Why does metronidazole interact with alcohol




















If used…. Is it safe to mix Flagyl and alcohol? Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, Pharm. What is Flagyl? Possible effects How do they interact? When is it safe to drink again? Safe usage Summary Drinking alcohol while taking Flagyl can cause serious side effects. Share on Pinterest A doctor may prescribe Flagyl to treat various infections.

Possible effects of mixing Flagyl and alcohol. How do Flagyl and alcohol interact? Share on Pinterest A person may experience headaches if they drink alcohol while taking Flagyl. When is it safe to drink alcohol again? How to use Flagyl safely. Share on Pinterest A person should not consume alcohol until 3 days after the last dose of Flagyl. Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes. Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? Related Coverage.

What are the side effects of antibiotics? Medically reviewed by Alan Carter, PharmD. How the body processes alcohol. Metronidazole is a common antibiotic used to treat a variety of bacterial infections in the stomach, skin, vagina, and respiratory tract.

Metronidazole is often sold under the brand name Flagyl. The label for Flagyl warns that mixing Flagyl and alcohol is dangerous. If you or a loved one find that you cannot stop drinking even in the face of these risks, however, negative side effects may not be your only concern—it is possible that you may be struggling with alcohol addiction.

The primary risk that comes with mixing Flagyl and alcohol is not that the antibiotic would be ineffective; rather, the main danger is that the interaction between the two can have severe physical side effects.

Even when taken properly, metronidazole Flagyl may result in negative side effects such as diarrhea, tingling or numb hands and feet, mood swings, light sensitivity, coordination and concentration problems, flu-like symptoms, and more. The reaction between Flagyl and alcohol is similar to the effects of Antabuse, which is a drug that treats alcoholism by making patients highly sensitive to alcohol consumption.

Both result in the patient feeling very sick after consuming even a small amount of alcohol. If a patient consumes alcohol while taking metronidazole, the list of negative side effects becomes more severe—even fatal. Lack of disulfiram-like reaction with metronidazole and ethanol. Ann Pharmacother ; 36 : Stockley's Drug Interactions. Fact vs. Antimicrob Agents Chemother ; 64 : pii: e Download references.

You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar. Reprints and Permissions. Steel, B. Metronidazole and alcohol. Br Dent J , — Download citation.

Published : 14 August Issue Date : August Mixing alcohol with metronidazole causes additional side effects, some of which are severe. These include:. Metronidazole is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication used to treat bacterial infections.

Drinking alcohol while taking metronidazole results in unpleasant side effects that may range from mild to severe. It is highly recommended not to mix alcohol and metronidazole together. After you consume alcohol, your body begins breaking it down.

First, it turns the alcohol into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a toxic compound that causes the undesirable effects of alcohol. Next, the body uses an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase to reduce acetaldehyde to acetate. Metronidazole stops this enzyme from working. This means that someone taking Flagyl cannot metabolize alcohol properly. Acetaldehyde stays in their bloodstream, causing a toxic buildup. As a result, stomach and digestion-related side effects of metronidazole may be increased by alcohol consumption.

Alcohol also can lower your seizure threshold. Because seizures are a side effect of metronidazole, people with a history of seizures should be extra careful to avoid alcohol while taking the medication.

This may be a cause of the disulfiram-like reaction that some scientists have observed. Disulfiram is a medication used to treat alcohol use disorder. It causes unwanted effects when someone drinks alcohol while taking the medication. There have been reports of people having disulfiram-like reactions when mixing alcohol and metronidazole.

This includes:. It should be mentioned that this disulfiram-like reaction has not been proven to be a scientific fact. Severe reactions may be a result of alcohol use, metronidazole use, the combination, or other unknown factors. The effects of mixing Flagyl and alcohol seem to vary greatly from person to person. Since there is no way to know what sort of adverse effects will occur, it's best for everyone who takes metronidazole to avoid alcohol for the entire duration of the prescription.



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