Flagyl side effects

[ramu]

Male, 49yo.

I think I have had C diff since a November root canal, but just got diagnosed 3 weeks ago. One doctor at an urgent care prescribed 1 week of flagyl a while ago. However, I just got off 2 weeks of Flagyl 500gm/ 3x per day. Burning in my gut started the moment I started, and by the end of 2 weeks, I felt like I was blowing holes in my stomach. I dropped into my GI a few days after starting the regimen, and was told, "we dont treat pain here. they do that at the ER." I had many other side effects (skin crawling, insomnia) etc. But I really felt like it strip-mined my gut with acid. I finished my regimen last Thursday, and feel my gut healing now (less burning).

Questions: Have any of you felt extreme burning on Flagyl? Is this normal for treatment? Is Vanco better or worse?

I don't expect to be Cdiff negative first time around, and hope extreme burning pain is not part of normal treatment. I eat kimchi daily, yogurt, Milk kefur, take probiotics and S boullardi. I Don't feel like I can ever take flagyl again.

[Lisa33]

Hello ramu - Welcome to the site. Please read the first forum for rules of posting, etc.

So sorry you are dealing with c-diff. Flagyl is a very harsh med to tolerate. I was able to get through it the first time around, but after I relapsed and was put on it again, I couldn't tolerate it at all. It made me sicker than the c-diff. It sounds as if Flagyl has wreaked havoc on your body as well. Hopefully, it cured the c-diff though. It's good that you are seeing improvement now. As long as you aren't having the copious watery D with the feeling of being unwell, you are most likely in recovery and your colon is healing. If God forbid you do relapse, definitely go for the vanco. Vanco is much easier to tolerate. I felt great on it and that is what cured me. Some doctors will even go with Dificid, which does not kill any good bacteria. Both vanco and dificid have higher cure rates. But hopefully you are in the majority, and won't need another round of treatment.

I did not have burning on Flagyl, but had extreme nausea, no appetite, terrible fatigue and fogginess and my tongue felt dry and furry. The nausea was really the absolute worse. Everybody reacts to meds differently though.

It sounds as if you are doing everything right as far as probiotics.

Wishing you continued improvement,
Lisa

[georgina]

Hi Ramu
Sorry you are dealing with CDiff.
Flagyl was awful for me too , I couldn't tolerate more then 7 days.I had that burning sensation in my stomach like you describe along with extreme nausea , vomiting everything I was eating , tachycardia, couldn't breathe right , insomnia (witch I still have).Vanco is much better , I had no side effects while on it , actually I felt normal.
Be carefull about taking too much probiotic , it can give you GI symptoms.
Feel better!

[ramu]

I have ringing in my ears from it. I've been off for four days, and it is still there. Does that go away with time? Also, I'm doing a test a week after Flagyl. is that too soon? And if i'm positive, how long should I be waiting to get on Vanco? My GI guy takes like 3 weeks to see. Is it ok to give your body a cool-down period between medicines? Mine feels like it needs a month to recoup and recharge.

[NanciT]

You need some time after you have completed the Flagyl. Hopefully, your GI symptoms will improve. I also am not familiar with the burning, Flagyl made me very ill and I only took it 4 days.
If you continue to feel bad, return to your GI or get an appointment with another GI if you are not happy with him.
I would line one up and then cancel if you are feeling well. It takes time to heal and return to "normal". Just watch for the watery diarrhea 3/more times aday. Right now post treatment, BM's can be all over the place.
Take Care and I hope you are feeling better soon!
NanciT

[Acres]

Hi,
I had to stop taking flagyl after 3 days. Made my D worse and It gave me the worst headaches ever and I get tension and sinus headaches, but they did not come close to the flagyl headaches. I will never take it again.
I went through 3 GI doctors before I found one that seems to care...
My GI gave me dificid after the vanco did not work for me (and I started getting urinary tract, pelvic pain and prostate issues right after taking it - still have the problems weeks later, but there are a lot of folks here that did well on it) I had no side effects from dificid. It seems to have worked.
I still have some recovery issues after about 40 (might be a little longer) days post my last dose. I have learned recovery/healing takes a long time.
Hope you're in recovery. Sending you positive prayers...
Scott

[georgina]

Dificid is the best drug to treat a Cdiff infection , too bad it is so expensive.Dificid is a medication that prevent the c-diff from replicating , Cdiff hatches from its spores but can't make any new ones.And it kills only clostridia so , it won't touch the good flora.

[NikaNik]

Georgina - Dificid is costly without insurance (and sometimes even with insurance) but they do offer patient assistance https://www.pparx.org/prescription_assi ... ce_program

[Bobbie]

Many cannot tolerate Flagyl.

Call your GIs office every day to see if there is a cancellation. They often have a waiting list.

[Lorin]

I had burning in my urethra with flagyl. This is listed as a rare side effect. I also had extreme tooth sensitivity, which I don't think is listed as a side effect, but it was too sudden not to be. Just stopped it on Monday and no more tooth sensitivity. Urethra pain has lessened too, but still there slightly. Bloating and cramping are back now. I can't go back on flagyl though. I just won't do it.