Flagyl

[Guest]

anybody out there know about the after effects of flagyl? what are they? thanks for any info ! <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'bob']

[Guest]

Bob, <BR> <BR>Flagyl is a broad spectrum antibiotic. It is used as the first line defense against clostridium difficile colitis (c.diff. for short). In most patients, it will clear up c. diff with one course of medication (usually 10 days). However, some patients require that more than one course be prescribed. C. diff. can be difficult to get rid of. <BR> <BR>In some patients, Flagyl has actually aggravated symptoms of c. diff. and they have had to stop taking the Flagyl. The sign that Flagyl is causing worse problems is very evident. The symptoms will worsen, the patient may experience increased diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weakness and other worsening symptoms. <BR> <BR>If this happens, the person should seek immediate medical attention. It happened to my wife - but is rare. <BR> <BR>Historically, the next step that doctors usually take if the Flagyl doesn't work is to put the patient on Vancomycin. Vancomycin is usually a last resort medicine. It is very powerful and usually will eventually ("eventually" emphasized) clear up c. diff. <BR> <BR>As for technical side affects of Flagyl or Vanco, it is best to read the pamphlets that the pharmacist or doctor provide with the medications and follow the physicians instructions exactly when taking them. <BR> <BR>Good luck and we hope this helped. <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'Admin']

[Guest]

Hi everyone, though I'd share how I dealt with the worst side effect for me of Flagyl. The nausea and dizzyness were a problem for the first 2 hours after a dose, but for me, the thing that just made me crazy was the amazingly horrible toxic taste in my mouth ALL THE TIME. <BR> <BR>The taste while taking the pill was easily dealt with by just sticking it in a spoon full of jelly or applesauce and washing the whole thing down without chewing it. The dull metallic taste that seemed to happen with furry tongue (also fun) was a real problem though. I was on a total of 10 weeks of Flagyl over 3 months, so it was important to deal with this issue. My pharmacist told me that the taste could be helped by eating something salty. He was right, but by the 8th day of my first 2 week treatment, I was actually shaking salt on my tongue and just letting it dissolve. It was really a problem. <BR> <BR>Turns out that all I needed was a tongue scraper. I got it to thin out the gross furry tongue also caused by flagyl, but all of a sudden, the evil taste was gone too. Once-a-day tongue scraping got rid of the taste for the whole day. So easy. I hope this helps someone else trying to deal with this issue! <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'Heather']

[Guest]

I had to laugh when I read the title "Taste of Flagyl". The first time I took it I gagged for 10 minutes because the taste was so incredibly horrible. I had to take a drink of Gaterade, throw it to the back of my throat (hope it makes it) and swallow it down. Most of the time it worked.

[Guest]

Hi Debby, <BR> <BR>This is my third course of treatment with Flagyl and I agree, the worst part is the horrible taste in your mouth. You can buy a tongue scraper in any drugstore. You can find them in with the dental floss, toothbrushes, etc. I scrape my tongue every morning immediately after I brush my teeth and it does help somewhat. I've also found that if I eat something when I take the Flagyl, it sometimes helps overcome the taste. Usually something sweet, like a piece of fruit helps. Don't eat anything sugary (like cookies or candy) as the bacteria in your gut just loves the sweet stuff. I've also found that certain foods taste horrible (like yogurt) if I take it too close to the medicine, so I pace myself to not take anything probiotic for at least 6 hours after the Flagyl. I'm on a tapering dose (2 x per day), so it's easier to do that now. It was a little trickier when I was on it every 8 hours. Good luck and keep in touch.

[Guest]

My son (15 months) just was diagnosed with CD and is taking oral Flagyl 3x a day. While he takes it fine, he has developed a cold, fever and some vomiting at night. All of this developed after taking the Flagyl for about 2 days. As well, his appetite has gone completely, and he has been a good eater up until now. Is this coincidental, or could these be side effects and should I be getting his meds switched? I have been feeding him yogurt and Lactobacillus liquid, but plan on picking up Culturelle tomorrow. <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'Shawneen Stephens']

[Guest]

Shawnee, <BR>Flagyl has terrible side effects!! I was naseausous and had NO appetite at all. Did not eat for 4 days , then they took me off it and I got my appetite back! The fever could be from the c diff you need to watch that. Also as far as probiotics go (lactobacillus and culturelle) dont' start more then one first and see how he does with that first for a few weeks. Sometimes they make you go more and cause other side effects so you should see what is working first. I would ask for Vanco if it were my child <BR><BR>[Guest Posted by: 'Diane']

[Marcia]

I had posted this last night but it was removed because i did not put it in the Flagyl section, but here I go again.
Found out this.... Flagyl mimics DISULFIRAM (also known as "antabuse"). Antabuse is given to help alcoholics stop drinking. It produces horrible symptoms (potential death) which are like the worst hangover you've ever had. Go to google and look up "disulfiram" and "metronidazole" and you'll see that it's well known that they behave similarly. It varies from person to person . MOREOVER, antabuse is a very dangerous drug. It can kill people, and some sources recommend that a user wear a medical ID bracelet and avoid not just alcoholic beverages but anything (e.g., perfume) that might contain any form of it.
As i've told you before I relapsed after 6 days of finishing flagyl treatment for c diff. I went out on the 5th from when i had finished taking the pills. I had like 3-4 drinks that night. The next day i woke up with the worse headache and diarrhea and cramping. I did not know that you shouldn't even wear perfume while taking this crappy pill. Since then (6 months) i have not had a drop of alcohol. The symtoms i got from it that day of relapse i cannot even describe. I think me being such small person flagyl was not out of my system yet which caused those adverse reactions. I just wanted to warn anyways taking flagyl do not make the mistake of having evena sip of wine, try to stay away from perfumes too.