @ 10:55 pm
Day 7 of taking Flagyl 3 x 400mg daily. 83kg male, mid 20s.
-twice daily mouthwash (listerine mint) without problems (hoping to keep the oral bleeding wounds germ free)
-Tested 2 pints of guinness with dinner. Last pill taken 6 hours ago (next pill in 2 hours).
This was obviously not a clinical trial and I do not recommend others to experiment on their own, but in my limited flagyl+alcohol experience I was not able to detect an adverse reaction nor any other identifiable symptoms during or within the 2 hours following ("now"). YMMV
What I can definitely recommend AGAINST is "After 8" dinner mints. I ate one on day 1, and my tongue/throat reacted on contact, leaving sores on my tongue (split areas, bumps and bleeding), and a swollen and sore throat that persisted for the 6 following days. Neither hard mint candies nor mint mouth wash duplicated this for me — could it be the chocolate? If anyone else can confirm this, I would be interested to know.
Comment by Michael — January 23, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
I, too was fed the old you will vomit if you consume alcohol while taking this drug mantra by my friendly pharmacist, but after reading this page I decided to challenge that notion and perform my own trial. I headed to the closest bar after work last night, and ordered up several Black & Tan pints. After the first couple, I was not able to detect any ill effects of the Flagyl/alcohol interaction, so I continued on. However, after a few more, I began to experience slight dizziness and started having trouble with my balance. I also began slurring my speech, which became nonsensical, and was having a hard time gauging the attractiveness of the female sitting next to me. The worst part of this experiment came this morning when I awoke to find that this drug combo had left me with a pounding headache and slight loss of memory.
Alright, in all seriousness, I did pound several drinks last night and saw no ill effects of the Flagyl/alcohol interaction – other than those normally associated with a good night out. This led me to conclude that my pharmacist was spouting baseless rhetoric, and I now have reason to question any further instruction I receive from her.
Comment by Diamond Dave — February 11, 2008 @ 1:14 am
I wouldn't go that far; it's not her fault. In fact, you will probably never find a doctor, pharmacist, nurse, physicians assistant or any other medical professional that will tell you anything other than Flagyl + EtOH = vomit.
It's pounded into heads in pharmacy school, med school, and every other type of school where one learns about drugs. Blame the establishment, not her. It's just one of those things that you are taught that you never think to question. (Because honestly, why would you?)
Comment by RJS — February 11, 2008 @ 11:40 am
Hey there — Firstly, I'm just a consumer……not a medical professional, just a consumer or "patient" if you will. Secondly, thank you for such an extremely informative and brilliantly candid look into this "interaction". — I myself have just come from the doctor & chemist who both put the fear of death into me about consuming alcohol whilst on Flagyl, telling me that I will be violently ill if I have a drink! I'm not a huge drinker to start with, but I do like a drink at the end of the day to wind down, so needless to say I was somewhat disappointed! So once home (and after staring hopelessly at my red wine bottle, bourbon bottle and the evil flagyl packet) I decided to Google this waring (complete with a bourbon & cola in hand)! – OK, I am yet to take my very first flagyl tablet "after" my evening meal, however if I start feeling weird or vomitting, or even feel fine, then I'll certainly let you know……but then I'm having take-away for dinner……….maybe that'll be worse than the flagyl!?!?!! Cheers!!!
Comment by TKW — February 22, 2008 @ 4:54 am
I posted comment number 5, and have followed this thread with interest. I now have a pretty firm belief that the violent reactions anecdotally associated with Flagyl are based largely (possibly solely) on its HORRIBLE TASTE.
I am no stranger to the taste of antibiotics — as I child, my mom gave me a penicillin tablet and I chomped down on it, thinking it was a Chocks chewable multivitamin. ALL antibiotics taste horrible, but Flagyl abuses the privilege. Its taste alone is enough to be powerfully emetic, and one burp could bring its essence right up one's esophogus and onto one's tastebuds. This phenomenon might be especially acute if the medication were taken on an empty stomach, moreso if one were drinking on an empty stomach. Visions dancing in my head of a cocktail hour featuring Flagyl daiquiris, bourbon-and-Flagyl, Flagyltinis and Flagylritas are intrusive and nauseating even now, and I haven't taken the stuff in six months.
Comment by BH — February 22, 2008 @ 3:32 pm
I've been on Flagyl for probably 4 years now for Crohn's disease, and it doesn't look like I'll be getting off it anytime soon. This information eases my mind quite a bit, as I'm going off to college next year. I've managed to avoid all high-school drinking, but I doubt this'll be possible in college.
And I don't know what this nasty taste you're all talking about is. It's just a pill. As long as you don't let it sit on your tongue for too long it's fine, and this is the case with many meds.
Comment by Jake — March 1, 2008 @ 5:11 pm
Continuing on from my post (# 19), I've returned to give my feedback on my recent flagyl experience. Yep, I felt sick in patches….no denying it. Although I think I can safely say that this was not because of consuming alcohol. In the first two days of my week-long course I felt great (I was taking 200mg, 3 times a day combined with 2x courses back-to-back of Augmentin Duo Forte, taken twice daily). By the night of day 2, I was sick with vomitting and a rather turbulent lower tummy. – I've haven't been on antibiotics for about 5 years, but had my fair share of them in my teens with cronic tonsils and numerous ear infections and even back then they managed to throw my system out in some way (as to be expected).
Initially, I didn't feel like alcohol and deliberately avoided it for the first 3 days for fears of feeling worse. It wasn't until I had a friend drop in to visit after work on day 3 and we had a couple of drinks together……ironically, the alcoholic drinks (icey cold chardonnay) seemed to calm my tummy down and I suffered no adverse effects (no nausea, vomitting, headaches, etc……nothing!). I felt great again!!! I also consumed bourbon and cola in subsequent nights and again, suffered no effects. I doubt this is reliable data, but it is based on my own personal findings.
Flagyl is horrible, I grant you that …..not as bad as ciproxin (now that in an IV form is nasty, but that's another blog!!). Bottom line is that I survived my week on it and the rather large abcess I once had is practically gone.
I agree with post 20……The one thing I really hated was the occassional 'flagyl burbs' (maining in the morning and I dare say because I normally don't eat a lot for breakfast) which left a horrible taste in my mouth and a feeling of nausea. – But when washed down with plenty of food, I barely noticed it's taste. Cheers!!
Comment by TKW — March 3, 2008 @ 3:17 am
I was put on Flagyl for Crohn's Disease a few years ago but decided I didn't want to stay on it because of the taste and interfering with my social life! So ditched it, I have been on it a few times since and on it today 5 x 200g tablets for an infection. I felt a bit sick this morning when I took it and have had a horrid taste in my mouth all day, it's been 12 hours and I am going to take a glass of wine and will report back if anything happens. I beleive in the power of the mind and I told my doctor and myself when diagnosed with Crohn's that I would keep really fit and it wouldn't affect me – and it doesn't, people find it hard to believe I have it. I think if you THINK and BELIEVE you will get sick taking Flagyl with wine you will. I don't BELIEVE I will so here is the test.
Comment by Debbie Carr — March 5, 2008 @ 4:34 am
Mixing metronidazole and alcohol is DEFINITELY asking for severe sickness. Maybe it varies from person to person but here's my experience:
When first prescribed it, I remember a doctor telling me no alcohol while I took it. I listened, but on the day I finished my prescription, I went out that night and drank. The next morning, I didn't just wake up with a hangover, I was heaving for hours. I couldn't get comfortable. It was TERRIBLE.
Recently, I took metronidazole 500 mg for a week and the NEXT night, I thought it would be safe to drink. I had like 3-4 glasses of wine and woke up the next day at like 6am and had to run to the bathroom. I almost didn't make it. I was SO sick. I came back to bed hoping to sleep it off, but my body would start heaving pretty much every half hour. I was overheating and laying on the bathroom floor feeling like I was going to die. I almost had someone take me to the ER. Anyone who says this is bad interaction BS is…full of BS. I experienced it firsthand and trust me, I will always wait at least 3-4 days after FINISHING the meds to even touch a drink.
Comment by Amanda — March 14, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
Oh and also, I do get that nasty taste in my mouth after awhile that some people noticed.
Maybe some people just react more severely than others. And no, it wasn't me psychologically making myself sick because I thought it would happen. I actually drank both of those times thinking that there wouldn't be a problem, then woke up running to the bathroom without giving it a thought. Ugh, so terrible.
Comment by Amanda — March 14, 2008 @ 4:36 pm
I'm on the Metro, and it's Thursday… and tomorrow is Friday… so naturally I'd like to have a few drinks. I will stick to beer, but will probably commence to drink at a natural rate until adverse effects take over. I'll report my findings. Also, I noticed that several people who had booze skipped their evening dosage. That could definitely be a factor in reducing negative effects.
Comment by Kent — March 19, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
I am currently taking Flagyl and Cipro for diverticulitis. I have been on this regimen before and tolerate it quite well. By yesterday I was starting to feel relief from the diverticulitis until after lunch when I began experiencing intense nausea, severe chills, and increased abdominal pain. Last night I was planning on calling my doctor first thing in the morning, but when morning came I was OK again. I was baffled by this episode until I remembered I had miso soup for lunch. I suspect the soup was the culprit. Miso is fermented soybean paste–i.e., it contains alcohol. The miso had been in my frig for a while, so it probably contained more alcohol than usual. Other people's comments suggest that there is a lot of variation in reactions to the combination of Flagyl and alcohol, but personally I'll take pains to avoid the mix in any form. I am a senior which may have made the reaction more severe.
Comment by PDO — March 20, 2008 @ 11:59 am
I'm on Metrodinazole, 3 x 400mg/day, since Good Friday, for 10 days. I like a pint but stayed off over the weekend, because of the warnings, until I found this site. I had a pint yesterday, Easter Monday, with no ill effects, so I've had 2 today. I'll let you know.
Comment by david cooke — March 25, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
I wrote # 28.
No ill effects after 2 pints, so I've had 3 today and I'm going to try 2 more tonight. Will keep you posted.
Comment by david cooke — March 26, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
I have a new in-law who is a pharmacist, and ran my experience described in post #17 by him on Easter Sunday. He claims that Flagyl is chemically very similar to some drug called 'Antabuse', which apparently is used to treat alcoholics by making them violently ill when they drink. He said that maybe 25% of people taking Flagyl will have a negative reaction with alcohol. This could explain why some people report vomiting, etc., while others do not. I don't know this guy well enough to know if he's a blowhard, but he was really good at pronouncing 27-letter words.
Comment by Diamond Dave — March 27, 2008 @ 12:09 am
Nos. 28 & 29. I think 5 pints (lager 4.5%) may be one too many, I felt "whoozy" drinking the last one, but I'm quite happy to drink 3 or 4 a day. Good luck everyone, my advice would be to try it, but go steady, in moderation.
Comment by david cooke — March 27, 2008 @ 6:08 am
Comment 23 – I had a glass of wine and nothing happened.
Comment by Debbie Carr — March 27, 2008 @ 6:11 am
A common misconception in medical circles is that they're chemically similar, but they are not.
Antabuse (disulfiram)
Flagyl (metronidazole)
They are completely different.
Don't think he's a fool, though. Like I said in a comment above, Flagyl + booze = bad is drilled into everyone's head so much that they don't even think to question it.
And the % of people who have a bad reaction changes depending on who you ask. 25% is a nice, safe number in that if you have a reaction, it's not hard to believe that you're part of that 25%, and if you don't have a bad reaction, well I guess you're just part of that 75% who're safe. See what I'm getting at?
Comment by RJS — March 27, 2008 @ 8:26 am
I'm totally flabbergasted. I'm half-way through a 10-day course of Flagyl and make my living in the drinks industry. Naturally it's been rather trying! I heeded the "not one drop" rule up until now, which has been quite unpleasant. My doc said essentially "a drink could kill you, and if it doesn't, you'll wish it had". So, up until now, total abstinence. Tonight I'll have my taxes done and tomorrow the weekend arrives….and I've read all these posts. Now I have no idea what to believe. A glass of wine or beer would be awfully nice. I wish I knew whether to risk it, but thanks for sharing your experiences.
Comment by GTO — March 27, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
See #34 above. Okay, so I just went out and had dinner with three drinks. I'm on 500 mg, 3 x daily. I can't say what effect this might have on anyone else, but I feel EXCELLENT. My weekend is saved. Thanks for the straight-up info, folks.
Comment by GTO — March 27, 2008 @ 10:16 pm
Great summation of the available evidence. I do not know who RJS is (first time I have visited this site) but I love the way he/she writes—more science should be written this way, IMHO. Reading the scientific literature most of the time, you'd think the articles have been written by identity-less robots.
I am taking Flagyl (3 x 200mg/day) for a gum infection, and have been abstemious, so far. Tonight a glass of wine with the girlfriend—let's see what happens (this is the empirical approach, embodied!).
RJS, I will read your other articles, for sure. TIA, kl
Comment by Kit Laughlin — March 31, 2008 @ 2:46 am
I had taken only my first pill, was fixing dinner, and drank one glass of wine without thinking. When I realized what I had done, I called the pharmacist and was told I was very foolish and to call my doctor. I was terrified I would die with this horrible mistake, but nothing happened. I went online for information and found this article. Thanks for the reassurance that nothing horrible should happen.
Comment by Joan — April 4, 2008 @ 3:38 am
I posted comment number 5, and have followed this thread ever since. It is remarkable and gratifying to me the comfort this resource has brought to folks. Makes me wonder how many people are out there quaking from hysterical warnings that have little if any basis in reality.
Comment by BH — April 4, 2008 @ 3:53 am
Now finished the course of Flagyl. Gums perfect.
I was able to have a glass or two of fine red wine each of the last four nights. Absolutely no reaction of any kind, apart from a warm glow. Cheers, KL
Comment by Kit Laughlin — April 4, 2008 @ 4:15 am
I am a physician working in sexual health("Genito-urinary medicine",in the UK), and have been driven crazy for years by colleagues and patients insisting they couldn't have alcohol with metronidazole(Flagyl)or Tinidazole.These antibiotics are very valuable and useful,as they are required to treat up to 20 percent of all our female patients(with bacterial vaginosis, pelvic infection or Trichomonas)and a few male ones.
Alas,many of our patients/clients tell us that they stopped their pills a few days after starting,or had an interval without medication,because they had been told by the nurse not to drink alcohol with them.SO THEY STOPPED THE PILLS,NOT THE ALCOHOL! Rather clever really, but unfortunately their infection never went away!
I had always intuitively disbelieved this general ban on alcohol,or at least thought that any inherited genetic defect in metabolising metronidazole with alcohol affected only a small fraction of the population(5%?). Thanks to RJS for adding some scientific clout to our rebellion against this old wives'(and husbands) tale.
As a consequence,I have been trying to train our staff to go easy on our warning about alcohol,while still mentioning it.My current advice is that if the client is needing to have some drinks during their therapy, then wait 45 minutes hour after the first glass; if they don't have any reaction of dizzyness,vomitting,flushing,ec,then they can carry on all night!(drinking that is..).
If the reaction doesn't happen early,then they are not genetically programmed to be sensitive,and they are not going to get a reaction later.
AND THE OTHER FABLE ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS NOT WORKING IN THE PRESENCE OF ALCOHOL HAS NEVER HAD A SCRAP OF PROOF–it's crap.
Of course,I hope I'm right, or there's going to be an angry crowd knocking on my door tomorrow!
Remember,I may be a medical doctor, but all my decisions can't be strictly scientific.Especially if all the science ain't there to scrutinise.
So go and enjoy your Stella,Jacob's Creek or(if your lucky) champagne!
Comment by Rex Melville — April 4, 2008 @ 11:08 am
Sound advice, Rex.
Comment by RJS — April 4, 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Thank god for this website, I have been pescribed flagyl 200md three times daily for mouth infection and was not looking forward to a week without a drop of the red stuff. I took the plunge and had a third of a glass of wine and after an hour there has been no ill effects, no flushes, no increase in heart rate, no numbness, no headaches and no nausea. I will post again if I do and thanks for the valuble info.
Comment by Mrl — April 8, 2008 @ 8:21 am
The morning after having about one full glass of wine I felt fine, in the late afternoon I felt like I was about to pass out, This only lasted about half an hour. In the evening at about 2100 felt odd sensation like my thighs are really cold. Have had one glass of wine and feel ok apart from cold sensation. Have noticed my pulse is slower than normal. I am not going to drink antmore
Comment by Mrl — April 9, 2008 @ 8:28 am
How old are you? You were "ok" in the morning? Felt "funny" in the late afternoon, and "odd" around 9pm. I would suggest that there is more amiss? Go see your GP?
Comment by david cooke — April 9, 2008 @ 9:22 am
David, I think you missed the memo: anytime you take a pill and feel funny a couple of hours later, it's the pill's fault, not anything else's. No matter that you may be dehydrated, overtired, overweight, or drunk. Or all of the above.
If it were an interaction between the drugs and the booze, it would have happened *much* quicker than that. Within 30-60 minutes.
That's not to say that it might not be a side effect of the metronidazole in general, however.
Comment by RJS — April 9, 2008 @ 2:43 pm
I decided to have a few drinks tonight to see what happened. After 3 glasses of wine I did not have any of the symptoms I have mentioned previously.
Comment by Mrl — April 10, 2008 @ 10:27 am
Thank You all sooo much for this. iI was really scared. I am drinking some beers now after reading this and feel just fine!
Comment by tiffany — April 23, 2008 @ 7:07 pm
I got bombed the night after my final course a few months ago for divertiulitis. Had a beer the night before just to test it. I never had any adverse reactions. I'm taking it again now for a flare up and had a beer last night and did feel a little strange, but then again I hadn't ate anything for 48 hours, so go figure. This article has helped me out, but I'd still drink a beer and wait an hour to see how you feel before you tie one on. Cheers!
Comment by Michael — April 25, 2008 @ 12:43 am
Sooo i went out last night, only been on flagyl for a few days, and completely forgot about the whole "Don't drink and take flagly" part. well it was about 4 hours after i took my afternoon pill and i went and took two shots of vodka, about 45 mins later i drank half a beer, and by the time i did that i was feeling like a light weight!! and it lasted for a good 3 hours, then i went and drank one more beer and called it a night. woke up in the morning feeling fine, never threw up or anything, but i realized that i drank and shouldnt have!!! it kinda scared me so i had to look the information up. it sucks because i want to drink tonight but i'm kinda nervous. i jsut thought i'd include everyone in that three drinks after dinner and i still felt that numbness in my lips and the buzz was a bit strong. but nothing severe.
Comment by Casey — April 25, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
I am on 1/2 of a 250 mg flagyl twice a day for 2 weeks. For the first 8 days, didn't have anything to drink for the past 5 nights I've had one to 2 drinks per evening and have not had any ill effects from it. Alcohol has vaired between red wine, margarits, and vodka tonic.
Comment by jim — April 27, 2008 @ 6:45 pm
Greetings fellow readers…I am on Day 4 of 500 mg, 3 x daily following a bout with diverticulitis. Feeling good enough to do a 4 mile hike today and doing a low fiber chicken pizza for dinner and really wanting a beer but freaked out with all the "drink it and prepare to ___________". Bought some Alcohol Free Beer but still unsure as it may have up to .5% alcohol. Saw some web sites that said even that would cause problems. Since I plan to leave my body for science, the least I can do is participate in this grand experiment. Thanks for this facinating web site and especially to Rex (comment 40) for his candor. My feedback tomorrow.
Comment by Mark — May 1, 2008 @ 4:41 pm
Started taking Flagyl 500mg twice a day for 7 days on Tuesday. I have been dying for a late nigwind down. I have heard all the warnings and did all the research and have decided to take my chances with a Grey Goose and grape juice tonight. So far so good (its only been a few min though!!!) I will give you all an update tomorrow! thanks for all the helpful info. Cheers!
Comment by nadia — May 2, 2008 @ 9:02 pm
I had a couple of glasses of wine on Thursday and did feel bad during the night, on Friday I felt very tired and a bit sick. However, I think it's because I have a virus and it's just coincidence that I had wine whilst taking Flagyl, as it's now Monday morning and I feel very 'flu like'.
Comment by Debbie Carr — May 4, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
I started taking it last tuesday and now its sunday i went out friday night and drank 3 beers and felt completely fine that night and day.. so saturday night i had like 6 and ended up throwing up in the middle of the night that could also just be because of the beers, but the next day (today) i have the worst stomach cramps its not unbearable but just veryyyy uncomfortablee =/
Comment by Alexa — May 4, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
I wondered about this because I have some kind of infection causing me to run a high fever. He gave me flagyl (with the warnings about alcohol!) and Bactrim.
I had my doubts anyway b/c my doctor knows I drink and maybe this is his way of treating me (forcing) off of alcohol for a week.
Well I took the plunge and will let you know soon. I believe the reaction should take place quickly b/c alcohol metabolizes so fast.
SD
Comment by SD — May 6, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
P.S It's rare that I DON'T experience some kind of reaction with powerful antibiotics anyway.
We'll see.
SD
Comment by SD — May 6, 2008 @ 2:15 pm
Well I've had quite a few beers and I feel fine.
Comment by SD — May 6, 2008 @ 9:17 pm
Absolutely no reaction. However, I don't think the antibiotics are working.
Comment by SD — May 8, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
I was on day 5 of taking my flagyl 500 mg bid (out of 7 days) and took 2 glassess of margaritas at a concert. I remembered that I wasn't supposed to take alcohol. Boy, did i have an interesting night. I was dancing and screaming for joy from the fast effects of the alcohol. However a couple hours later, I was vomiting the whole night! It was not fun. I will not do again.
Comment by mar — May 8, 2008 @ 9:56 pm
Hey All,
I LOVE my vodka/tonics & I was on flagyl for 4 days before I FINALLY broke down and said to myself "I am going to have a drink & if I get sick….I get sick" I had 3 vodka tonics and felt just fine….Although 3 hours after the drinks I did start to feel A LITTLE sick to my stomach.
I certainly did not get VIOLENTLY ILL like my doctor and pharmacist told me I would. I think flagyl is just a hard drug for some people to take and some people may get sick with or without drinking.
Comment by Michael — May 10, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
was given prescription for Flagyl 500 mg 2x a day for 7 days, well this morning was the first pill, took the second this afternoon, started reading about this crap and called the pharmacist to verify that this stuff is supposed to really make you sick when you drink on it…oh, of course, no alcohol!! My doctor didn't ask if I drank and the pharmacist did not counsel me on the side effects…..I flushed the rest down the toilet , will tell doctor to find something else for the bacteria, or maybe i will go the homeopathic way…
Comment by mary — May 14, 2008 @ 6:38 pm
Are you illiterate or just stupid? Probably the latter because you were able to write a response. But you apparently didn't read my block post or the 60+ comments on this entry.
This further confirms my above suspicions.
Educate yourself or watch a video, since you seem to have trouble actually reading.
Comment by RJS — May 14, 2008 @ 7:58 pm
excuse me, I've done nothing but read about idiots testing the theory of whether you're risking getting "sicker" than you are, just to prove a point….I am not that stupid…I don't need to test the theory…..have enough sense to quit the pills before I questioned my need for a drink on this medication… and by the way, 12 hours after quiting the first two pills, I drank two bottles of wine (my norm) and feel fine!!! ha!ha!ha! but for those 12%? that might have a reaction, quit the pills first!!
Comment by mary — May 15, 2008 @ 7:40 pm
if any of these posts prove anything other than take a chance, see what you get, "if (RJS) doesn't like your post, he will chastise you. If you support my loose "trials", (RJS) will support you"….have some common sense here….there is no support or non-support of homeopathic treatment, nobody says anything about it or changing meds due to the side effects….but the real truth is this drug should not be given out any more, of course with all the other drugs that have disclaimers a mile long, if your doctor prescribes it, refuse the prescription and ask for something else without the side effects and dangers, it is your right……
Comment by mary — May 15, 2008 @ 7:59 pm
I took a 1 dose of 4 Flagyl pills at 10 PM on Thursday. During the next day Friday, I had the metal taste in my mouth, water tasted like pills, and was I slightly lightheaded, but besides that no side effects. On Friday night about 24 hours after taking the pill I proceeded to drink quite a bit of hard liquor. I had about 6 shots I'd guess. I'm 5'5, 111 lb female. Nothing happened, the next morning I feel fine, not even nauseous.
Interesting, right?
Comment by Cassie — May 18, 2008 @ 12:01 am
I have no idea what that sentence is saying. If you're saying that no one ever had a side effect from homeopathy, of course you'd be right, because homeopathy is just water. There are no active ingredients, so the likelihood of having a side effect from taking one of these "remedies" is about as great as getting a side effect from taking a sip of water.
Er, why not? Flagyl is a great drug.
Comment by RJS — May 18, 2008 @ 3:13 pm
you all are idiots, looking to pump yourself up on BS, go ahead , drink on flagyl, encourage medications with a mile disclaimer etc….and downplaying something such as homeopathic treatments as "water", ok……………………at this point not quite sure what your site is worth but a venting blog for those who don't feel well and need some kind of ear, which I guess I was guilty of also….so ciao baby!!
Comment by mary — May 18, 2008 @ 4:19 pm
Whoa, Mary, there are some pretty sensible and reasonable, and thoughtful, people here, so sometimes it's better to pause before unloading.
To RJS: homeopathy definitely cannot be understood in the allopathic framework, for sure (Avogadro's number, probability of getting an active molecule, etc. given the extreme dilutions), but may be effective nonetheless for many reasons. And I agree, Flagyl is an excellent drug, as well as having been around—and effective—for what? 40 years? More?
No side effects does not equal no effect, either, does it? I can think of a few mechanisms that are respectable in the scientific framework that may explain homeopathy's benefits.
Getting back to the original purpose of this thread, it dies seem anecdotally, at least, that the original assertion (that Flagyl and alcohol do not play nicely together) is not the case. Cheers to all, KL
Comment by Kit Laughlin — May 19, 2008 @ 4:06 am
Precisely one reason: placebo.
I'm all ears. Really. Homeopathy has exactly zero peer-reviewed studies to back any kind of therapeutic efficacy.
Comment by RJS — May 19, 2008 @ 8:02 am
The placebo effect is not trivial, though, is it. As well, if in play, the placebo effect has the benefit of being effective and has the additional benefit of no side effects. Given the apprehension of many posting here directly about side effects (although mistaken in this instance, probably) I think that point is adequately made by the existence of this thread: orthodox Western medicine's prescribed drugs have benefits and costs. Side effects are one of the costs.
As for other reasons, I am thinking of the water "imprinting" that the homeopaths and their researchers claim is the process responsible for the diluted substance's effects.
This is not my field, but I keep an open mind. Seems there are a few studies; I am too busy right now to look further into this.
http://nationalcenterforhomeopathy.org/articles/view,173
Happy to reconsider this after July; book deadline is looming. Cheers, KL
Comment by Kit Laughlin — May 19, 2008 @ 6:07 pm
On flagyl for mouth infection.. throwin a party this weekend, and thought I would check the exact nature of the flagyl-alcohol interaction, make an informed and educated decision about how to approach saturday night.
GOOGLED of course… And found this lot!!!! Thankyou thankyou thanyou!
Going to hedge my bets and will most likely skip sat night's dose but take it easy on the beer anyway, see how I go. AND make sure I start the night on a full stomach!
Have to say I find it incredibly interesting that Mary touts these 'pills' as evil, yet 'normally' drinks two bottles of wine…
Hilarious!
Comment by Lex — May 22, 2008 @ 7:20 am
Well I just finished reading all of your posts. I have been taking metronixadole, 2 250 mg twice a day. I started it last Friday and haven't drank for this entire week. Being all my drunk friends sober driver can make you want to drink heavily. My doctor told me not to drink so I haven't but I finish this evening and it is memorial weekend and being that I live next door to my local watering hole I have been dying for that one glass of wine or vodka soda now for a week. I have a big weekend coming up being Memorial, have a concert on Saturday and lake for sunday and monday. According to all that I have found online they recomment not drinking for 3 days after finishing the drug but I will definitely take it early evening tonight and drink plenty of water and maybe cranberry juice all day tomorrow and eat a big dinner in hopes that I don't get sick. I am a very experienced drinker and have been in a foul mood all week, missing out on all the fun. I will let you all know how it effects me.
Comment by Bacahl — May 22, 2008 @ 2:33 pm
started taking metrogel for a vaginal bacterial infection on sunday but had to switch to oral 500mg tabs 2x a day because period came on tues. and Dr. said the internal gel wouldn't work while having period. I hate taking antibiotics to begin with. Last year took this and after a night of drinkinng got really drunk and major vomiting. Normally the amount of drinking I did wouldn't get me "shit-faced" and sick but that time it did. I think a couple of drinks on a full stomach would be ok for most people but a night of drinking could hit you hard with some nasty side effects.
Like the previous blogger I want to have fun this weekend and have some beers so am thinking of stopping the pills today (friday).
Do you think I have eneogh in my system to kill the infection?
Comment by Kim — May 23, 2008 @ 11:53 am
Wow, this is so helpful. Seeing an analysis of the evidence and hearing others' experiences is helping me make an educated decision.
I finished my 7-day circut last night and want to drink with friends tonight. . .
Having read the entire thread, my conclusion: Eat a full meal, with one drink, wait an hour or two, then have one or two more if there are no adverse effects.
Thank you.
Comment by Sherry — May 23, 2008 @ 12:54 pm
What about drinking before going on Flagyl? I found out i have to be on it for 2 weeks (ugh) so had half a beer at 6pm, took the Flagyl at 9pm. I feel somewhat dizzy and lightheaded, so not sure if side effects of drugs or combo of drugs and the 1/2 beer. I hope I feel ok tomorrow!!
Comment by Krista — May 29, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
My question is the same as krista #75 above. I was prescribed flagyl this morning (500mg 2x daily x7 days) and I just picked it up at the pharmacy. My pharmacist said to not drink while on the meds and also for 7 days after I finished the medication, which I thought was a bit overboard. I was really bummed to learn I couldn't drink once I started it since I have a bbq Im going to tomorrow and want to be able to have a beer or two!
I asked my pharmacist about drinking and then starting the meds the following day, he said thats not good either. He even went so far to give me a scientific explanation of what occurs when alcohol is in your system and you add flagyl. That they bind together in the liver and create a toxic chemical that can possibly cause organ damage. If that isnt a deterent to drinking alcohol on flagyl, I don't know what is (other than warnings of death).
So I hopped online as soon as I got home to find out how much time you should wait to take flagyl after drinking. There is NO info available anywhere. Thankfully I did run across this site and have read through all the comments and find that obviously the warnings from the pharmacist are completely overkill. But I am probably one of those people that will have a reaction because I am highly sensitive to medications in general usually. And I have had a severe vomiting experience in the past and absolutely don't want to go through that EVER again. Like one poster above was told that 'if it doesn't kill you, you will wish it had'. Thats not something I want to endure again.
Thus leading to my question, as the above poster asked as well, which was not addressed here. Should you go by the general rule that alcohol stays in the bloodstream for 24 hours after consumption and wait that long before starting the meds (if you are assuming you will be in the low percentage who get violently ill)?
Comment by Brooke — May 30, 2008 @ 8:38 pm
JUST FINISHED A 7 DAY COURSE OF 200MG METRONIDAZOLE TABLETS AND HAVENT DRUNK AT ALL DOCTOR TOLD ME NOT TO DRINK FOR 3 DAYS AFTER TOO WELL B*****CKS TO IT AFTER SEEING ALL THE POSITIVE COMMENTS ABOUT DRINKING ON IT COMPARED TO THE FEW NEGATIVE ONES IM GETTING RATTED TONIGHT
Comment by KARL — June 3, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
Brooke, I felt lightheaded and dizzy when I drank 3 hours before the Flagyl, but I really think that is a side effect of the drug itself. I haven't touched liquor since and a few hours after I take Flagyl I feel woozy. If you are sensitive to med's, I wouldn't drink prior to taking it..
Comment by Krista — June 3, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
i was recently prescribed metronidazole (500mg, twice daily for 5 days), and was quite put out when i was told to abstain from drinking entirely during my course of treatment, because my sisters birthday is this weekend. i googled the drug and found numerous warnings about the effects of metronidazole and alcohol, one site claimed "even death may occur"! well thanks to the author and all of you who posted comments and recommendations. i will initially "take it easy" this weekend in order to ensure i don't get sick, but i'm sure i will be fine and all in all, will have a great weekend. thanks again!
Comment by Sarah — June 4, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
Thanks for the work rjs.
It would be really neat if you could keep collecting the literature to see more about the formal debate
here is my contibution from a bit a poking around on google.
These may (do) duplicate the references in the meta study
Comment by chad — June 7, 2008 @ 6:18 am
So here are the titles ofthe things I found
Lack of disulfiram-like reaction with metronidazole and ethanol. : Ann Pharmacother. 2002 Jun;36(6):971-4
The Effect of Metronidazole on the Human Taste Threshold to Alcohol (1973)
Sudden Death Due to Metronidazole/Ethanol Interaction American Journal of Forensic Medicine & Pathology.
pubmed related articles at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Comment by chad — June 7, 2008 @ 6:33 am
hey it worked by accident so
here is the pubmed ref
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&LinkReadableName=Related%20Articles&IdsFromResult=2077651&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed
I could not open all of these.
Comment by chad — June 7, 2008 @ 6:36 am
Here is the Ann Pharmacother ref
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12022894?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DiscoveryPanel.Pubmed_Discovery_RA&linkpos=1&log$=relatedarticles&logdbfrom=pubmed
Comment by chad — June 7, 2008 @ 6:38 am
One last point as there have been studies that have involved subjects taking both alcohol and metronidazole the researchers conducting these studies must have thought that the risk of taking alcohol and metronidazole together did not pose too much of a risk to the subjects. And one would expect these researchers to have been the well informed.
thanks again for the info
Comment by chad — June 7, 2008 @ 6:38 am
Ok so i'm going out to a BBQ right now. I plan on drinking around 15 beers. I have about 5 down already and no probs yet. I'll keep you all updated. If you dont here from me that means it did not go well and this site is a myth about giving information. Stay tuned…..Cheers
Comment by Conweezzy — June 7, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
OK so I'm alive. Bottom line is all that talk about getting sick is definitely a bunch of BULL. I probably housed around 15 beers last night and I felt nothing drunk…Thats about it, no sickness or nothing like that. I woke up this morning and feel fine. I am prescribed a 500mg dose twice a day and have been taking this for over a week. It's so nice out I think I will have some beers today as well.
Comment by Conweezzy — June 8, 2008 @ 10:13 am
wow, what a great thread. seems like you're all european (british?) of some sort. well, this american can relate to your love for booze. i just came home with a prescription for flagyl (or metronidazole) to be taken twice daily. the bad thing is, i have a weeklong vacation with 15 of my friends coming up in 2 days..thus, the predicament: to drink heavily, or not to drink heavily.
im going for this approach: start off slow and see what happens. i will know by the first day if i should continue binging or not. ive vomited plenty times in my day, whats a few more?
Comment by dan — June 26, 2008 @ 6:59 pm
I finished a 10 day run of flagyl and cipro 2 days ago and was warned not to have alcohol for three days after finishing the run. I was so concerned that drinking a beer in only 2 days would be a problem but after reading the comments from the alchys above I guess it will be bottoms up!
Comment by Morty — June 28, 2008 @ 1:43 pm
just finished a weeklong drinkfest with a bunch of friends on vacation, taking one pill twice a day..no serious interactions with the two drugs..could possibly have made me more drunk than usual, but no puking/vomiting/dizziness occured when using flagyl/alcohol
Comment by dan — July 5, 2008 @ 1:12 pm
I've just finished 10 days of 500mg 4x/day of flagyl and 500mg 2x/day of cipro for diverticulitis. I was told vomit stories by the pharmacist and even talked to one guy who had the worst-possible experience (ruptured abdominal sutures while heaving and required more surgery). It's been 48 hours since my last dose, so I will try some wine tonight. I drank the .5% beer during the 10 days with no ill effects. This site has been quite interesting to read, and opened my eyes.
I have to say that if you view a few days without alcohol as unacceptable, think about where booze is on your priority list. Should a few days of abstinence be such a huge deal?
Comment by carolyn — July 7, 2008 @ 5:13 pm
I am on 250 mg of Flagyl three times a day. I have been sick for a month with severe intestinal distress. I was hospitalized a week ago and severely dehydrated. All of the stool tests came back negative. Then I went to my gastro doctor 2 days later for a partial sigmoidoscopy and it was negative. I have not been able to keep any food down for a month. My gastro doc finally said we would try Flagyl b/c the tests that they did in the hospital could have had a false negative.
I currently have two autoimmune diseases, Hypothyroidism and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. They were diagnosed when I was 31 and I am now 35. I also spent two weeks in Ireland before becoming sick and now the doctors want to blame it on that. (travelers diarrhea) but I have vomitted also. I've taken pregnancy tests, stopped eating white foods (breads etc.)
Anyway, I have been on Flagyl 5 days now three times a day and am still sick with diarrhea any time I eat. Last night I decided to try the theory of drinking = violently being ill. I was warned by two doctors in the hospital, my gastro doc and the pharmacist.
I met some girlfriends out last night and told myself I would only have two light beers. I did and I was fine. Then we came back to my house and I had about 8 ounces of Bailey's in a 3 hour period. At 8:00 this morning I woke up vomitting violently. I didn't make it to the bathroom. 10 minutes later the same thing. 10 minutes later the same thing. Everything out of my system I went back to bed and slept until noon. Now I am fighting the urge to vomit.
My husband is convinced it's the alcohol. I am sure it contributed to it but I don't believe it's the only reason. I also ate dinner last night which has been making me sick. I also take Janumet for the PCOS, Synthroid for my thyroid and ADHD medication (have been taking that for years and years).
I am not sure about this medication. After reading these posts I am wondering if the medication is contributing to my ongoing intestinal distress. I am so tired of being sick. That's why last night I said screw it and drank but it was a mistake.
I think that everyone's body chemistry is different and the healthier you are, the less likely you are to react to me (maybe – - just a theory). I have lost 15 lbs this month. I am at a loss. I had a colonoscopy several months ago because of anemia so I don't know what is wrong with me.
Thanks for the information about the Flagyl. It was very interesting reading everyone's views.
Comment by Becky — July 13, 2008 @ 3:29 pm
Started taking Metro yesterday…a couple of drinks after work and a couple of glasses of wine with/after diner…no reaction.
Thanks for the site.
Comment by Jim — July 15, 2008 @ 9:23 am
wow, am i glad i found this site. i am currently taking flagyl for bv, and my doc also put the fear of god into me about drinking. "NOT EVEN MOUTHWASH YOU'LL BE SO SORRY!" now, i work 11 hour days and sometimes have to take a bus/walk home when my husband has to use the car for work, and i have my lazy routine when i get home at 8pm… shower, eat, get online with a drink one hand and the mouse in the other, until 11 or so. then i go to bed, get up and do it all over again.
i was irritated about no drinking but scared enough to listen. and i started googling today, ended up here, and guess what? considering the fact that this medicine has given me NO other side effects (besides the rotten corpse taste on my tongue), i'm going to assume i'm one of those it won't hurt.
it's my day off, so i'm going to have a sparks (an orange flavored 'energy beer') and do some housecleaning. i'll post my findings at the end of the night.
Comment by leah — July 15, 2008 @ 8:56 pm
two cans, 8% alcohol each, no discomfort in the slightest. i'm a couple hours late taking my second pill for the day (usually take it at 10) so i'm taking it now, and going to bed. if anything out the ordinary occurs i'll post tomorrow, otherwise assume i came out fine.
to becky, who posted above me: i hope they figure out what is wrong with you, and make it better. sincerely, good luck. i'm dealing with a similar situation myself (unrelated to the reason for taking flagyl) and i've unexpectedly experienced a decrease in my GI symptoms since taking it, so i'm pretty happy about that.
thanks again to the person responsible for starting this discussion. i drank and didn't die.
Comment by leah — July 16, 2008 @ 1:09 am
I drank two bottles of wine and "suffered" from severe intoxication, tendency towards foolish talk, good times, and even ate a full dinner and kept it down. BAH HUMBUG to no flagyl and alchohol! No ill side effects.
Comment by jammaster82 — July 19, 2008 @ 5:28 pm
Been taking 600mg of metro a day for nearly a week, skipped my evening dose yesterday, went out had 7 vodkas, not even my usually headache! lol. metro and alcohol reaction in my case at least is a MYTH!!! Although I did skip a dose to avoid tempting fate!! Thanks for this article, very interesting, I asked on Yahoo Answers and they all told me I would end up in ER get brain bleeding and die! (I didn't) x
Comment by Gemma — July 20, 2008 @ 10:30 am
i'm on 500 3X daily. i probably have crohns, waiting on test results. i've ben on it since may 5th. long day at work, i am looking to get F***ed up. i appreciate people actually talking about this instead of the dire warnings from doc and pharmacist. i've been rather sick lately from a number of different things so i think i'd like to avoid booze for the moment. F*** it, i'm just gonna smoke a fat bowl. no reaction there baby!
Comment by Mike — July 22, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
Well I am almost finished with my flagyl one more day and i have to say, I drank two more bottles of wine and no reaction other than wicked buzz.. lol I have to say I did refrain from drinking for the first four days until I read this blog and then I decided to try 1/4 glass of wine with food and wait.
Regardless, flagyl with or without alchohol is wholly, ungodly and a nasty horrible experience so if your body isnt hating a quarter glass of wine after an hour or so, I would say go for the drink. But flagyl is gonna tear your stomach to shreds and make you wish for the day it will be over, so if you can you might want a buzz with it.
Combining alchohol and flagyl may not cause the reaction. It really makes me think about our future. Are there other things that need to be examined. The power of the press is now in the hands of the blog user. I wonder how many other medical myths may now become exposed the way they do when large amounts of cash are applied to them.
If this idiotic trend continues, we may end up talking to Dr. Lexi (on my favorite movie, Idiocracy), about injuries we received from following the stampede off the side of that broken bridge, without even watching to see if there is even more road ahead before we continue driving. It is just about to the point where you could jump on the public transit and use the following ebonics soundboard to make people think you were listening to them:
Ebonics Soundboard
That's my 2 cents.
jammaster82
Comment by jammaster82 — July 23, 2008 @ 4:33 am
I just started taking Flagyl 4x a day 500 mg which im assuming is a high dose….i need to take this for 10 days. I am supposed to be going to an all day concert on day 4 of taking this medication…im debating having a few drinks on that day. After reading all this helpful information im thinking if i have only a few over several hours and eating in between might be ok…..has anyone been on this high of a dosage and had a few drinks along with some food and been ok? My body tends to be sensitive so thats why im not too sure yet. Thanks so much!
Comment by smf — July 23, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
I'm currently taking 250mg 3x a day. On my second day taking the dosage, I went to a Coldplay concert and decided to go for it and drink wine and beer. I had about 6 drinks. I had an amazing time at the concert and the only thing that was in pain was my voice from singing along. These past couple of days have been awful! And I haven't had a sip of alcohol since Friday night. My side effects are clearly from the Flagyl and not from alcohol combined with the Flagyl. I'm pretty sure Flagyl itself just causes a lot of stomach issues. This article reassured me!
Comment by Ann — July 28, 2008 @ 8:49 am
i am currently taking metronidazole and penicillin for an sore tooth, had some wine last night, felt great last night and this morning. Plan on going on vacation tomorrow and will defintely be comsuming alcohol. Don't think there is a problem with mixing it, maybe it depends on the person? So far so good though.
Comment by nikki — July 30, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
australia vacant glass go kitchen ocean bag ibm girl america land yes
Comment by areuglyengla — August 4, 2008 @ 12:08 am
As I told my doctor "I LUUUVVV BEER!!"
2 things from my experience with metronidazole. First, when I was given the prescription and saw the NO ALKY label and did some research I was very distressed because I had a big golf tourney scheduled for Day 3 of my prescription and also Day 8 coincided with the beginning of my summer vacation. I found this website and thought all is not lost. Talked to a pharmacist who is a very good friend. After her originally trying to talked me out of drinking, "thats one drug you can't drink with", she told me since I was early on in the dosage to skip the morning pill (500mg) drink 1 beer, wait 1/2 hour, and if no bad reaction, I was set to go. Drank 1…waited…nothing…smooth sailing!! Skipped the evening pill also to let the beer try to get out of my sysytem and resumed the next morning. Went 7 days without a drop, no big deal until the vacation rolled around.
Secondly, finished the 10 day prescription Saturday evening, started vacation Sunday, waited til approx 24 hours after the last pill and said "Screw It" I'm drinking. Forget waiting the 3 days for the drug to clear your system, I'm going for it. 1 Killer Beach Cookout, 12-14 beers and 1 great time later….I still live! Felt nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe it screw some people up, but not this one.
Comment by Jim — August 4, 2008 @ 7:56 pm
Just like to add my experience, I was given Metronidazole yesterday morning for a gum infection, my dentist told me do not drink, I thought yeah yeah, been told that so many times with painkillers and other antibots, took my script to the pharmacy he laid down the law absolutely no alcohol, said I would be very very sick, I was a stunned mullet instantly I thought no vodka for what 7 days, I even considered not taking the tablets but the pain was extreme, anyway googled and found this page, thank god!! and decided to carry on with my after work/wind-down drinks (habit of a lifetime) I didn't get hammered but had my usual amount (seasoned drinker here), and very pleased to say had no side effects except of course that nice relaxing feeling.
Thanks again for this site.
I say Cheers!!
Comment by AB — August 12, 2008 @ 6:12 pm
busy kitchen boy site stay house
Comment by valium — August 16, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
The number of posts by people who had no to mild reactions amazes me. It seems as though there is a small percentage of people that cannot tolerate Flagyl and alcohol.
Several years ago I was given Keflex and Flagyl for a suspected case of diverticulitis (sp.) I did as I was directed and did not consume any alcohol during the course of the medication. Not drinking is unusual for me as I typically have 2-4 beers after work per day and usually get a load on once per weekend.
The second day after I was finished with the antibiotics I went out drinking with my brothers. I stopped drinking after 5 because I felt as though I had already consumed more than a 12 pack. I did not make it home that night. I had my brothers drop me off at my parents house at 11 pm and I passed out on their couch.
The next morning when I awoke on their couch I ran to the bathroom and vomited violently. After about a half hour when I could stand my mother drove me home.
My wife refused to believe that I did not have extraordinary amount to drink. I can understand her skepticism as I spent the rest of the day either over the toilet vomiting bile or shivering on the bed in a cold sweat with a debilitating headache.
My advice, for what it may be worth, is to proceed as many of the others who have posted here. Test your personal reaction in small steps. Hopefully you will not be one of the unlucky ones such as myself.
I absolutely believe that my experience was directly attributable to the Flagyl still in my system two days after finishing the prescribed course.
JJR
Comment by Jeff Ryan — August 16, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
btw
The reason I ended up on this site today is that I am currently on Keflex for an inner/outer ear infection. I could not recall if it was the Keflex or the Flagyl that made me sick and I intend to get a load on tonight. I never want a repeat of that last time.
Comment by Jeff Ryan — August 16, 2008 @ 4:13 pm
More likely, Jeff, it was a combination of your getting over diverticulitis — which is very hard on the whole GI tract, not just where it's localized — and not having consumed alcohol in a while.
Frankly, I'm just amazed that people are so attached to their booze that they can't give their GI tract a rest for a couple of days after having a serious GI problem, irrespective of what drugs they take for said condition.
It's just common sense.
All that said, had it been the Flagyl, you would have had a reaction much, much quicker than you did.
Comment by RJS — August 16, 2008 @ 4:16 pm
Just wanted to leave a comment….
I was prescribed Flagyl also, as wel as Amoxicillin, by the dentist. I received the warnings here like everyone else. NO DRINKING!! The pharmacist was also very adamant about it. I decided to try drinking a few beers while on the medicine and…..no issues at all. It seems that there IS a small percentage of people who have had problems but it appears that this is just a small amount of people.
It's probably a unwritten law in the medical community that if there are a few people who can get dangerous side affects, they HAVE to warn you about it to cover their backs.
Bottom line is, I havent received ANY bad results from mixing alcohol with Flagyl.
Comment by Mike — August 16, 2008 @ 7:39 pm
Hi, I'm taking Metronidazole 400g x4 a day post hysterectomy. I was concerned about drinking on these tablets but again, after discovering this website, am going to bite the bullet.
I'm 35, have two kids and post surgery am feeling down and feel like I need to let my hair down – I have been looking forward to this weekend for so long and thought I would be fine to drink but then contracted this horrible infection, hence the metro.
I actually finish the course on Thursday and arrive to a champagne reception at the hotel on Friday. I'm going to take it easy and just have a couple and see how I go.
Saturday night may be a little different as cocktails are on the menu – but still, will try and be a little bit sensible.
I'll let you know how I get on next week – if I'm still alive that is (?!!!??!) x
Comment by Nicky — August 19, 2008 @ 5:43 am
I was on Flagyl for a bacterial infection. 500 mg. 2 times a day for 7 days. I had two verbal warnings to not drink while on this medication, one from my doctor and one from the pharmacist. I heeded their advice and did not drink any alcohol whatsoever for 7 days.
My question is why chance it? Can't most people go without a drink for a measly 7 days? Most of you sound like if you didn't have a drink for week the end of the world was coming! LOL! I find it humorous!
Comment by Gail — August 25, 2008 @ 9:53 am
#108 has me laughing – I was just prescribed Flagyl and read through the posts, I was waiting for someone to comment about why it is such a big deal to give up alcohol for a week. Having said that, I did put off starting the medication by two days because I wanted to drink wine with dinner! Anyway I had googled the effects of alcohol with this medication mainly out of curiosity; just wanted to know what the effects were (my dr told me no alcohol but didn't make a big deal out of it).
I'm more distressed to learn that the nausea and vomiting may occur just as a side effect of the medication – I have a terrible phobia of vomiting. Seems from the posts that there is less of a chance of feeling sick if you take the medication with food, so hopefully that is true in my case.
Anyway, thanks for the great reading and good laughs! I miss Mary…
Comment by SDV — August 26, 2008 @ 8:24 pm
Aight well I am taking 500 mg every 6 hours planning to go out for a lil bit tonight hopefully i can have 1 drink and enjoy it…I'm a lil bit nervous though but this article is really pushing me to say screw it and drink one well hopefully i will post when i get back…
Comment by Deanna — August 27, 2008 @ 10:14 pm
well i drank one drink vodka and cranberry i really felt buzzed when i laid down to go to sleep my stomach started to hurt and this morning it hurts a little bit but I really think it hurts only because I didn't eat a good dinner last night….
Comment by Deanna — August 28, 2008 @ 7:09 am
i was on a course of metro and was assured by a pharmaceutically knowledgeable friend that the only problem with drinking on metro is that it will make you sick as a dog. so (was at a winetasting/stag do/drinkfest) i had a few and took it slowly and then had some more… felt fine at the time but pretty rubbish the next day but imagine i would have done anyway.
Do we think it is definitely the case that the infection is adequately treated regardless of drinking during the course?
Comment by Sonia — August 28, 2008 @ 2:41 pm
I am on my last dose of this medicine I have had 500mg two times a day for a week and this is my last day. I have not taken my morning dose because this is my one day off. I do not have class and I do not have work. This never ever ever happens so i wanted to enjoy a few drinks tonight. i really do not want to get sick but i am dieing to just experiement and see what happens for the near future. I have been prescribed this medicine before. I will let ya know! is one kind of alcohol better than another?
Comment by andrea — September 2, 2008 @ 1:51 pm
This is a really interesting site, I got prescribbed metro today for my infected wisdom tooth (third time now grrrr)! I've had a crap day and really want just half a glass of red, everything I read before this warned me not to even breath in alcohol! Very refreshing to read these comments, I do believe that if you do things in moderation, there's no harm in anything! I'm off to have a glass of red and will report back.
ps RJ I really like your site, it's interesting and scientific but very readable and easily understandable, thanks! x
Comment by Lucy Edwards — September 3, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
pps #112, #108 had me laughing too, I know it seems silly about not drinking but A. you're either prescribed antibiotics directly over some event which would be much more enjoyable with a drink (eg Birthdays, bank hols etc) or B. even if you have nothing on, if someone tells you you CANNOT have something, it makes you REALLY want it lol…..the 'big red button' scenario!
Comment by Lucy Edwards — September 3, 2008 @ 4:50 pm
First, I have to say that this forum is hilarious. The thought of all these folks before me going home after their visit to the doctor's office so worried about not being able to have a drink or two (or 3…or more) that they have to do a little 'net research cracks me up! Mostly because I am one of them!
Like most of the people before me, after reading the mix of stories, I felt I had to experiment with my tolerance of the alcohol-metronidazole combo. I started my scrip on Thurs evening, two 250 mg tabs twice a day, and by Sat night, I was tired of not being able to have a drink (I've been taking anxiety meds that, right on the bottle, say "Do not drink alcohol with this medication," for two years with no problems – that has to say something about my tummy tolerance, right?).
I took my evening pills on schedule, and I went out last night and (slowly) enjoyed 3 glasses of Chardonnay (and food) with zero reaction! I have to say thanks to RJS for creating this forum. Had I not found it, I probably would not have been brave enough to try to drink alcohol with the metronidazole.
Yay alcoholism!
Comment by mindy — September 7, 2008 @ 1:04 pm
yeah but: do the meds actually work if you drink with them? my experimentation proved that i didn't die or even get sick from drinking on metroblabla but as i never noticed the symptoms of the infection i don't know if the course cleared up what it was supposed to treat…are there any pharm experts who can tell me that side of the story? ie does drinking with metroblabla affect its efficacy?
Comment by sonia — September 7, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
I am meeting up with my darling after work tonight and he has purchased some very expensive Merlot. Then I remembered that I am on this crap and am questioning if I can enjoy the evening or if I have to have ice water over a romantic meal with my lover.
I will try a bit and see how it goes, albeit, slowly. I'll report the effects tomorrow!
Comment by Kalifornia — September 11, 2008 @ 7:26 pm
After reading the article and all the comments I'm going to jump on this ship too. Basically, Im 20, and I like to drink whenever possible, nothing quite like that cold pint of T after no days work.
So anyway, I've been taking 3x 500mg Metronidazole/Flagyl for 4 days for a wisdom tooth/gum infection and ive had enough of the no booze, im going to start of with one pint in the pub tonight and see how she goes, wish me luck!. Ill write on here tomorrow to tell my tale.
Comment by Tom — September 12, 2008 @ 12:24 pm
Hello…..
I was prescribed Flagyl for a problem in my gums………i want to drink tomorrow night but am nervous that death is certain if I do…….these doctors try to scare the crap out of you………..I need a doc to tell me otherwise……..please!
Comment by ZonaMike — September 12, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
From all the comments here, and studies that have been conducted, the factors that affect alcohol-flagyl reactions are:
The person's genetics (if they are naturally susceptible to the bad reactions)
The dosage of flagyl/metronidazole
The intake of alcohol
I wouldn't blame doctors for their "OHMYGOD!!DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ALCOHOL WHILST TAKING FLAGYL" stance…as a medical student, I understand why doctors are so cautious. Many of you are willing to experiment and take alcohol alongside flagyl, which is your choice, and you make that decision after you do your research. A doctor cannot however experiment and take risks on their patients, which is why they reduce the possibility of a bad reaction to almost zero by advising you against alcohol, even if there is only a low probability of a bad reaction. Even a 2% chance of a bad reaction is 2% too many…we want to ensure that patients have the highest possible chance of being treated.
If you choose to take alcohol whilst on a course of flagyl…my advice would be to give a large interval (several hours) between the alcohol and your dose of flagyl. The lower your dosage, the lower your chances of no bad effects. Of course this is not in your control, but what is in your control is the alcohol intake. Try and take low alcohol content drinks like beers…and stick to 1 or 2 (better to be safe and sorry whilst being able to enjoy yourself) without taking a lot in at once. If any bad reaction ensues, then stop.
Ultimately the choice is yours, weigh up the risks and benefits to see if it is really worth it in the end.
Comment by BigRonniePoleman — September 13, 2008 @ 9:20 am
Had a pint last night, I was really really tierd before though. The pint didnt really do much to me, but it did give a funny feeling in my tummy, and I wasnt exactly feeling good, so I left it at that and went to bed. Did get a bit of stomach pain in the night but nothing more.
My advice to ANYONE wishing to drink is dont bother. Theres a chance you could end up pretty ill, and you cant enjoy your drink because your constantly thinking "is this going to make me ill?". Wait a good 24 hours after the course and enjoy that well deserved drink!.
Comment by Tom — September 13, 2008 @ 2:13 pm
I started to take 2 (500mg) FLAGYL pills with each meal for 10 days beacause of a stomach infection. My first day was tuesday, and on Saturday (same week) I was invited to a wedding… And well.. to be honest, what's a wedding without getting completely wasted, heh
.
I was very scared to drink at first, but then I decided to ask for a glass of scotch; and even when I was holding the glass in my hands I didnt have the guts to take a zip of it, then I decided to drink it and wait 10mins for any reaction and nothing happened… then I quickly asked the waitress for a 2nd glass, 3rd, 4th.. and so on. I had a great party without any type of reaction.
Now I'm typing this the day after the wedding and I'm taking my first dose of the day with breakfast.
Comment by eduardo — September 14, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
After having 4 days off booze whilst on Metronidazole (tonsilitis and root canal surgery; I needed a drink) because of consulting pharamacological websites, I read this blog and decided to have a couple of glasses of wine. I experienced only mild enjoyement. The next day I had one bottle and experienced considerable enjoyment. The disulfiram reaction, for me at least, is a complete red herring.
Comment by Mark H — September 14, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
I've been taking Flagyl for a bacterial infection for 6 days now, and have one to go. I have to say, I drink socially quite often, and have NEVER had adverse reactions like I had this past weekend. I pretty much always ignore the doctors warnings of "Don't drink on this medication", because normally, I assume they're being overcautious and I'll be fine. I ignored these cautions this weekend, went out Saturday night, had three drinks, and became violently ill. I was throwing up all evening, was light headed, could barely stand, and had to leave the social event early. I chalked this up, at the time, to my not eating a good dinner. However, last night I had a glass and a half of wine after eating a good dinner (and good meals all day), and again became sick in exactly the same manner as Saturday. In the previous posts, it is mentioned that becoming ill from this medication is mental – if you think you'll become ill, you will. I completely disagree with that notion, as I only now googled alcohol and Flagyl AFTER I had adverse reactions. Perhaps this is something that affects only certain individuals?
Comment by Katie A — September 16, 2008 @ 11:12 am
[...] I hit On The Pharm, a neat blog (albeit lacking in "who the hell wrote this, anyway" information) with a [...]
Pingback by Open (Open (Close) » Blog Archive » Do Not Panic — September 17, 2008 @ 10:08 pm
I have been taking Metro for 4 days now. 3 x 200mg per day for a gum infection.
I saw the doctor first, then the dentist, then the pharamcist. All 3 put the fear of God into me about what would happen if I
drank alcohol whilst taking the pills.
So, being a good girl I did as I was told.
Last night I found this site whilst googling for info on the drug itself(being bored and fed up on a Friday night as I usually have a few drinks at the weekend)
Soooooooooo……..I bit the bullet. I had 2 glasses of red wine, followed by 3 large Vodka & Cokes. I waited 30 minutes after the first glass to see if there were any effects There were none so I carried on.
Went to bed at 2300 hrs. Read a book for half an hour. Slept like a baby and woke this morning at 0800 hrs feeling absolutely fine!!!!!
I seriously wonder about the medical profession at times!
JSG
Comment by JSG — September 20, 2008 @ 6:06 am
Sunday night now. Absolutely no side effects whatsoever.
Went out last night for a meal with friends. Had wine and a few vodkas.
Now I just have to have this tooth extracted on Wednesday…….aaaaagghhhhhhhh.
JSG
Comment by JSG — September 21, 2008 @ 1:49 pm
Seriously. Pabst blue ribbon and Flagyl don't mix. I drink 6-12 pbr's every night. Its a relatively weak beer and I've always stuck with it because it leaves no ill effects. Well let me tell you: on my fourth day of taking it, I woke up at 2am puking, shaking and sweating. Had a full stomach too(chili which my whole family consumed just fine). I only had eight beers all day yesterday. Normally would have been fine with a case. I'm allergic to penicillin and this feels so much like the reaction I get to that. Go figure.
Comment by don — September 22, 2008 @ 11:44 am
I've been on the 3×250mg a day regimen for about a week now. Took last pill at 14:00 yesterday, got throttled last night, no I'll effects.
Comment by strangepants — September 22, 2008 @ 5:22 pm
Today I went to my dentist with a raging gum infection. He prescribed Flagyl, 200mg 3x daily(together with warnings about drinking alcohol)and I started them at lunchtime. This evening I had a rum and coke without thinking,then flew to the internet to check on what dire results to expect.
But wait a minute – my dentist also prescribed Corsodyl mouthwash which contains isopropyl alcohol, 10 ml x2 daily. SO-O-O-O I shall continue to have a small tot as usual each evening and blame the mouthwash for any adverse reactions.
Comment by Mo — September 23, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
I'm also someone who wants a drink as soon as someone tells me I can't have one! I started 500mg twice a day on Sunday. Today is Wed afternoon. Yesterday I read this thread and decided to "test" last night. 9hrs after my last pill and about 4 hours after I'd last eaten, I had 4oz of white wine. Waited about 45 min and nothing. I then sipped two more 4oz glasses at a slow pace, consuming the 12oz within a little over 2hrs. Felt fine.
I waited about 1hr20min for my second pill and slept fine last night and feel fine so far today. Took my morning pill on schedule about 3 hrs ago.
I guess I'm one of the lucky ones that doesn't have an interaction with flagyl and alcohol. Of course, I only had 12oz of wine.
Oh yeah, I did eat dinner after the wine and before/during when I took my pill last night.
Hope this helps! Great forum!!! Thankyou!
Comment by GO — September 24, 2008 @ 1:45 pm
Okay, my turn, I gave it a whirl. I am on 500MG, 3x a day, and based on this website, I went ahead and tried a half a glass of strong red wine last night, about 5 hours after my second dose of metronidazole for the day. I think I almost did get sick due to paranoia, but 45 minutes later, I was fine, and went for another 1/2 glass. Then had another 1/2 glass with dinner. Then I took my 3rd pill of the day, and washed it down with yet another 1/2 glass. Then went to bed with 2 full glasses of red wine in my belly and I felt FINE.
I would like to add as well that I am taking this medication for a STOMACH bacterial infection, and I still did not get sick.
Moral of the story? I believe the Alcohol + Metronizole = Doom story, is mostly an old wives tale. Personally I believe there are some that do get sick, and that's where this tail may have started. But this is based on nothing. Just my experiment from last night.
Thanks, to the author of this article for helping to salvage my trip to Europe tomorrow. I am going to Germany during Oktoberfest! I do plan to drink – conservatively now, but at least i can drink!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Jake — September 26, 2008 @ 9:38 am
taking 250mg metronidazole 3x day, on my 4th day after checking out this website had 8-10 drinks with no worries. have giardia so my stomach should be a little on the weak side already but still nothing.
Comment by SB — October 3, 2008 @ 6:27 pm
I have been taking Flagyl a couple or 3 of times a year for 8 years. All that time I have avoided alcohol until last month. I usually feel so crappy when I am on it that I don't miss a drink but this time I was feeling better at the end of my course of drugs and had a couple of beers. Life was fine. I have put off starting Flagyl in the past because I was going to a party or on vacation – what an idiot! Never again, I will just start it when I need it. I still hate the drug though, I get the metallic mouth, everything tastes like Flagyl and I am always vaguely nauseous. I also take CiproXL every day and it has no side effects I can see. Thanks for the post!
Comment by margaret — October 4, 2008 @ 7:10 pm
in response to magaret – please reconsider your use of this drug. it is worrisome that you've been taking it so often for so long. ANY antibiotic abuse will severely compromise your immune system but flagyl especially seems to be one of the stronger drugs! i don't know what you're taking it for, but perhaps it's time you looked into a second opinion!
at the risk of TMI i was on it for BV and i've found that the use of probiotics and yogurt seem to work much better when it comes to preventing recurrence of symptoms.
Comment by Leah — October 4, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
As a result of a recent flare up of diverticulitis, I have been on Flagyl 250mg 3x a day and cipro 500 mg 2x a day. Started on Tuesday evening. Now it is Saturday and after reading the information on this site decided to take my own test.
Took a 250mg Flagyl at 7:30 pm. At 9 pm had a glass of wine. At 10 pm, no effects. Having another glass now!
Have had recurrent bouts with diverticulitis over the last 3 years (even after surgery to remove part of my colon). Every time I was scared to death to drink during the treatment and for 3 days after.
Will update as needed. Thanks to all of the posters here who have helped us understand this much better!
Comment by Bob — October 4, 2008 @ 11:20 pm
I've been on flagyl for 4 days (500 mg X4). I forgot about the very dire warning the doctor had given me (as I was in a lot of pain at the time). For the last three days I've had half a beer every night with dinner. Not a lot of alcohol, to be sure, but I'm one of those people who reacts to everything. There are very few pain killers I can use, I can't take sulfa drugs, and a lot of the 'cillins bother me. Am having few side effects on the flagyl (dry eyes and mouth, insomnia [it's only 5 in the morning]) and the alcohol, despite the warnings, seems to have little effect.
Comment by Laura — October 5, 2008 @ 8:22 am
in response to Leah: Thank you for your concern. In an ideal world I would rather not be taking any antibiotics. I won't go into the long details but I have tried massive doses of probiotics and diet related cures to no avail. Cipro every day is all that works, it stinks but it is what it is.
Comment by margaret — October 5, 2008 @ 2:52 pm
PHEW!!! I have been on a Flagyl 10-day regimine of 500 mg 3 x daily since Tuesday (which makes today Friday). Dry for 4 days… not too difficlut. But, I have plans this weekend which should involve a bit of drinking. I've been preparing to drink non-alcoholic beverages, but I think I'll give it a try now that I've read this.
Comment by Ken — October 24, 2008 @ 10:25 am
After reading these testimonials I decided to chance it and have some beers while taking Flagyl (Day 4 of 7 day regimen, 500 mg 2x daily). I took the first pill of the day around 1000 and then skipped the second dose. I drank my first pint of beer at 1730 and although I suffered no ill effects, I noticed that I felt SLIGHTLY more buzzed than usual after one pint. I made sure to drink lots of water with my beer, based on the above postings.
The first pint was followed up by dinner and another 2 pints. I went slowly and drank lots of water. It could have been psychosomatic but I felt different (i.e., mild lightheadedness and nausea) than I normally do after consuming that amount of alcohol. I knew by the way the alcohol was making me feel that I shouldn't push the limits. Plus, my stomach was really full from all that water!
Bottom line: no extreme adverse reactions, no vomiting or stomach pains. I was definitely still able to have a good time, even though I had to drink judiciously.
I should mention that prior to drinking I was NOT experiencing any side effects from this medication. Perhaps the flagyl and alcohol interaction effect just varies from person to person depending on sensitivity to the drug.
Comment by Heather — October 29, 2008 @ 11:20 am
I have been taking metronidazole 500mgx2 day. I started my first pill sun night. I last took it on or about 10am this morning and its now 9:45pm. I have been studying and writing reports for mid terms all week so I am in dire need of some wine! After reading this, I am going to try having a few glasses of wine. My stomach is usually pretty strong and if it doesnt like something Ill vomit.So i will find out and will let you know.
Comment by Pamela — October 29, 2008 @ 9:44 pm
I suffer from recurrent BV and have to take Flagyl several times a year…one of those times is right now. I am also sipping on some gin and juice. LOL. No ill effects for me and I've done the same plenty times before. I guess everyone's system is different.
Comment by Tanenka — October 31, 2008 @ 2:38 pm
Hey,
I've been taking metronidazole for only 2 days, and aside from the DISGUSTING taste that now permanently resides in my mouth, I didn't experience any other strange side effects until last night when I started drinking. See, unlike the majority of the posters here, by doctor never mentioned anything about drinking alcohol while taking this drug. So last night when I had a glass of wine and I suddenly felt a little uneasy, I shrugged it off. Then I went to a Halloween party and had about a third of a bottle of wine followed by two beers. Outside in the cold I didn't notice anything, but once I got back in my friend's car my stomach was turning in unusual ways, and I felt like my heart was beating ten times too fast. (And no, I am not normally affected by that amount of alcohol.) I never threw up, but when we got home I immediately read the drug label and kicked myself for not reading it before. I didn't know what to do except go to bed, but it was hard to sleep because my heart was still racing. The morning after I still feel bizarre.
The studies and your comments about them were both really interesting – particularly the one about the woman's pulse quickening, since no other sites have mentioned that. Although, oddly enough, I tried to take my pulse this morning and it seemed perfectly normal, even though it felt like my heart was beating a mile a minute, for whatever that's worth. Clearly the drug must just affect everyone differently… My reaction can certainly not have been psychological, because my doctor never told me not to drink, and only later did I realize that 'drinking while on metronidazole' is taboo. But I definitely had a response to the metronidazole+alcohol combo, since none of those side effects appeared until I drank a little.
Comment by Andrea — November 1, 2008 @ 12:57 pm
Also disregarded the "do not take with alcohol" warning. Drank in moderation (which is about 2-3 drinks for me) the second night of medication and felt totally fine. Tried to push it a little farther last night (3-4 drinks on night 3), felt fine in the moment but today I'm feeling strange. Didn't really eat much for dinner which could have been it. However, it's not really my stomach that's bugging me, it's my head… blurry vision… that kind of nausea… is anyone else having this? It's not unbearable but I don't usually get this way after drinking… even when I drink heavily. This weekend I have out of town guests who are expecting to drink a lot (a big football game, etc) and I am worried that this means I shouldn't partake… thoughts?
Comment by cat — November 14, 2008 @ 8:07 pm
Cat,
I'd stay away from it. I had similar symptoms – the dizziness and nausea – and it definitely wasn't from the alcohol, it was from combining it with the drug. It just makes you feel weird. And I definitely got chided by my doctor for having the few beers that I did. (As if the nausea wasn't enough.)
good luck,
andrea
Comment by Andrea — November 14, 2008 @ 8:21 pm
thanks andrea
Comment by cat — November 14, 2008 @ 8:27 pm
i am here debating to start drinking or not i had my last dose over 30hrs ago i would really like a beer plz let me know
Comment by mateo — November 14, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
I am on Flagyl and am drinking my first beer of the evening. I plan on drinking 3 or 4 more. I am a small female who drinks regularly and ate a normal amount today. I will let you all know how it turns out! If you hear nothing, assume the best
(or worst? haha)
Comment by Lindsay — November 15, 2008 @ 12:18 am
everything here points to its ok but every other website says not to mix the two what do i do
Comment by mateo — November 15, 2008 @ 12:46 am
I think the upshot of this website is that no one can tell you whether you will have a reaction or not. Most people seem to be able to drink on Flagyl but some seem to have difficulty. I hate Flagyl because of its side effects but drinking makes no difference to how I feel on it. I would certainly try a drink after not taking Flagyl for a day.
Good luck
Comment by margaret — November 16, 2008 @ 3:09 am
Thanks for the site. Nothing like being told no to make you want to have a drink. I am on day 3 of a 7 day regimine and decided to test my tolerance for my fav apple martini. Ate well before hand as well. So far so good. Will add an update if I do start to feel the I'll effects. Cheers!
Comment by Subreina — November 23, 2008 @ 12:22 am
Drank like a fish last night on metro pills. No worries. No hangover.
Comment by Christine — November 30, 2008 @ 10:51 am
I've been taking 500 mg of Flagyl 3xs per day for about a month. I had a friend in town for the holidays for a few weeks. The first few nights I would cautiously drink some wine and beer with no other side effects other than flushing, a little nausea, and feeling the "tipsy" effects more than usual. I guess I got over-confident and had two vodka drinks last night and the night before. I am regretting it still at noon the next day. I NEVER vomit when I drink (which is regularly), but was up all night throwing up and have the worst headache. My first hangover at 32 years old
I think these posts are pretty right on. Not many people are affected. But it does help to be cautious and consider your dosage and the type of alcohol you're drinking.
And I also have to laugh at how attached we are to our alcohol that we can't wait a week to abstain. Kind of eye opening
Comment by Christina — December 2, 2008 @ 3:03 pm
I'm a 60 year male, just finishing a two weeks course of Flagyl (500mg thrice daily) along with Cipro (500mg twice daily) for suspected diverticulitis. After reading the comments at this site and others I decided to try a beer or two while taking the drugs. Last Friday I had one pint of beer with no effect; Saturday 2 pints of beer with no effect—I even washed my Flagyl pill down with beer. I've been drinking moderately (just a drink or two each night) since then. I realized later that I had accidentally been gargling mouthwash every day (Listerine @ 21% alcohol) with no effects either. Without alcohol the only side-effects I had from Flagyl before imbibing was brown-colored urine (harmless) and the bitter taste of the Flagyl—if you don't swallow quickly. However, that was minor since I LOVE bitter foods and drinks–my favorite beers are very hoppy ales and my favorite mixed drink is the gin and tonic with the double whammy of bitter from the quinine as well as the lime rind. So I guess I'm in the category of people who can mix alcohol with Flagyl without side effects.
Comment by Steve — December 3, 2008 @ 1:53 pm
I left a message back on 11/14… I ended up drinking a lot (I meake responsible decisions, lol) and was totally fine. I think my bad reaction was more fear driven than anything. Might not be the case for everyone but I thought I'd follow up.
Comment by cat — December 5, 2008 @ 1:27 pm
Urgent response required please…
I am 5 days into a 7 day course of 3 x 500 metro i have missed two out three today (day 5) as its my BIRTHDAY tomorrow.
2 days ago i felt like i had a mild migrane and felt sickish.
Also being urinating a lot.
not allergic to anything including kryptonite.
does anyone think urinating, feeling rough, is a sign of potential intollerance it will be 24 hours pill free if i drink tomorrow.
but i dont want to be ill?????
Comment by andrew — December 5, 2008 @ 10:09 pm
Andrew –
Metrodinazole just does weird things to your system. I had bad side affects (headache, lots of nausea, strange hot flashes…) when I was taking it, even when I didn't have any alcohol. When I did have a few drinks that made it ten times worse.
Some people are not as badly affected by the drug, and it seems like when these people drink that their system is not harmed. But some people definitely have strong reactions to the drug being in their system. (I am one of them.) So I would be very very careful about drinking if you are ALREADY having bad side effects, even if it is your birthday. Alcohol only irritates the affected area and makes your symptoms worse.
Also, it is a bad idea to skip (or miss) taking some of your pills during the day because then you are not killing whatever bad stuff is in your system in the first place, and that could come back to haunt you. I did not finish my entire metrodinazole prescription the first time around because I was having such a nasty reaction (partly from the alcohol) that the doctor advised me to stop taking it and see what happened. The c.diff. came back, and I had to start an entirely new round of drugs. It was a huge pain because those pills are gross. So I would not mess with them any more than you have to. Which means I would take the full course of the medication and be done with it. And hold off drinking till then.
Good luck.
Comment by Andrea — December 5, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
So Friday was day 5 of taking 2 X 500 metro. It was my second time getting drunk and it took much less alcohol than usual. I was very regretful the next day. I haven't had a hangover that bad since I drank two bottles of Boones Farm on my 13th birthday. Awful. Vomit. Poop. Pounding headache. Poop. Vomit. Dizzy. Queasy. Headache. Vomit. Poop. 12 hours before I felt like a human being. Never will I take metro again. Never.
Comment by Christine — December 7, 2008 @ 10:38 am
All, after reading all the posts and pondering about drinking for my companys Christmas Party last weekend, I did. I had about 5 beers and i really felt nothing at all. At one point I felt a little flushed, drank a water and was fine. Maybe its the wine that causes problems but a few beers won't hurt..
Comment by mike — December 8, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Ive been on it for 5 days now, finished the course on friday and its now sunday. I dont see why can cant just stay sober??? im DEFFINITELY not drinking for a good 3-4 days after finishing it. Whats the point. Apparently it has a chemical in which has adverse reactions with alcohol, its not worth it guys. Stick to your red-bull and be merry and hyper
alcohol isnt the BEST thing ever, and whats a couple of days//weeks without it!???
Comment by claire — December 14, 2008 @ 12:29 pm
perhaps you are right about conflating the reaction to flagyl alone with a reaction to flagyl and alcohol but I count myself emphatically among those who reacted violently to the combo. I took flagyl after returning from india with a gi bug (campylobacter–no nausea just diarrhea). I started flagyl, was not counseled to not drink alcohol, and after a night out with 3 glasses of wine was so wretchedly ill I vomited and could not eat or drink for 4 days. I went to the er twice to get rehydrated and on the second trip was hospitalized with a small stroke and venous brain blood clot. the neurologist said the extreme vomiting and dehydration was the cause. so while my case is probably unusually extreme I for one do not question the interaction. Even more so since I've been continiuing to take flagyl durinig my hospitalization and beyond to treat the infection, with no nausea.
there's no harm in being overly cautious and I could have died from my clot had it been less favorably placed. as it is I lost 3 weeks in the hospital and had some pretty scary effects (left side numbness, double vision, neverending headache, disorientation) from the brain clot.
Comment by rebecca — December 14, 2008 @ 9:15 pm
ive been precribed 200mg 3 times a day, have been taking now for 3 days and today is a friends birthday, i took my last tablet at about 12 noon and plan to go out tonight at about 8 o'clock, there is no doubt that i shall indulge in a few beverages, knowing me probly more than a few, so i shall let you no how i fared up tomorrow. x
Comment by ben — December 20, 2008 @ 1:16 pm
I am taking Metro 400mg x 3 a day for the next five days, 2 days in. My pharmasist nearly blew a vein telling me NO DRINK.
Well I feel ill anyway, probably from the infection I have, lost appetite etc, So tomorrow i am going to have a glass of my beloved captain morgans spiced rum, and if i am still alive after the first i may venture a second, because really, i couldnt feel much worse!
I think people react in different ways because they tolerate, or dont tolerate the medication. Thats just my view. Fingers crossed that me and the old captain get a good evening and i get a decent nights sleep, but thats another story!
Comment by Helen — December 22, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
I am presently taking a metronidazole derivative at present for amebiasis & have gone through the web to read more on the effects & side effects of these drugs.I came across this blogsite & would like to post a comment.
I am a doctor & aware of alcohol as a contraindication to metronidazole treatment. My advise is: DON'T DISMISS THESE PRECAUTIONS TOO EASILY.
Just because a majority of people did not experience adverse effects does not mean it can't happen. What about those few percentage that would have it?
Drug manufacturers spend a lot to develop drugs safe to use for everyone. Drug monitoring agencies tries to monitor & enforce the laws. Sad to say, there is no single drug that's 100% safe.
Would you prefer to have your doctors or pharmacists tell you a drug is totally safe just because only a few percentage will suffer some side effects? Don't be naive.. Even those few % matters much to us to ignore!
For those who don't want to take metronidazole, there are newer drugs that provide the same efficacy in much lower doses, shorter courses of therapy, and lesser side effects. Ask your doctors' experiences about these drugs.
I am planning to take my beers today after 24 hours of therapy for personal experience. NOT RECOMMENDED TO BE FOLLOWED!
Comment by echotanjr
Comment by Francisco Tan — December 30, 2008 @ 9:35 am
Man I hate to rain on the parade here, but I had a relatively bad experience. I'm a standard binge drinker, going to parties and bars on weekends, and have been drinking heavily like this for 15 years. I know my limits and what alcohol does to me. Anyway I got an IV of metronidazole the day before I was to throw a new years party. I started drinking approximately 28 hours after the IV. After 1 beer and a half glass of wine over 2 hours, I I had a strong response, with a headache, flushing, and slight dizziness along with a drunken feeling. Mind you I can drink 10 shots of tequila and hold my own, but with this I just felt out of sorts. I felt completely fine before I took my first sip of alcohol. Over the evening I drank quite a bit, but I would have to stop for half hour intervals when I felt I reached some limit. It was clear that if I drank at a faster rate I would quickly become nauseous. I was able to throttle my drinking rate and didn't get really sick throughout the evening. Today (the day after), I don't feel nauseous, but I feel like I ran a half-marathon. My head is pounding and my body aches all over the place.
Unfortunately it seems that I'm one of the people that can't process alcohol so well while on flagyl.
Comment by Eli — January 1, 2009 @ 3:13 am
Been taking the meds for over a week. Had some wine last night. Feel fine this morning. I missed having a drink on New Years because of this old, out dated advise. My Sister a Pharmacy Tech. told me I would be SICK AS A DOG, if I drank. Can't wait to tell her she was wrong…again. Thanks for this HONEST info. Does anyone know if the drug still works the same?
Comment by Jaime — January 6, 2009 @ 12:01 pm
I honestly forgot about the fact that I was taking these pills and went out for a drink with some co-workers to celebrate a new job offer. Came home in a panic realizing that I had two rum and cokes. I feel fine.
Comment by Catherine — January 9, 2009 @ 8:39 pm
I'm taking 500×2 a day and have big plans tonight… I'm going for it!! Ill let ya know tomorrow!
Comment by tatty — January 10, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
Drank the night before beginning Flagyl. The following evening I awoke and went to the bathroom. I became dizzy, experienced nausea, and felt as if I would pass out. When I returned to bed I felt some relief. The following morning upon waking, I experienced the same episode. I would like to drink for the super bowl. I took one pill (250mg) this am but plan to stop taking it and hope it will be out of my system by Sunday pm.
Comment by Jen — January 30, 2009 @ 12:42 pm
I have taken Flagyl several times over the past 8 years or so. Once no response after drinking wine. Another time – nothing. But then – I took it and had some Bailey's Irish Cream. It was a HORRIBLE experiance. I was so sick and I have never felt so bad. I cannot drink Bailey's now, as a result and that was about 5 years ago.
Since that time I have not had a need for flagyl, until now and took one dose – 2 G for BV. That was Wednesday night. I felt odd all day yesterday and all my food, and even water was GROSS! I feel good today and I have been invited out to have a drink tonight. I really want to go, but I admit I a bit scared.
Comment by Tammy — January 30, 2009 @ 9:53 pm
I took Flagyl 250mg Friday am and then drank Saturday pm with no problems. It was about 30 hours after my last dose.
Comment by Jen — February 3, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
YES! you are SO right my friend. so i was put on a two week med run due to a bacterial ulcer and was told DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL. DO NOT USE MOUTHWASH, PERFUME, ETCETC. to me? i flipped out. i had plans, man!! i'm not an alcoholic but i sure felt like one once my doc put me on flagyl.
turns out? bs. total, complete uber bs, bc i drank a glass of wine and was fine. then i went out on a friday and drank the night away, and guess what? as long as i ate enough food, I WAS FINE. stupid wives tale. thanks for all of your research and efforts!! definitely made me grin.
Comment by Lo — February 14, 2009 @ 8:11 pm
I am currently drinking 2nd bottle of wine. I dont feel anything bad yet, after a bottle of wine. will inform you whether there is a adverse effect soon.
Comment by lafir — February 20, 2009 @ 8:14 am
I am a nursing student at ohio state and have a glass of wine 3-4 nights per week. I was actually so sick with an intestinal infection that I was not allowed to work in the hospital at which I am currently placed. The Flagyl actually made me feel SO much better (even though my mouth tasted like metal for a week).
I was curious about Flagyl's reaction with alcohol so I decided to look it up in a drug guide. Just so you all know, the onset of Flagyl is rapid, but its half life is only 6 hours and the duration is between 8 and 24 hours. That means that the drug is TOTALLY out of your system within a day.
So, if do buy into the hype that Flagyl + Alcohol makes you incredibly ill, you only have to wait 24 hours after your last pill to have a drink, not the 3-4 days that all of the pharmacists tell you. This is just their way of covering their behinds if you are the ONE person whose body gets rid of the drug more slowly, drinks, and dies from an incredibly rare reaction.
Thank you again for this article.
Comment by Lee — February 20, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
Also, to respond to Tammy from Jan 30th,
The reason you might have gotten so ill from baily's irish creme may be because of the fact that flagyl wipes out a lot of normal bacteria in your intestines. They have actually found that people with Giardasis and other intestinal bacterial infections can end up having lactose intolerance for up to 6 months after the original infection. Just stick to non-dairy drinks and I bet you'll be fine!
Comment by Lee — February 20, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
I'm prescribed Flagyl 500 mg PO BID (by mouth, twice a day) for 7 days. I'm on Day 5. I've suffered no side effects so far but haven't consumed any alcohol. I'm a nursing student who has learned about "detrimental" effects of Flagyl and alcohol but it's the boyfriend's 21st birthday.. hence the dilemma. After reading this website, this is what I plan on doing for this weekend:
-Taking my last dose late afternoon on days I plan on drinking (3 or 4ish)
-Having one drink around 9-10 PM (Bacardi and coke– no milk products) and look for any type of side effects.
-If no side effects occur, I plan on drinking like most college kids drink during times of celebration– 4 to "I don't know how many" drinks. I will only be drinking rum and coke. I'll try to monitor my BAC and any "abnormal" side effects for this purpose.
-When I wake up, I'll take my AM dose 2 hours after rising and then my early evening dose around 3-4 PM again if to go out the following night.
Yeahh.. I'm a planner. I'll let you know how it goes; probably not the smartest thing, I realize, but I'm willing to experiment.
Comment by kaitlyn — February 26, 2009 @ 9:19 am
I am a child care provider w/2 kids of my own. I work 5 days a week 9 hrs. a day. Today is Thursday and my X-mas party is tomorrow night Fri. I am taking Flagyl 500mg 2xs a day for 10 days. I was looking forward to getting buzzed w/my coworkers until my doc. said that BS!! I asked her what if I skip my evening dose and the next morning dose or just skip a whole day and ahalf? Absoultley Not! Ok I know everyone has done it before but my doc. really made me nervous, BUT I still want a F@#$$^ drink…. so I did some investigating and found this page Flagyl & alcohol! I have been on it for 4 days now and I am going to skip tomorrows dose am & pm and probably Sat. mornings just incase my hang over is bad dont need any added sickness:) So I will let u know what happens Sat. CHEERS!!
Comment by nicole — February 27, 2009 @ 12:24 am
I am a child care provider w/2 kids of my own. I work 5 days a week 9 hrs. a day. Today is Thursday and my X-mas party is tomorrow night Fri. I am taking Flagyl 500mg 2xs a day for 10 days. I was looking forward to getting drunk w/my coworkers until my doc. said that BS!! I asked her what if I skip my evening dose and the next morning dose or just skip a whole day and ahalf? Absoultley Not! Ok I know everyone has done it before but my doc. really made me nervous, BUT I still want a F@#$$^ drink…. so I did some investigating and found this page Flagyl & alcohol! I have been on it for 4 days now and I am going to skip tomorrows dose am & pm and probably Sat. mornings just incase my hang over is bad dont need any added sickness:) So I will let u know what happens Sat. CHEERS!!
Comment by nicole — February 27, 2009 @ 12:30 am
I was prescribed Metro and experienced a horrible reaction to it via using wine in a dish I was preparing. I was told not to drink alcohol or use mouthwash, etc. So, I did not. But, when I was making a chicken and peppers saute, it called for two tablespoons of white wine. Thinking that the alcohol would "burn off" in the cooking process, I used it. Four of us ate dinner that night and within 20 minutes, I was so violently ill and dizzy that I could barely stand up. Everybody else was fine, so my only conclusion was that the alcohol did NOT burn off and it was the Metro that caused the reaction. I was ill most of the night into morning. After reading this blog, it seems that some react and some don't. Personally, I would err on the side of caution. It is not worth the possible interaction problem I experienced.
Also, as a side note, yes – I did experience the metallic taste on my tongue for the entire course of its use. My doctor recommended this bio-med mouth spray that you get at the pharmacy. It is a minty flavored artificial saliva. It really helped to get that awful taste out of your mouth.
Good luck to future users. It helped cure me, so I think it was worth using for a good final result.
Comment by Kaye — March 12, 2009 @ 1:40 pm
Interesting site. I typically consume about 6-9 beers daily. Now I have a wisdom tooth issue, and lo and behold, I have Metronidazole 3x a day with the no alcohol warning. Looked at all these posts, and will chance a couple and let the forum know my results. Just a point of fact; my stomach is already flipping out a few hours after my first dose without the beer. Food might make a big difference I would think. Maybe more so than the alcohol consumption.
Comment by Cosmic Nomad — March 12, 2009 @ 9:03 pm
I was prescribed this drug and I went on a bender the night before because my doc told me no alcohol. I don't mean like I had a few drink, I mean I was piss drunk came home and puked my guts out hadn't been that drunk since i was a teenager (In my own defense it was my best friends birthday, I just found out I had to have surgery and be on crazy meds and I was feeling reckless, I normally don't drink to excess like that). I started it when I woke up the next day and I felt like crap…i'm pretty sure it was the hangover though, maybe combined with the nasty side effects of the drug itself but I didn't have any horrible unusual side effects. The other week I went to a bar while still taking this stuff (850 mgs every 8 hours) and had maybe 2 or 3 shots of vodka and I was fine…absolutely no side effects. I'm going to a birthday party tomm and my plan is to drink LOTS of water, eat a healthy dinner, have 1 drink let it sit and have another.
Comment by Sarah — March 12, 2009 @ 11:43 pm
Oh, one other thing, although I think that maybe some people might have nasty effects after drinking and taking flagyl I wonder if some of it might be psychosomatic? Our minds are powerful tools and if you are convinced that you are going to get sick if you drink while taking it you might subconsciously make yourself sick…just a thought
Comment by Sarah — March 12, 2009 @ 11:45 pm
I'm on my 5th day of taking Metronidazole 500mg 2x/day. I have actually followed the "DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL" warnings thus far and have suffered no adverse side effects other than the nasty taste of the pill. I've been kind of bummed that I would not be able to drink anything at a St. Patty's Day party tomorrow (6th day).
My instructions say not to stop taking them until the meds are done (7 days) and then do not drink alcohol for one day after. After reading all these comments, I am actually thinking about taking a chance and having a pint or two. I plan on being very carefuly (i.e. having a full stomach and drinking water in between beers). I will let you know if there are or aren't any adverse effects. If there are, I will hopefully have learned a good lesson and abide by the instructions on the bottle!
Comment by Karen — March 13, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
Ugh! I don't know what to do! I have am on my 2nd day of Flagyl 375 mg BID for BV. I'm already getting a yeast infection, this med is making me dizzy with some vertigo. I feel like I've been drinking when I haven't had any alcohol at all.
I react badly to lots of meds (allergic to Tylenol, Tramadol, Cephalasporins, codeine, among others.) I have lupus and am taking Plaquenil & have had problems in the past with it not playing well with alcohol (dizziness, flushing, nausea.) I have a date on St. Patrick's Day in four days. If I wasn't already having problems with this med or didn't have problems with so many other meds, I would definitely feel fine with drinking. But since my situation is not typical, I really don't want to chance ruining my 2nd date with this guy by getting sick! And I definitely don't want to say, "Hey, I know it's St. Patrick's Day, but I can't have a glass of wine because of this med I'm taking for BV." Yeah, that would be just great!!
So, I'm thinking maybe I should contact the doc about metrogel instead or a different antibiotic. Any suggestions?
Comment by TN — March 14, 2009 @ 3:27 am
Well, after a couple days of drinking, I've had absolutely no ill effects, although I will say that on the one occasion I took the Flagyl without eating I thought I would die. A quick meal took care of that. I've found that as long as I eat before taking the pill, there are no real side effects. And alcohol didn't have any effect on me whatsoever.
Comment by Cosmic Nomad — March 15, 2009 @ 5:15 pm
Just finished my very first ever round of Flagyl. Dr said no alcohol, pill bottle had alcohol warning on it, so I gave up my morning coffee with a splash of Irish Creme (only 17%). Even when I eat, this drug makes me feel nauseous and leaves a bad taste in my mouth, though I pop the pill with water and don't let it hit my tongue). Finished my therapy today and was wondering how long before I could enjoy my coffee which led me to this page. Wish I had read it earlier. But since I'm having adverse reactions anyway, maybe it's best I didn't add to it. But I'm not waiting 48 or 72 hrs. I had already planned to stay home tomorrow since I have felt awful on this drug. I'll just have a nice breakfast with my coffee and hope for the best. If I get sick, I'll be home to deal with it. Will let you know tomorrow how it goes.
Comment by Terry — March 19, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
Was on 500mg Flagyl 3 times a day for 3 days. Drank 3 12oz beers at 5% alcohol less than 5 hours after taking my last dose. No issues, felt 100% fine.
To inject some more science into the discussion: Flagyl supposedly creates a "Disulfiram-like" reaction when taken with alcohol. Disulfiram makes you sick when you drink because it blocks the action of the enzyme "acetaldehyde dehydrogenase" and you end up with tons of acetaldehyde in your system, which makes you feel like shit. The important part is this: the accumulation of acetaldehyde in your system happens VERY quickly after you drink, like 5 to 10 minutes (stomach contents will make this vary a little, obviously). So if you slam a beer (or 3) and don't start feeling sick within a short period of time, you're good to go. None of this "I drank, went to bed, and woke up 3 hours later feeling terrible" stuff, because the reaction is MUCH too swift for that to happen.
Comment by Ken — March 20, 2009 @ 12:47 pm
Last night my nausea turned into real pain. After dealing with that all night, I got up, ate breakfast and had my Irish Creme coffee. No nausea today, but still having stomach pain. Going to dr today cause I don't think it has a thing to do with the Flagyl. I looked up gallbladder attack, but symptoms a little different than what's listed. Could be the stress of going cold turkey on the coffee!
Comment by Terry — March 20, 2009 @ 3:28 pm
I'm a nurse and was also always taught no alcohol with metronidazole. I am on day 5 of 500 mg twice a day. Had a scotch on the rocks tonight. No problems. If anything, the alcohol helped get the nasty taste of the med out of my mouth. It's been 3 hours since I had the drink.
Comment by nursemom — March 22, 2009 @ 12:18 am
In my case, the drug caused my reactions, WITHOUT the alcohol. Dr could find no other problems. It's 3rd day after finishing and feeling much better. Regardless of alcohol intake, this drug can be fierce on the stomach. Last time I take it.
Comment by Terry — March 22, 2009 @ 10:42 am
Well, I survived St. Patty's Day, night and the next day without having ANY ill effects. I'm apparently one of the lucky
ones who didn't develop any nausea or pain whatsoever. I've been off the medication now for over a week. I did finish off
the prescription like it said. I agree with Nursemom, the alcohol took away the bad taste! It lingered on for days after I finished the bottle but thankfully it's gone.
Comment by Karen — March 25, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
I just started taking this medication for a gum infection, and I'm also taking amoxicillin with it. I was looking up something about alcohol with this med. because I, as a few other people have said, like to have some wine after work. I got the whole speach from the pharmacist too on how I would get violently ill if I had any alcohol at all. Now, I HAVE taken this type of med. before for another kind of infection in different form, and was told the same thing for that med. I had absolutely no reaction taking it at all at the time.
After reading pretty much the WHOLE thread, I decided to test it out very carefully myself tonight. I had no effect at all. If anything, like someone else had mentioned, I think I even felt a little better. Don't ask me why though…lol Have no idea. lol I don't want to over indulge…just have a couple of glasses of wine.
I actually have sort of a medication phobia here. I rarely even take a tylenol. I even went through post knee surgery taking not a single med at all. Meds just make me nervous in general. My point in all of this is just that I'm really not sure that freaking out patients with worst case scenario warnings is a good idea. Many times I've also quit taking,or not taken a med at all after being told that have to endure some horrible reaction that seems MUCH worse than the affliction. I realize how the pharmasedical companies want to cover their asses, and that the physicians simply cite the textbooks, but I think this has all just gotten too ridiculous. Like commercials for meds on TV. I keep thinking John Cleese is going to pop out…"And now for something comlpetely different!" It's just all so surreal. It's overkill, and just making people paranoid.
Comment by Ingrid — March 26, 2009 @ 12:43 am
Taking 500mg of Flagyl twice daily for a bacterial infection. Ive been sitting here (bored) reading these comments and having a few beers. Its been about 2 hours since my first beer and I feel fine, although i notice i feel like I drank a few more than I actually did. I washed my nightly dose down with a beer – but no pains or sickness! I feel great and think I may go to the bar for a while….I will post again if I start to feel sick later….
Comment by Alyse — March 27, 2009 @ 12:45 am
Started taking Metro today (2 x 500mg) after drinking several drinks last night.
I am soooo out of sorts today. Light headed, tired, queezy, heart racing, sweaty palms, chills… Ugh…
Comment by Lisa — March 27, 2009 @ 11:44 am
I have taken a course of Flagyl about 3 to 4 times over the past 15 years. The only thing that stands out for me is the bitter, metallic taste I experienced when I tried to swallow and that it turned my urine orange. I was a teen and wasn't drinking yet the first time. The next times I was an adult. At first I strictly adhered to the no alcohol directions. The next time I had been taking it twice a day for 7 days and on day 4 or 5 I drank. I have never vomited from drinking and didn't vomit this time. I think that someone may be onto something when they say that some of the population has a genetic predisposition to this so called alcohol-flagyl reaction. Have you ever drank orange juice after brushing your teeth? I read in some magazine( at the Dr's office) that most people find OJ after brushing has a bitter taste. However, for a small population of people who have been found to have a certain type of tasting gene, OJ tastes just fine after brushing! So I think that most of us who have proven this alcohol-flagyl myth wrong, are part of the lucky population of people who are predisposed not to get sicker (already sick if on flagyl, ha ha) if they drink while on flagyl. I must admit though, some of you posters are braver than most. I wouldn't wash the pill down with alcohol…that's pushing it! Nice comprehensive post
Comment by BD — April 3, 2009 @ 5:35 pm
Hi Fellow peeps wanting to drink booze on this drug…:),
I am, on 5oomg twice a day for 7 days of this horrible drug for PID and am on day two…I caved and bought beer at the store…But didn't have the balls to drink it yet..LOL!
So I have been comforted by the legions of alcoholics like myself who have to take this God awful drug and have found themeselve's on this site as we WANT TO DRINK AHHHHH!:)
AS IF it's not bad enough to be sick and that makes you want to "chill out with a cold one" ….YOU CAN'T!
Or, turn yourself into your own personal science experiment and…
SEE…However slowly …at first….If we are going to "REACT"…" Jesus!
I haven't had the cravings for a drink outwiegh my fear yet..although….Thats saying alot for the worry as I AM DYING TO DRINK…:) (Duct taping self to table as we speak to keep hands away from beer and mouth)
I will let you guys know if I cave..drink..get sick or not…die ..whatever…
But if it helps anyone out there..This will teach me not to sleep with an a$shole ever again…as I got sick because of that..this drug is making me sick.. and now I CANT DRINK ..to forget about it..
And thats sickening..But oh yeah…I was drinking and thats how I ended up sleeping with him in the first place..
Which is what landed me at this site at this time of night blogging about why I cannot have a beer…or whatever else I want to drink LOL!
Oh..the tangled web we weave..This will definitley teach my as$ …
hugs to everyone ….Im going to TRY to stay sober….if not I'll be back
peace all! hugs and all of that jazz!
L.
PPS And oh yeah, I really am an alcoholic…So if I cannot drink and stick to this ANY BODY CAN!
Comment by liz — April 9, 2009 @ 3:17 am
PS Oh yeah and you guys, I did a lot of reading on the internet and "missing doses" of this stuff can prevent your infection being cleared up in a timely manner….AND THEN WE HAVE TO GO BACK AND START ALL OVER AGAIN! AHHHH!!! LOL!
This is like some kind of wierd head game j/k
Comment by liz — April 9, 2009 @ 3:21 am
Wow, what and informative and entertaining blog! Like so many others here, I was brought to this site via Google after being prescribed this drug and reading the dire warnings. It seems to me that unless one is very sensitive or suffering for another reason, there is very little risk of any ill effects from combing the two drugs. I followed the advice here and have had one beer in about 45 minutes and feel fine. I will be having a couple more.
Kudos to RJS for his skillful presentation of the subject matter. It was also a pleasure to read the many well-written and thoughtful responses (You Go, England!). This blog contains facts, fiction, humor, sarcasm and much more. It also provides a fascinating look into the human condition.
Now as I enjoy the warm fuzzy feelings of the knowledge that my antibiotic and alcohol are working together for my overall well-being, I will ponder the following points and challenge you to do so as well.
1) How much other information that we all take as gospel from our doctors, lawyers, teachers, clergy, politicians, institutions, media, and more is really bunk?
2) Blogging is a very intimate way to experience diverse viewpoints from around the world and gain an understanding of our fellow man on this planet that is unprecedented.
3) The internet is, bar none, the greatest and most important tool ever devised by mankind in human history, Thanks Al Gore!
4) And lastly, A+A≠D
Best wishes to All:)
Comment by lucyfan — April 10, 2009 @ 11:00 pm
I just finished my last pill today of a 500 mg pill 2 times a day for 7 days. I abstained from alcohol the entire time but I'm planning on going to Atlantic City on Tuesday (in 2 days). There's no way I'd abstain from free drinks.
So I Google searched alcohol and flagyl to see if the wait three days to drink alcohol was correct. I'm thinking I'll be fine to drink by Tuesday. 
Comment by Lori — April 12, 2009 @ 11:19 pm
I have been taking 400mg 3 time a day for over 4 days for giardiasis. Spurred on by these posts I decided to have a beer and wait a bit. To fill in the time while waiting I had another beer, and then a glass of wine. I experienced a tiny bit of flushing at worst. I may not drink again until the course is finished, but will not be waiting too long after the last tablet.
Comment by Peter — April 27, 2009 @ 5:17 pm
I am currently on day three of metronidazole. Unfortunately, I have BV about once a year, so I am very familiar with flagyl/metronidazole. A little background, I'm in pretty good shape physically (except for this dayum BV); I don't usually react to metronidazole (except for the nasty taste when you first take it), and I don't drink very often. I've never waited the requisite 48 hours before drinking after stopping metronidazole treatment, and never had any reaction. I still continue to use listerine and hand sanitizer with use of the medication, no effects there.
I am going out tonight with a friend, and I have also had a rough week at work…so I thought I'd google "flagyl and wine" and see what came up, and I found this site.
So I decide to "test the waters" with a glass of wine. I had the glass (about 6 oz) about an hour and a half ago, and no effects. I will say that I wouldn't drink as much as I normally drink, but I think I'll be okay. If you don't hear anything else from me, then all went well
I also find it hilarious that I would risk possibly getting sick for a glass or two of wine (and that I'm not the only one).
Comment by Michele — May 1, 2009 @ 10:22 pm
I had been on Metronidazole and wanted a drink – I found this post and thought I'd test the theory. After a painful, alcohol free two weeks I had a dazzling array of drinks (beer, wine, rum, scotch and vodka) and felt great. My boyfriend had the spicy jambalaya and had a stomach ache. Funny!
Comment by Debora — May 10, 2009 @ 12:47 pm
I am a woman aged 57 years.I have struggled to tolerate metro (dizzinees/thirst/low mood/ agitation/pounding heart sensation). No GI reaction even tho' also on amoxicillin. Metro dose 200mg tds for 3 days for dental abscess. Took last dose 21.30 hrs yesterday – really missing 2/3 glasses of wine in the evening (after 6ish)- what are the odds if drink tonight? Any (honest) medics or pharmacists out there?. Anecdotal evidence suggests should not be a problem.
Thanks for any help!
Comment by Ceinwen — May 14, 2009 @ 9:42 am
After 1mg aprazolam and 2×330ml budweisers, I'm absolutely fine except for the runs that I had anyway!
So far…
Comment by SD — May 15, 2009 @ 12:28 am
I am elated to have found this tread through Google. Was just prescribed medication. I am flying to an all inclusive resort in 2 days. I am a registered nurse,and have always told my patients not to drink while on this medication. In fact, that's the same thing my midwife told me after writing my prescription. Now, I will take it easy on vacation; but atleast I can enjoy a little of the alcohol I've already paid for.
Comment by taylor — May 19, 2009 @ 2:35 am
Okay – was on this drug (in conjunction with Amoxicyllin) a couple of years ago (perio problems) – screamed at my doctor and told him to come up with a different drug – it was Labor Day weekend – he said "no" that the combo was the best for my mouth and the recently troublesome implant that cost me $3000.00. Anyway, stayed off the wine, but 24 hours after completing the drug – said to heck with it and had 2 glasses of wine or so. No problems.
Now again, on Memorial day weekend, I get the same medications for another some perio pockets – just to see if they will improve – but have not taken the drug until after the holiday – I probably need to prove to myself that I don't need the 2-3 glasses of wine everyday I so cherish – so I'll stay off of the wine for at least 5 days – but think afer reading all of this – a glass next this weekend won't kill me – I'll respond if it does.
Comment by Deb — May 27, 2009 @ 8:45 pm
Hi All-
I just started taking Flagyl today. I am taking two 500mg twice a day for a week. Today is Monday, I am supposed to go to the Playboy Mansion on Saturday. I am a female in my early 20's and to be perfectly honest, I drink A LOT (usually 3-6 glasses of wine a night). I'm 5' and about 115 pounds- and can usually take down 8-14 drinks a night without and negative consequences.
I am going to have a beer later and see how I feel. I also plan to drink at the party on Saturday. I will let you all know what happens on both occasions. If I get sick, so be it (it wouldn't be my first time praying to the porcelain god, and I'm sure it wouldn't be the last).
PS- I too am glad I'm not the only one struggling with the idea of no vino for 7 days. SO LAME!! I will keep you all posted.
Comment by Emmy — June 1, 2009 @ 10:29 pm
Responding to my post of May 27th – I held out until June 1st – 7 days into the prescription – had a glass of wine (Savignon blanc)no reaction – have had a couple of glasses of wine each night since – finishing medication today. I guess either it effects you or not – glad I'm a not. Does however, really effect my stomach – (gas and loose movements) – but it was doing this before drinking the wine and may be attributed to the Amoxycillian I am taking in conjuntion.
Comment by Deb — June 5, 2009 @ 9:14 am
Just got a prescription of metronidazole today. When I found out I couldn't drink on it, I couldn't believe it. I work in a bar as a bartender , and part of my job is drinking with customers, way more tips that way. Anyway I came across this website , and saw that most people haven't been affected by the drug. I am female, 5'3 125lbs and I weightlift 3 times a week. Lots of muscle mass. At 3pm I took my first dose, I usually eat pretty healthy and restrict my calories, but I figured I should up my calorie intake for the next 7 days just incase. So tonight I go to work at 830 pm which would be 5 and a half hours since my first dose. I had my first drink around nine pm , Absolute Vodka and tonic, which is the only thing I ever drink. I would say I have a high liquor tolerance, Usually about 10 to 12 vodka and tonics a night. I still felt fine after an hour , so then I drank 2 more, after another hour I still felt fine. I would say I may have felt a little light headed, but that may have been from all of my cigarette smoking. But after the first three drinks I drank as I would normally. Total of 7 or 8 drinks in about 5 hours. Right now it is 2:47 am and I still feel fine. I will post when I wake up to tell you all if I have any side affects later..
Comment by Tika — June 6, 2009 @ 2:52 am
Oh also I took a Pepsid AC before I went to work.. That might have helped too
Comment by Tika — June 6, 2009 @ 2:56 am
Ok I woke up around 1 pm today and I am feeling fine. I will be taking my next dose at 3 pm and then 3am. I have to work again tonight at 8pm so I will be drinking. We will see what happens. Oh and I am taking 500 MG twice a day for 7 days.
Comment by Tika — June 6, 2009 @ 1:37 pm
Second night of drinking , had about 9 vodka and tonics at work tonights still fine… I think I will be fine on this medicine. If I get sick at some point . I will let you all know.
Comment by Tika — June 7, 2009 @ 2:25 am
Hey Everyone-
I have drank A LOT on 2×500 mg and nothing happened. I was hoping to get drunker faster, but no such luck. I probably finished about 2 bottles of champagne plus several vodka sodas and didn't get sick. I made sure to have a good dinner and stayed hydrated with water, and didn't experience anything out of the ordinary.
I'm not a doctor, but perhaps it's best to experiment with small amounts of alcohol to see if your stomach reacts negatively to the combination. Good luck to everyone- don't get sick!!!
Comment by Emmy — June 10, 2009 @ 5:00 am
I laughed out loud "literally" after reading another Jen's comment (#9). That pretty much sums up what I went through last night. I really thought that the warning was on there because it decreases the potency of the antibiotic. OH NO, that is not the reason! I woke up last night after consuming some jagermeister after an argument with my most recent ex, then taking the pill before going to sleep, and I woke up this morning trying to figure out why I was dying. After throwing up for what seemed like forever, I finally managed to crawl to my laptop and found my answer via Google. I will never EVER drink on this again. I am sitting here at work feeling like I consumed several bottles of alcohol all by myself and I am afraid to take my next dose.
Comment by Jen Jen — June 15, 2009 @ 12:51 pm
thank god for google!!!
i take flagyl for 2 weeks every 3 months and its always a pain trying to not drink… after reading the blog and all the comments… i am looking forward to my coors light tonight.. i'll take my chances..
Comment by trish — June 19, 2009 @ 7:55 pm
I am an 32 yro MD, and yes I've learned that Metro and Ethanol shuld not be mixed together. I very rarely consume alcohol. I was on 750mg 3x/day for 10 days. On 10th day I by accident consumed about 0.17 oz (~5-8ml) of wine. I didn't get flushing, I got a bit of weird feeling in stomach after 2 hrs, a bit of gas the day after. Otherwise I was fine. However, I strongly, really strongly recommend others not to drink. I'm sure that you can stay away from alcohol for the few days you are taking it, and if you cannot, it means you have an alcohol problem.
Every person reacts differently to drugs. Why experiment and risk vomiting (and vomiting the medictaion, thus missing the dose) when you can stay away from alcohol , complete your drug regimen and be fine?
If you do drink while taking Flagyl, it's AMA (against medical advice) and AYOR (at you own risk).
Comment by Phil — June 20, 2009 @ 1:20 am
"I'm sure that you can stay away from alcohol for the few days you are taking it, and if you cannot, it means you have an alcohol problem."
Go fuck yourself Phil.
Comment by Christine — June 21, 2009 @ 2:15 pm
Wow, what a holier-than-thou comment, Phil. We are all human and make mistakes, and just because we drink a little, or a lot, doesn't make us alcoholics. So, do us all a favor and get down off of your soapbox, mkay?!
Comment by Jen Jen — June 22, 2009 @ 1:36 pm
lol never again. like amanda up there said earler, everything is true. I has to take the meds for 7 days without drinking, my bday was June 19th, i had to drank. I took the med that morning, and i drunk that night a half pint of gin and two shots….Next morning i threw up all day til that night. I tasted the meds(i know TMI) when i threw it up. I almost called in to ER, i had to lay down on the bathroom floor for about an hour, would've been longer until one of my peeps bammed on the door. Stomach pain out of this WORLD. I thought i was going to die. Trust me when that label says NO ALCOHOL……it means NO ALCOHOL. Yall talkin bout i has a glass of wine, datz prob y u didn't get sick. Don't do it, just don't do it lol.
Comment by Nikki — June 23, 2009 @ 6:45 am
Aye…But maybe this medicine is good for all of "us alcoholics". I bet it will make them stop dranking!!! lol We have the cure.
Comment by Nikki — June 23, 2009 @ 6:49 am
to sum it up( i know i keep posting but…)i threw up all my insides and i will never want to feel like that again.
Comment by Nikki — June 23, 2009 @ 6:53 am
I'm finishing a week of metro and went to a bbq yesterday. Nervous as hell, I took advantage of the free liquor! I consumed 4 large rum and cokes and 3 shots. I had a little stomach discomfort but I think that's just my normal drunk reaction. I woke up expecting to feel horrible, but I'm ok.
Concerned, I decided to see what damage I had done and found this page. Thanks for the info!
Comment by LE — July 5, 2009 @ 9:46 am
A metronidazole in the morning, two margaritas that evening. I feel fine. No problems at all. Thanks to this page (I checked the internet before I tried this experiment). Thanks again, I couldn't have done it without you!
Comment by Kimberley — July 5, 2009 @ 10:14 am
Well, I wish i would have found this site before i did all the crazy worrying!! I am a nurse and decided after 4 beers one night i would Start the Metronidazole. After swallowing the pills (drinking, hence the lapse of judgement) I freaked because of what i was taught would happen it the two should ever mix. I then proceeded to excercise a technique used by Bulemics, spoon to the back of throat. I HATE to vomit but felt i had no choice. Do it once or do it all night. After injuring myself slightly, i decided it was not going to happen. My Boston Terrier is now tramatized by my actions and the cuss words used in the ordeal.
I then went to my trusty computer and began looking up the drug onces again. I then found this site!!!! I was more than relieved to read the posts. I then decided..Hell with it! and had another beer, took a bath and went to bed. Slept all night and not even one sign of nausea! Thanks to all who do support this finding!!
Comment by Lisa — July 6, 2009 @ 9:43 pm
Be careful quoting a few papers. A lit search needs to be complete…
Comment by jeff — July 10, 2009 @ 12:16 pm
The point was that there are NO other papers out there. This is the extent of the peer-reviewed literature.
Comment by RJS — July 12, 2009 @ 2:42 pm
Thank you for this article. I am on day 5 of Metronidazole 1 pill every 12 hours. This medication in general is nasty. Although my side effects are annoying (headache, dizzyness, achey muscles in my neck, slight queezy stomach) they are very mild.
I was prescribed the medication 2 days before I was due to leave for a vacation for BV and was not happy about the no drinking scare the pharmacist put into me. Since I am not one to take information doctors or pharmacists give directly at face value I decided to Google the topic. After reading the article I decided to go about my vacation as normal.
I did not stop taking my medications at all! I mean why would you risk building up a tolerance to this anti-biotic?
Day 3 I drank a margarita, and 2 gin/tonics. I did not have any adverse reactions. I did not get more drunk than usual, no stomach pains, no nothing other than a really good time! The next morning I woke up feeling great!
Day 4 (lastnight) I did not even eat as much as I had been. I drank 2 glasses of wine and then went out for a night on the town and had 3 gin/tonics. The only thing I noticed my body telling me was wow I don't even feel sick anymore from the meds. I ate a late/early morning dinner and took my pill while still drunk.
For those that are getting sick…I am convinced it is just the medication itself and not the alcohol/metro combo.
I would suggest eating milder foods drinking plenty of fluids and keeping your stomach full with several meals throughout the day. I also popped a few Tums (antacid) for the yucky feeling the meds give my tummy.
Comment by A — July 12, 2009 @ 10:45 pm
Started Flagyl on Monday, Jul 6th. On Thursday, July 9th, 3 days into therapy, I had 3 glasses of white wine and 4 glasses of sangria. I was not advised of the potential alchohol hazards and therefore was clueless of the side effects. I did have a terrible headache the next day but no worse than I usually have after drinking sugary drinks.
On Friday I went to the beach and had a rum drink to ease the headache. It helped… just really tired.
On Saturday morning I felt like I couldn't get out of the bed! I was so dizzy and groggy and had a ringing in my left ear. I felt like my head was underwater. I went to the gym and nearly fell over several times but I kept pushing myself. I went home and napped.
That night, I had 2 glasses of wine (still have no clue about the side effects) with my dinner and went to bed really early. Slept 10.5 hours that night but felt great on Sunday. The ringing in my ear had stopped and had very little dizziness on Sunday.
Today, Monday, feel really groggy and tired again.
Overall, flagyl makes my head feel heavy and I don't want to work or focus on anything. It's making me very tired… and I'm a very active person.
That's my experience. My conclusion is that it depends on the person.
Comment by DB — July 13, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
thought id write after searching for info after freaking out forgetting i shouldnt use alcahol mouthwash with the flagyl…its however three hours later now and initially i did feel quite nauseous ( thought panic i think ..im really emetaphobuc , hate eing sick ) but now i think im calming down and there was no reaction ( other than in my head…)
Comment by xonica — July 14, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
I just started taking flagyl today, Friday. I am supposed to take one 500 mg pill twice daily for 7 days. After reading this blog I am pretty assured about how I will go about having a drink when the time comes – skip my second pill, check for signs of distress after my first drink, make sure I have a good meal in me. My biggest concern is that I have a wedding to go to in 8 days, Saturday, which is technically the day after my dosage is supposed to be complete. It is a morning wedding therefore it will literally be an all day drinking event. As such, I am nervous to risk such taking on that much alcohol within likely less than 24 hrs of the meds.
So to give myself more of a buffer, I am thinking that I will take 3 pills instead of 2 on a couple days within the cycle (to basically shorten it from 7 days to 5 or 6). Does anyone know if this is a bad idea? From this blog I can tell that dosages vary, so it seems to me that it is probably OK. I just obviously don't want to do anything to make the drugs less effective.
To add even more embarrassment to the fact that I am so concerned with my healing getting in the way of my drinking habits, I should admit that if I do choose to take extra pills on certain days, I will probably also omit a pill on a day or two within the cycle so that I can go out and have some drinks. Will this have any adverse effects?
Normally this would not be such a big deal to me but there are extenuating circumstances – a good friend's wedding and the fact that these are my last few days before I am moving and starting law school so want to live it up with my friends while I am still in town.
Thanks for any insight! Can't believe how long this blog is! It's oddly comforting.
Comment by Sue — August 1, 2009 @ 12:10 am
Sue….. Don't skip any dosages …..
Comment by Tika — August 1, 2009 @ 2:16 am
I have now had diverticulitis 3x in the past 3 yrs, and have always been prescribed Flagyl. Every time I have taken this antibiotic I have had miserable side effects (nausea, bloating, awful metallic taste in mouth.) The last time I went through this, on day 9 of 10 of the meds, I decided I felt so putrid that I would try a few drinks, which I did and actually felt better. Last night, on day 4 of 10 (I am currently on Flagyl) I had a few beers as well, with no ill side effects. I am not recommending driking profusely while on antibiotics, but it has been my experience that there has been no problems associated with a combo of the two. However, I am not certain if it renders the medication less potent, or any other side effects, but I was just so nauseous that I figured it could not be much worse and I was right. I am off to grab a pint..Cheers
Comment by CW — August 7, 2009 @ 7:01 pm
Been on the "flag" (flagyl) for a few days now, timidly tested out two alcoholic beverages (diet coke and vodka) last night… was and still am in tip top shape. Not to mention working at a bank in which I use an obscene amount of hand santizer… so, I definitely believe that perhaps this "no alcohol" situation while taking flagyl is most likely an overstatement. Not to say that it couldn't have adverse effects… but I am yet to experience them. I will again test this out later this evening…
Comment by nben — August 7, 2009 @ 8:43 pm
Been on Metrondazole 400mg three times daily and Erythromycin 250mg four times daily for a dog bite – both were a seven day course. I was given this cocktail as I'm allergic to Penicillin.
Finished Flagyl yesterday lunchtime after forgetting to take one tablet the day before – meaning I took 800mg before 2pm, plus the Erythromycin – a dry seven days, awful! Then had a much needed glass of wine, before dinner, at around 7pm, and waited until 8pm to see if I was going to "die" – and I didn't! Had a total of four medium glasses over four plus hours, still okay, and most definitely okay this morning – many thanks, RJS, and all of you for dispelling the myths.
Additionally, I have been nursing for 20 years and was always suspicious of all the tosh surrounding this drug; now this has been confirmed! Saying that, I also accept that there is always going to be someone out there who will get a bad reaction to any drug, like I do to Penicillin….so my advice is to take it slowly and see how it goes, as I did. Bottoms Up, as we say in the UK!
Comment by Juliet — August 13, 2009 @ 5:12 am
I started a course of Flagyl on Thursday (500mg 3xday). I actually forgot about the alcohol restriction and had a beer Friday night not long after my afternoon dose. No adverse effects at all. After having that beer I took my late Friday night dose and Saturday morning dose today and still no ill effects; so I decided to push the envelope and have a few beers this afternoon. After several Budweisers (I'm American…can you guess?), I still haven't noticed anything different or out of the ordinary so I suppose I'm one of the lucky ones who isn't bothered by the combination. I would never suggest that anyone should ignore their doctor's orders but I can definitely say that drinking beer while taking Flagyl has not been a problem for me.
Comment by Dave — August 22, 2009 @ 5:43 pm
The last time I took Flagyl I observed the alcohol restriction, although the day before I started was my birthday and I drank plenty (16-20 beers). Just started another dose Monday. Drank 3-5 beers Sunday, Monday and about 7 tonight (Tuesday). All is good. After reading over 200 posts, I really think it's all about genetics. Some people will have the bad reaction, some none at all. I would have liked to have seen more info on whether or not alcohol reduces the effectiveness of the meds.
Comment by Amanda — August 25, 2009 @ 10:52 pm
I started my prescription to Flagyl (500 mg 2x day) last night after dinner. About 30 minutes after taking it I started to feel slightly lightheaded and lethargic. This started to get increasingly worse as the night went on. Around 11:00 I felt like I had taken some sort of strong painkiller or muscle relaxer, and I ended up just going to bed because I felt so out of it. I got up this morning around 9:00 and it was really hard to wake up and get myself out of bed, plus I still felt quite intoxicated. I called the doctor to report my symptoms and he asked if I had consumed alcohol in the past couple of days (which I had 3-4 beers the day before). He said that this was probably a side-effect of the alcohol and the drug mixing (not sure how much of that is the case and how much was just my reaction to the drug) and that I needed to stop taking it. I didn't technically drink while on the medication so it isn't as relevant as most people's reports but I just thought I'd add my story.
Comment by Braxton — August 27, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
Ok Im on my last 2 pills 500mg each >>> Ia arrived in Miami going out with friends tomorrow and i think im going to have to try to beat the system and drink … The plan have first dose early in the morning and second dose when i get back at night. Im sticking to beer.. having a good meal and snacks in between some Tums just incase and plenty of water, at the end of the night some more food with the last dose… So thats the plan i will keep you posted lol.
Im also a nurse (us nurses dont listen) !!!
Comment by AK — August 28, 2009 @ 2:15 am
wow i never thought this was true, but i am able to think things are true because if i believe it in my heart its not really a lie…. i steal from homeless people..
Comment by david l hancock — September 16, 2009 @ 10:52 am
i tried this and didnt get sick… davidlhancock
- "I steal from homeless people and claim to be a christian"
Comment by david l hancock — September 16, 2009 @ 10:53 am
I've been on the Metro 500mg for 4 days now, decided to have a couple of Long Islands tonight, so far I am fine. I have had no side effects so far even without the alcohol,not even the awful taste other people are complaining of, so after reading all these comments I decided to risk it, I never usually have side effects from prescriptions and this one is no different. Yeehaw!
Comment by Wandakitty — October 2, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
Finished 7 days of 3 x 500mg/day metronidazole about 20 hours ago. It tore my GI tract to shreds, almost worse than the infection itself. Started drinking about an hour ago — why not?
Comment by ringo — October 9, 2009 @ 8:46 pm
im taking metronidazole (flagyl) for a bacterial infection, 500mg 2x daily for 7 days. ive taken 7/14 pills and ill taking my 8th in a couple hours. at dinner tonight i had two sips of wine and some tiramisu that had kahlua in it. i totally forgot that i wasnt suppossed to drink – which at that point my heart started racing and i got really hot so i drank a ton of water.
im pretty sure that that happened only because i had did something 'bad' and not because of a wine and metronidazole reaction.
i dont really know if i had a reaction or not..im still calling the pharmacist in the morning ):
Comment by Kristina — October 10, 2009 @ 2:25 am
starting to get a little stomach ache, but its also been around an hour since i drank some, still havent taken next dose.
Comment by Kristina — October 10, 2009 @ 2:33 am
Anyone know if alcohol makes this drug less effective?
Comment by lonie — October 27, 2009 @ 5:42 am
I took Flagyl at 5pm yesterday and forgot about the 'no alcohol rule' and proceeded to have dinner and drinks with friends. 2 glasses of wine later I realized my mistake, but I never had any nausea or vomiting. Maybe it is based on a personal physiological reason more so than the combination of the two drugs alone.
Comment by Amanda Torres — November 5, 2009 @ 1:56 pm
When I was using Flagyl Stayed away from the drink but I did use the sanitizer (only once). I developed loads of tiny bumps on my hands where i had used the gel. After which never tried having a pint while on the anti biotics
Comment by dave — November 8, 2009 @ 12:19 pm
I did not drink on the same day as flagyl, but I did drink the very next day after the last dose. I had 5 beers the next night, which is quite a bit for a woman, and I felt no ill effects whatsoever. Considering you're supposed to take flagyl twice a day I'm guessing it has a rather short half-life. I don't think it's necessary to wait 3-7 days, as some suggested, after quitting flagyl before it's safe to drink. I think it leaves your system pretty quickly.
Comment by sunni — November 10, 2009 @ 4:15 am
I must say I'm amazed at how many people quit the flagyl rather than quit the alcohol to avoid the potentially hazardous mixture. So, many of you would rather endure the infection than skip a few nights of drink? What does that say about our addiction to alcohol in this world!? lol
Comment by sunni — November 10, 2009 @ 4:29 am
I'm taking tinidazole, which is related to metro. Because of this they also put the fear of death in you over mixing tini with alcohol. I'm taking 500mg/day (250mg twice daily). After reading this site I decided to take a chance on the mixture. I had two glasses of wine last night. I started drinking just 1 hour after taking my evening pill. No ill effects … other than the anxiety of worrying what would happen! This morning I took my morning pill as usual, still feeling fine.
I think it's fine that docs and pharmacists give some warning because it appears a small percentage of people do react. But I'm not sure why they like to scare the bajeebers out of us, making us fear that if we even look at a glass of wine through a restaurant window across the street that we'll be spending the next 12 hours with our head in a toilet.
Comment by Cris — November 11, 2009 @ 7:59 pm
Okay…it has been a long time since I have taken Flagyl. I remember the last time drinking while on it, and only once throwing up, but honestly…it was a wild night and I really felt that it was the wild night not the Flagyl. Now many years later, I got the "not even mouthwash" speech (which I didn't get the last time?) and kind of freaked, haven't drank anything, but tonight is Sunday night football and who can watch their fave team without a Coor's Light
? I know plenty, but I really want a few so I am going to eat, take my meds and pop open a cold one and write back later 
Comment by JRS — November 15, 2009 @ 8:13 pm
I am on day 5 of a 3x 500mg Metro regiment for Clostridium Difficile or C. Diff. I seemed to have obtained it in the hospital from a stay a couple weeks earlier. (20% of cases are received that way)
I had gotten quite bored with my nearly week long sober stretch. I also had the fear of the Flying Spaghetti Monster put into me by my doctor. She said it was like "Antibuse" Assuming I would know what that was. I did. I have heard all about that before and I had absolutely zero intentions of giving that a shot. I have been feeling crappy long enough, I've puked plenty from drinking and I wasn't interested in such nasty repercussions for one drunk. It looked like I had a few days left to tough it out. (One nice thing is I learned I don't get any withdrawals or shakes as I had thought I would)
Not wanting to be sober in it's entirety I scored 30 mg Morphine & Five 5mg Oxycodone to pass the time tonight as my Wife is out of town.
Sitting around chilling on the webs, I wanted to do some research on this whole Flagyl and Alcohol nonsense strictly out of curiosity. My initial results were fruitless. There were just a lot of the "NO NO NO DON'T DO IT!" message. It did not seem right. I finally found some stating that was a big bag of BS & then I found this site. I sat and read every single message. Mary was kinda amusing, some were just the same old shit repeating 20 others, some pointed out the obvious that we are drunks, a few had useful information.
Well, at about message 40-50 I decided to pour myself a light "Michael Phelps." Ya know the drink, a Weed and Water. 70 Proof Sweet Tea Vodka.
My official report is that if you are me you can take 40mg Citalopram yesterday at 3PM, 2 doses Metro (last 6 hrs ago), 25mg Oxy crushed in water along with 15mg Morphine snorted roughly four hours ago, 4mg Ativan 3 hrs ago. 4 oz of total Vodka in 1.5 hours.
As of right now, I feel primo. I think I will be skipping my Trazadone here this morning.
Joe
Comment by Joe Pike — November 16, 2009 @ 8:25 am
Thank you for writing this article. I read it a few days ago and found it very informational. It calmed my fears that I probably wouldn't die for drinking at a birthday celebration. I was a little disappointed that many commented they would follow up with their results…but did not do so. I believe the "no alcohol" rule is a BUNCH of BS and a way for the industry to CYA. I drank and was perfectly fine. Best bet is to start small, then wait and see how it goes. If anything is making you feel ill, it's the Metronidazole! Also, I believe it's possibly psychological. If you get paranoid and fear the side effects…then you might get sick because it's been drilled in our heads that we would.
Comment by Aria — November 17, 2009 @ 11:54 pm
I commented on this post quite awhile ago and clicked the box to notify if someone else comments, so I have been keeping up with the posts and just wanted to say something else. I keep seeing people say that it is all in your head, some type of phychological response. In my case that is very much untrue. This was the first time I have ever taken the medication and I just thought that it said don't drink because it would reduce the effects of the meds. I had no idea that it would mimic the affects of Antabuse! After spending a night throwing up like Linda Blair in the Exorcist, I crawled to my laptop and after much Googling, found this site. I can see that the majority of people haven't had any type of reaction, so I guess I am just one of the unlucky few who cannot process both alcohol and flagyl.
Comment by Jenny — November 18, 2009 @ 3:15 pm
Since drinking alcohol while taking Flagyl doesn't appear to have the horrible reaction doctors and pharmacists say it does, I was wondering if this could be true of Tindamax as well. I'm on Tindamax right now and had the fear of god put into me by my doctor and pharmacist of absolutely NO ALCOHOL. Is there any information to dispute this? (Thank you so much for your information regarding this entire issue!)
Comment by dla — November 19, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
It's a bunch of bullshit. I took 4 500mg tabs today and drank 10 beers. I feel great. I've never paid any attention to those silly "Do Not Drink Alcohol" labels on Rx bottles. As a matter of fact, the Rx bottles with those labels are the ones you should have alcohol with. Party on.
Comment by Robert Sayko — November 20, 2009 @ 10:57 pm
Im on 250mg flagyl 3 times a day and last night I drank 3 wine coolers and I feel great no hangover no puking, nothing. I did get buzzed quicker but that was fine. Thanks to this website I was able to enjoy my Saturday with a couple of drinks and it felt great. This web page saved my weekend.
Comment by carlyj — November 22, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Well, I've been worrying about starting my course of Metro as it's my birthday party om Friday and I'm at a wedding this weekend, so not drinking would've been horrible…so i bit the bullet and had two pints of lager this evening to see if i'm one of the unlucky ones. I'm feeling absolutely fine and dandy at the moment, so we'll see how it goes. I'll update tomorrow if there's any problems.
Comment by JasonJ — December 2, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
Sorry, but your whole thesis is unprofessional and unscientific. Therefore I think I'll continue to avoid alcohol as long as I might still have Metronidazole in my system.
If you apply Occam's Razor it would seem that if people experience a violent reaction after drinking alcohol while taking Metronidazole, then it's not illogical to assume that they've experienced a reaction to the combination of Metronidazole and alcohol.
If you want to make yourself pig sick be my guest, but please don't encourage other people to do the same.
Comment by Stephen Coombs — December 10, 2009 @ 8:17 am
Chalk me up as another who has several times been prescribed flagyl but carried out drinking (moderately) with no ill-effects. I used to argue with the dentist who prescribed it because she would issue the usual dire warnings, and I would say "actually there's no evidence" … and she would just treat me as if I was an idiot to ignore professional advice. Nowadays I just nod politely and promise not to touch a drop.
Comment by Robert Jenkins — December 11, 2009 @ 8:44 am
Flagyl will not absolutely cause the vomiting associated with Antabuse when consumed in conjunction with alcohol. Pharmacists should stop counseling that it will.
"Absolutely" being the key word here – meaning it's not inevitable, but it can happen. Clearly SOME people experience adverse effects from the combination of Flagyl and alcohol. Just because it won't "absolutely" cause adverse effects doesn't mean it never does. Even if there's no data, it's still possible that some people experience it. Everybody reacts to drugs in different ways. So of course pharmacists should still warn people of a POSSIBLE adverse reaction. To not even mention it as a possibility would be totally irresponsible.
Comment by Emmett — December 13, 2009 @ 2:06 pm
Jeez, guess I was super bored last night (have been home 3 days!) Had to test this and see for myself. I have been taking this yucky stuff for three days/500 milx2.
Built a fire, watched Elf and drank some Eggnog.
I noticed my heartbeat was a little faster, no other symptoms! I did not over do it, just a few glasses.
Merry Christmas!!!
Comment by nina — December 20, 2009 @ 1:20 pm
Didn't have time to read 266 blog entries but read enough to know it's worth a try to "ease in" to the alcohol. Took 250 mg with breakfast, 250 mg with lunch, had about six ounces of wine with dinner, took 250 mg with a snack at 10:00 pm. ABSOLUTELY no symptoms. Today the same routine but I'm doing a vodka martini with dinner. If I'm alive in the morning, I"ll post again.
Comment by Barry — January 5, 2010 @ 4:34 pm
Been taking metro since 12/30 for a bout of diverticulitis. I heeded the no-alcohol warning straight through New Year's. Yes, I spent New Year's eve sober. But, on the bright side, I actually remember everything.
Decided to have an O'Douls (non-alcoholic) tonight with dinner. Two sips in I noticed that it actually isn't devoid of alcohol. It has 0.5% content. Reluctantly, I stopped drinking it, opened my laptop and found this website and thread.
So, here's my story. 1/3 of a 0.5% alcohol beer, a chicken caeser salad, and some water. 40 minutes later and my stomach is a little crampy, but it's like that everytime I each thanks to the Cipro and Metro. No nausea, but it's not worth it to me to risk finishing the beer. It was gawd-awful anyway. Can wait for this week to end so I can have a decent drink.
Comment by akshunj — January 5, 2010 @ 8:25 pm
Hi there, Wow what an amazing blog.. luv it!! have to say that i have gone a week without the wine and could not leave it any longer, hence me looking up the facts on alcohol whilst on the tabs.. Am so chuffed i found this fantastic account of peoples experiances! I would like to add to it if i may..
Firstly, thank you for the person that has started this,without you we would not be able to share our thoughts etc.. well done you!!
secondly.. i have now had a bottle of wine and can normally drink at least 2 (not that i am proud about that) but tonight i am only drinking the one, i feel that its all i need.. i have the buzz feeling and feel very happy that i have so far not died..lol… i will post again to let you know if i am alive and kicking tommorrow!! i feel that on the t
abs it gives you a bit of a buzz when drinking but then i am an addictive person so please please dont take my word for it!! Do's and Don'ts
Do's
Think about how your affected by alcohol in general. IF you are not able to take much then don't drink, Not because its the drink and tabs mixed but maybe you are a person that can be sick quite easily.. I am not that type of person!!! The tablets can make you feel sick on there own,, they did not with me at all, infact i felt nothing but happiness that my infection of my wisdom tooth was easing.. Thank god.. lol..
1. take tab in morn
2. make sure you eat
3. miss tab at night if you are drinking.
Dont
1. take the tablet and drink at the same time
2. drink loads and then take the tab b4 bed!! big no no!!
3. if you have reactions to tablets and can be sick quite easily then dont drink full stop!!
I can drink and can take my wine but i was sooooo worried after reading up on the facts untill i came across this blog and thought i would do a trial myself…. so far so good. infact feeling pretty good,,lol.. but in the process have realized that i must have a drink problem as i struggled to last 6 days without wine..lol.. AA here i come… and i dont mean the car brake down company..lol…
If your a hard nut then i think you will be fine but if your a sensitive person to tablets then i think you should avoid drinking..
thanks to everyone for giving me such an entertaining evening by reading your comments..
ps.. hope i dont die tonight..lol..
Love and hugs
Nicky..xx
pps. I am 33 yr old woman with 3 kids, have been on tabs for 5 days at 400mg, one, twice a day.
AA Here i come..lol.. love my wine thought… obviously!! lol
Comment by nicky — January 8, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
Well hello again, as you can quess i obviously did not die last night. I was'nt even sick and i didnt have a bad head. i would say that i felt a buzz and a bit drunk quicker than normall but thats it!
Least i know now..
thanks again and will go get a large glass of wine as its saturday night… yeay!!!
xx
Comment by nicky — January 9, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
Reading this was hysterical….I feel just like most of you..Last Flagyl an hour ago. Refrained from drinking the last 7 days and SHIT,,,,what a complete nightmare…I feel as if I may need AA now..Can't WAIT to drink tomorrow and I can't believe I made it 7 whole days freaking out..Cranky 33 yr old sober bitch I was for sure..Hoping not to get any bad reaction tomorrow..doubtful..Good luck to you all !!!!
Comment by Maya — January 10, 2010 @ 10:31 pm
I took my first dose today around 6pm with dinner. I felt a bit nauseous about 30 minutes later, but my stomach soon calmed down. I've had a bad cold for the past few days as well, and have been so exhausted, so I wanted something to knock me out tonight. Without even thinking, I took some NyQuil. As soon as I did it, I paused, and nearly smacked myself in the forehead, since it has alcohol with it. However, I feel fine (apart from the NyQuil making me sleepy!) and reading this article soothed my nerves. I plan to avoid alcohol while on this medication, but I can't imagine taking such a small amount is that bad for you.
Comment by ellen — January 12, 2010 @ 2:21 am
Ok ok. You've convinced me. I'm going to enjoy my dinner with some wine, see how I feel from there. And then go out and party all night. Thank you for clarifying, I cannot wait any longer to go out and drink (I am a college student who's missed out on a lot of parties during my dosage). If however I do get sick..there will be a mch meaner blog tomorrow morning..just kidding. Thanks again for your informative post.
Comment by Laura — January 15, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
Ok, I originally had read this entire thread because I was worried about whether or not I would be deathly ill from consuming a few drinks while taking Metronidazole. Here's some info first: I am taking 500mg every 12 hrs for a week. I am female and weigh about 155 lbs. Because I had no idea how the alcohol would affect me, I decided to take it reallllly slow. So i started by having just one drink (one shot of vodka mixed with diet coke) an hour. I did this for two hours, then took my pill (with a small granola bar) and then had a drink right after taking the pill. I felt no ill effects and certainly was not drunk at all. So you can definitely drink when taking this antibiotic, just don't drink as much as you usually do thinking you will get hammered as usual–I'm sure if I were to have drank more in a shorter amount of time I just would have gotten drunker faster.
Comment by Mariella — January 23, 2010 @ 12:16 pm
A common theme running through many of the posts is the huge over-consumption of alcohol, whether or not on Flagyl.
It's good to know that one can enjoy a drink or possibly two while taking Flagyl, however many of these posts indicate alcoholic drinking patterns i.e. throwing away a beneficial antibiotic so they can drink large amounts of alcohol.
I do appreciate the thoughtful and analytical article. Too many times, medical professionals, as well as the general public will pass on anecdotal information for so long that it turns into "we all know". Yes? Based upon?
Comment by Tracy — January 24, 2010 @ 2:00 am
good summary of the evidence out there..
I am female, 21 years old, 165cm (approx 5'6"), 54kgs (approx 123 lbs) have possible pseudomembranous collitis and have been prescribed 400mg metronidazole x3 a day.
I am an antibiotic warrior. I have been on a few rounds of Keflex the last few months for reoccuring folliculitis. Apart from that, I'm quite healthy.
I wasn't warned emphatically about taking alcohol at all with this antibiotic. But I noticed the pharmicist had gone to the extra trouble of adding her own warning label on the side of my bottle so of course…straight to google.
It's my 21st party this weekend. I'm not going to drink heavily at all..but I intend to have a few glasses of bubbly with my friends considering ive been organising it for so long..hopefully my results concur with the majority of the other posters in regards to tolerance. Will post up Sunday morning!
Comment by lulux — January 28, 2010 @ 6:41 am
With not feeling well for a couple of weeks, eventually causing enough of an issue to require a doc visit; I was diagnosed with BV. The PA prescribed metro gel, one dose inserted nightly for 5 days. One health concern slightly improved, but I continued to fall more and more into ill health (fever, aches, chills, fatigue, and overwhelming awful feelings like a severe flu). In calling the PA for follow-up, they then prescribed the metro pills (generic), 500mg twice a day for 7 days.
I was heavily warned not to drink any kind of liquor from the nurse and the pharmacist, but, nothing so far as not swishing mouth wash or using hand sanitizers. lol And strongly told to eat with each dose! I have made sure to eat yogurt and fill my tummy to protect it from GI repercussions. I am flowing right along while taking these, with no major side issues to report.
<>
In my daily routine, I drink a couple/few cans of beer – continued through-out the gel treatment with no ill effects. And with the pills, I continued to have a few beers; but, changed to a couple of stiff vodka drinks last night. I am feeling a bit woozy/drowsy this morning, but, I know it will fade away sooner or later.
I don't know if it was because of the vodka drinks and getting too much of a buzz combined with the pills or not. More than likely, it is the infection leaving my body; and having been so ill for far too long, that my body has much further to come back to being healthy.
Also that I am now more dehydrated than "normal" with the vodka and taking these strong pills — that alone can cause the woozy feelings.
So, be sure to drink water, lots of water, and keep it going long after you end the medications. Help keep your system fresh flowing, detoxify, and aid in healing.
Comment by Micky (f) — February 12, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
I ended up in the hospital last week after throwing up for a few days. It started out every few hours, but by day three I was throwing up constantly and when I began puking blood I went to the ER. I ended up being admitted for three days. Turns out I have many stomach ulcers and a bad UTI. I was given Metro by IV for three days and when I was discharged was given a scrip for Metro 500mg three times a day. I was given a packet of info about mixing alcohol and Metro the first day I was in the hospital. I just stuck it in my bag and forgot about it. Well, yesterday was Valentine's Day. I live in Phoenix and it is in the upper 70's. So, I told my boyfriend I wanted to lay by the pool and drink pina coladas. Plus, my "snowbird" neighbors from Canada, who drink everyday, were having a little party on their patio. Why not?, They are retired, they deserve it. Anyway, I remembered getting that paper about one of my meds, so I pulled it out and read it.
Well, you all know, they put the fear of death in you, no mouthwash, cough syrup etc… Plus the pharmacist warned me to absolutely NOT drink alcohol with it. I was really worried! I did take Antabuse when I was a teenager to make my parents chill out. So, I did know what could happen. Anyway… I pulled out the laptop and came across your informative and amusing site. My boyfriend and I said this is cool, just start slow and see what happens. Well, I hung out by the pool, drank my frozen drinks, then partied with the Canadians. Not a thing happened to me except I had a great time. My boyfriend on the other hand, who is not on meds, got completely wasted and hit about every wall in the house and landed on the kitchen floor! I could only laugh. One thing I did do was stay away from the strong vodka soda's which I normally drink.
So, thank you for your great information. Because of you I had a great V-day, just not a happy ending, thanks to the boyfriend (;.
Take care
Comment by Stacy — February 15, 2010 @ 7:55 pm
i took metro 2 hrs ago, and now finishing second bottle of beer. nothing happened so far
Comment by max — February 16, 2010 @ 11:44 pm
Was on 200mg t.d.s Sat-Wed for gum infection. Like many others avoided mouthwash (JUST when I needed it, argh) and had the last pill at 9pm last night. No stomach upset whilst on them, as warned by dentist, and things orally have cleared up a treat.
Have something to celebrate with the BF so got some Chardonnay (yes, another Bridget Jones *sigh*) and it took about 20 mins of staring balefully at a glass of it before I came across this site, prostrated myself before the genius of the OP and took the plunge.
Halfway through glass one, flushed cheeks (hardly surprising after a week off the sauce) fear of vom receding. Will post again tomorrow.
Comment by Jec — February 25, 2010 @ 4:52 pm