What happens if you take metronidazole for too long?

Patients should be monitored for adverse effects such as peripheral or central neuropathy (such as paraesthesia, ataxia, dizziness, convulsive seizures), particularly if metronidazole has been prescribed for long-term use.

Can you take metronidazole long term?

Long-term use of Flagyl

Flagyl is usually prescribed for treatment over seven to ten days,⁴ and shouldn't be taken for any longer unless recommended by your doctor. Some infections require longer treatment, such as infections of the bone and joint, lower respiratory tract, and endocardium (inner layer of the heart).

Can metronidazole cause permanent damage?

Serious side effects of Flagyl and Flagyl ER include brain disease, fevers, mouth sores, painful urination, nerve damage resulting in prickling or tingling sensations that may become permanent, cystitis, pelvic pain or pressure, decreased sex drive, inflammation of the lining of the rectum, inflammation of the mouth ...

What happens when you take too much metronidazole?

In cases of severe overdoses, it can cause some cardiac arrhythmias among other life-threatening complications. A common culprit of these cardiac complications is the co-ingestion of metronidazole with another medication that can cause these complications when present in excess.

Can I take metronidazole longer than 7 days?

You'll usually have to take metronidazole twice a day, for 5 to 7 days. Sometimes this antibiotic can be prescribed in a single, larger dose. However, this may have a higher risk of side effects and it's not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women as a precaution.

How and When to use Metronidazole (Flagyl, Metrogel) - Doctor Explains

Can you take metronidazole for months?

If you're prescribed metronidazole cream or gel for rosacea, you'll normally use it twice a day for about 2 months. Treatment can sometimes last longer. Follow the instructions from your doctor or pharmacist.

Can you take metronidazole for 14 days?

Metronidazole is first-line treatment for mild to moderate C. difficile infection. A 10 – 14 day course is recommended because, although 70% of patients respond to metronidazole in five days, 91% respond with a 14 day course. Metronidazole can be given by intravenous infusion if oral treatment is inappropriate.

Is metronidazole hard on your body?

It can give you severe side effects such as feeling or being sick, stomach pain, hot flushes, difficulty breathing, a pounding heartbeat (palpitations) and headaches.

How long is metronidazole toxicity?

Abstract. The currently recommended treatment for metronidazole toxicosis is drug discontinuation and supportive therapy. Reported recovery times are 1-2 weeks.

How long does it take to recover from metronidazole?

The elimination half life of metronidazole is approximately 8 hours. It takes 5.5 x elimination half life for a medicine to be completely cleared from the body. Therefore it will take about 44 hours (5.5 x 8 hrs) for it to be cleared from your system.

What does metronidazole do to the brain?

Apart from peripheral neuropathy, metronidazole can also cause symptoms of central nervous system dysfunction like ataxic gait, dysarthria, seizures, and encephalopathy which may result from both short term and chronic use of this drug and is collectively termed as “metronidazole induced encephalopathy”(MIE).

Is metronidazole cancerous?

MTZ is potentially carcinogenic to humans due to the following facts: it is a proven mutagen in bacterial systems, it is genotoxic to human cells and also, it is carcinogenic to animals.

Does metronidazole always cure BV?

BV is treated with antibiotics, of which oral and vaginal formulations of metronidazole or clindamycin are most commonly used. Although short-term BV cure rates of multiday oral and vaginal metronidazole regimens are 65%–90%,^{11, 12} recurrence rates are high.

How long should you take metronidazole for BV?

Metronidazole is available as an oral pill or vaginal gel; the choice of pill or gel is based on the person's preferences. The oral pill is taken twice daily for seven days. The gel is inserted into the vagina at bedtime for five days. Both treatments work equally well.

What are the withdrawal symptoms of metronidazole?

Abrupt termination of the drug may result in withdrawal symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, skin rash, drowsiness, and miosis.

Is metronidazole a harsh antibiotic?

Metronidazole is a very safe and effective antibiotic medication used to treat bacterial vaginosis (BV). Many users will not experience any negative Metronidazole side effects at all and will have a very positive experience with the medication on the whole.

What foods should I avoid while taking metronidazole?

Alcohol, avocados, bananas, chocolate, salami

Do not mix these items with drugs such as metronidazole (Flagyl) and linezolid (Zyvox), used to treat bacterial infections.

What STD does metronidazole treat?

Trichomoniasis is treated with oral metronidazole (Flagyl).

Is 5 days of metronidazole enough for BV?

Metronidazole tablets

This clears BV in most cases. It is important to read the leaflet that comes with these tablets for the full list of possible side-effects and cautions. The main points to note about metronidazole include: The usual dose is 400-500 mg twice a day for 5-7 days.

Why am I getting BV all the time?

BV is a result of an imbalance of “good” and “harmful” bacteria in a vagina. Douching, not using condoms, and having new or multiple sex partners can upset the normal balance of vaginal bacteria, increasing your risk for getting BV. We also do not know how sex causes BV.

Why do I get BV every time I sleep with my boyfriend?

Not using condoms or having new or multiple sex partners can sometimes increase a person's risk for developing BV. "Sex sometimes leads to BV if your partner's natural genital 'chemistry' changes the balance of bacteria in your vagina and causes the bacteria associated with BV to grow,” Dean explains.

Can metronidazole damage your liver?

The liver injury from metronidazole is rare, but can result in liver failure and death. In typical cases, recovery is expected in 1 to 3 months. Rechallenge results in prompt recurrence and should be avoided.

Who should not take metronidazole?

You should not use this medicine if you are allergic to metronidazole, secnidazole, or tinidazole, or if: you drank alcohol in the past 3 days; you consumed foods or medicines that contain propylene glycol in the past 3 days; or. you took disulfiram (Antabuse) within the past 14 days.

Can metronidazole cause a stroke?

Abstract. Metronidazole induced encephalopathy (MIE), an encephalopathy brought by an antibiotic, is characterized with cerebellar dysfunction, altered mental status and extrapyramidal symptoms. MIE can result in an acute manifestation, but MIE has not been reported as a stroke mimic.