HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Flagyl (metronidazole)

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/4/2009 4:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hey all - so, I am feeling like I am between a rock and a hard place right now. I just recently finished a 1 month straight stint (Off and on for a total of 3 months now) on flagyl (metronidazole) and I was ecstatic about that. I went for my first visit with my new GI on Monday and he wants to put me back on it and prescribed a 3 month supply with 5 repeats!!!! Apparently, he wants me on this as well as the Remicade. So here is the reasoning behind me not wanting to be on this antibiotic:

- I have a constant yeast infection while on this med that takes about 3 weeks of fluconazole to get rid of
- I have major anxiety that causes me to become depressed, moody and have the ability to cry at the drop of a hat
- I can't drink alcohol and I have a multitude of Christmas parties coming up and it has been about 4 months since I have even had a sip of wine (which I love).
- It causes spotting in between periods
- I don't want to leave the house because I just want to sleep all the time and I have no energy
- I can't eat due to the fact that I have no appetite and I feel nauseous all the time
- I'm afraid it is going to decrease the afectivness of the birth control pill and I'm going to end up pregnant

I know I could just be making excuses but the MAIN reason I don't want to take this drug again is the severe mood changes. I need my sanity, I need to be happy and feel like I want to get up and about. I believe that a positive attitude is just as important in the healing process. I don't usually go against Dr's orders but this is one I am debating - however; I know that Remicade should not be started if you have an infection. I don't have an abscess anymore but my fistula is still draining...

Ugh - ok, that is my rant.

Anyone else have thoughts about this nasty drug?
Posted 12/4/2009 7:22 AM (GMT 0)
Yikes, that is a long time to be on flagyl...you're right about it possibly decreasing the effectiveness of your birth control pills and being the culprit behind your yeast infections BTW, birth control pills alone can be a culprit behind yeast infections (you should be taking a good probiotic daily and indefinitely, on antibiotics or not to aid with yeast infections, but it won't change the fact that the antibiotics can decrease your effectiveness of your B/C pill). The spotting between periods could also be from your B/C pills. You certainly DON'T want to be drinking wine on flagyl either, it will likely make you vomit/nauseated. You can also use yogurt directly in the vagina for your yeast infections, my old GP told me this yrs ago and it really does work, cheaper and works faster, but plain yogurt of course is the only kind to use.

I don't really know what else to tell you though...I don't have any great advice to help with your major issues but I hope you find relief ASAP.

:)
Posted 12/4/2009 12:17 PM (GMT 0)
I can't answer the female questions. I can say that I'm on Flagyl right now and I don't experience any of those symptoms (Tired, nausea, depressed). I've only been on it for one week so I don't know what the long term side effects are.
Maybe you should seek another doctors advise.
Good luck and feel well!
Posted 12/4/2009 4:15 PM (GMT 0)
Ask your doctor what he thinks about putting you on low dose flagyl, maybe for a longer period. This is what my husbands homeopath is doing. Like a maintaince dose against the bad bacteria, I guess.
Posted 12/4/2009 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for your replies.

The dose that he has recommended is 250mg twice a day which is about half of what the usual prescribed dosage is. What dosage is your husband on?

I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place with this. I would think that being on a maintenance dose could possibly cause my body to become used to this medication and that in turn will prevent it from working in the future.
My blood work looked good so maybe there isn't any infection in my body and I should be good without it?
I suppose my colonoscopy will be the tell tale about infection in my bowel.

As for you not experiencing side affects similar to mine.
I didn't notice these symptoms until around day 8 or 9 on the medication. I noticed a significant difference after going off of the meds.

I managed to get the yeast problem under control quickly this time (2 - 150mg doses of fluconazole) which I am very happy about.

I feel great being off this med!
Posted 12/5/2009 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
I hate and love flagyl! It saved my life when I had a huge, nasty abscess, so I love it. But I had all the symptoms you had -- plus crying for no reason. It is known to help shrink fistulae in some people. And it really works on the bacteria in the rectum. I was on it for months too and eventually got tingly feet (periheral neuropathy) and had to stop.

Doctors usually don't prescribe a "big gun" antibiotic like flagyl unless you really need it. But maybe cipro or its cousin levaquin might be OK instead. They don't kill exactly the same bacteria, but they are used in CD. They have side effects too but they are much milder. Ask you doctor if you can switch. Also, I see you aren't on any other meds. Has your doctor mentioned remicade or humira?
Posted 12/5/2009 5:56 AM (GMT 0)
It's easy for me. I hate Flagyl. I have to be near hospitalized to take it. Everything you say (except spotting, considering I don't get periods...) My fatigue in unbearable. The nausea kills any drive I have to eat. My moods are whacky and I hate getting constant yeast infections (even with probiotics). Personally I can't see taking it that long. I've been on it 4-6 weeks then I quit. I hate also taken Cipro long term. It's easier to deal with, but still the yeast issue. One out of all those isn't bad. But, I still wouldn't stay on it for months and months.

Make sure you're taking a good probiotic... Cipro/Flagyl combo landed me in the hospital last summer.
Posted 12/5/2009 1:09 PM (GMT 0)
I never knew that there was so many side effects to Flagy, I don't seem to have any of those but I am only on it for 1 week. glad thats all I need to be.
Posted 12/5/2009 4:12 PM (GMT 0)

My daughter is 13 years old, she was diagnosed with CD when she was 8 and has been on Flagy and Cipro and Pentasa since her diagnosis (6 years). They have worked for her but now she is developing redness around her anus and up her butt crack. I think it may be a yeast infection. Is it possible to be on Flagy and get rid of the yeast infection or do they reoccur often as a side effect? We will be going to the doctor next week. Any relief suggestions or comments?

Post Edited (Jessa97) : 12/5/2009 9:20:21 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 12/5/2009 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
No wonder I'm so crazy right now! Let's see, I was on it in the hospital and then given 10 days worth after the hospital. I'm also on entocort and leviquen. I had NO idea flagyl caused mood swings and such. I swear I broke up with my boyfriend yesterday for no good reason. . . and then I was on here reading and boom now I think I know why I was so emotional and also a bit irrational. I'm a crazy lady right now ;) We're back together because he's understanding but of course I felt bad for putting him through that.Thanks for starting this feed. I'm only on it for a couple of more days thank goodness.
Posted 12/5/2009 9:48 PM (GMT 0)
Here is a website where people describe their experiences with flagyl. As you will see, most hate it. But they have difficult conditions, and probably their doctor prescribed it because there isn't much else available.

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=12623&name=FLAGYL&sort=dateAdded&order=0

My doctor said to take it even though it gave me side effects (but to stop it immediately if I get peripheral neuropathy or developed and allergic reaction). I had a huge infection from a rectal abscess and flagyl is the best antibioitc for rectal bacteria. I just wish doctors would warn of the possible over emotional and anxiety side effects!

My suggestion when you take it is to drink milk (if you can) and eat a small meal. Not a cracker -- a small meal.

Take care!
Posted 12/6/2009 7:23 PM (GMT 0)
My husband is on 250mg once a day. I hope your doctor says it's safe to take in so small a dose. All I know is that since Monday my husband has been seeing a homeopathic MD and he has started feeling better than he has in months. Knock on wood!

Hubby has tried everything short of Remicade up to this point.

Good Luck! Hope this helps!
Posted 12/7/2009 1:42 AM (GMT 0)
I had trouble with Flagyl too. I was on both it and Cipro for a month. Horrible taste in my mouth, nausea, diarrhea, cranky, exhausted....it was bad. It did fix a lot of my bleeding and mucus problems though, for what that's worth.
Posted 12/8/2009 11:02 AM (GMT 0)
I was on flagyl and cipro for over nine months straight, and I hated and loved it at the same time. I had no appetite, nausea, mood changes, I just didn’t feel like ‘myself’ – I was on 3 tablets a day...... I had to be on it for an abscess/fistula, while I was in hospital waiting for it to drain, and then while I waited the 12 weeks to apply for remicade.

Nine months is A LONG time to be on this medication, but I didn’t feel like I had any option with the abscess. The mood changes, taste and lack of appetite were the worst things for me. However, I found that I could handle 2 tablets a day instead of 3, it made the side effects much less severe.

I would recommend asking your doctor if you can switch to a low dosage.
Posted 12/8/2009 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
I had to stop flagyl due to the peripheral neuropathy (which years later I am still feeling). However, I would have lived through all of the other side effects (I had the wicked bad taste, wild mood swings & depression) as it worked wonders on my fistula. Even the lower dose gave me tingling around my mouth and in my hands. I went on to Cipro, but that did not work on the fistula.
I am wondering since you are also on Remicade, if going to the other antibiotics may helpyou. Talk to your doc about how this is impacting your life. You want quality of life along with health.

ps DO NOT DRINK on flagyl. I always have fun telling my "one french fry sent me to the ER" story. I did not know it was beer battered and who would have thought any alcohol survived deep frying... one 2 inch french fry and my fiance (now hubby) was driving me to the ER. he said he was scared how I looked and sounded. I was scared how I felt. After an hour of waiting to be cared for, it cleared away, but I can not imagine what would happen if I had a glass of wine. I also did not like the ER staff speaking to me like I was an alcoholic.
Posted 12/9/2009 12:28 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, lots of replies - always great to hear the feedback from others.

I have been off of the flagyl now for 2 weeks and I feel great. I have energy, I'm sleeping at night, no more anxiety or mood swings and I am actually gaining weight because I want to eat. Also I have no mucus or blood - just drainage from where the seton was put in and my abscess is virtually gone. No more pocket and the incision is shrinking every day. I had problems with sharp pains in my groin and terrible body aches while on Flagyl as well - something I never really thought about until I saw the post about neuropathy. I don't think the Flagyl has done anything for shrinking the fistula I have though. Drainage varies day to day and it did while I was on the Flagyl as well.

After my first surgery they put me on Cipro and I had the diareha so bad they thought I had C diff and I was immediately tested. All 3 C diff tests came back negative so they took me off the Cipro and within a couple days my bowels were back to normal. Oddly enough, I am only using the bathroom twice maybe 3 times a day (usually in the morning) and I have completely formed stools without mucus or blood. This is one reason I have refused to take the Flagyl. I don't want my body to build up antibodies and when I do really have an infection Flagyl won't work anymore.

I am in the process of being approved for Remicade. After my colonoscopy next Friday I will know for sure how serious the fistula is and cross my fingers that the Remicade will work for me. In the meantime I am keeping my diet bland and I eat virtually the same thing every day because I know the things I am eating don't bother me.

Aside from some discomfort from the incision I almost feel 100% again. I'm definitely looking forward to starting the Remicade and being able to perhaps change my diet a little to include some foods with some flavour :)
Posted 12/9/2009 12:30 AM (GMT 0)
I am taking 1500mg per day of Flagyl and 1000mg per day of Cipro for the next 4 weeks because I just got out of the hospital with a ruptured small bowel and the docs are preparing me for a resection. I saw that probiotics were mentioned above -- did you notice that taking these helped you significantly? I was going to wait until after I am done with the antibiotics to start the probiotics because it seemed like they would just work against each other if I took them at the same time. Thoughts?
Posted 12/9/2009 12:32 AM (GMT 0)
With regards to the probiotics - I'm not sure if others have noticed this or not, but I find that I get D from probiotics.... Can anyone else chime in about this?
I have probiotics in my fridge that I'd really like to take, but I'm not having D now and I'm afraid of changing things to cause an upset and have D start again.
Posted 12/9/2009 2:46 AM (GMT 0)
Yes, probiotics can give you D for a while. But then your intestines become comfortable with the new the flora and things should calm down. Also, I wonder if you are just wasting money taking probiotics and antibiotics together. I would think the antibioitcs would kill what is in the probiotics.

I wish someone would isolate what ever it is in flagyl that totally kills appetite. What a weight loss product that would be! I'd buy it!

Carnival -- Sorry to hear about the rupture. That does not sound like fun at all. Hope the resection is easy for you!

Farfrmnormal - I hope the colonoscopy goes smoothly and they find the fistula doesn't involve sphincter muscle so they can remove it. They will probably want you to be on Remi for a while to get the inflammation down before they do anything (surgery on inflammed tissue it usualy not sucessful).

Take care!
Posted 12/11/2009 3:57 AM (GMT 0)
Fall

I can definitely vouch for the loss of appetite and it causing weight loss. I weighed myself for the first time today in about a month and I'm down to 115lbs - a grand total of 20lbs lost since this whole thing started 3 months ago...

As for the fistula - the doctor who did the seton surgery said that it is very close to the sphincter muscle and she doubted that any surgeon would want to tackle it in fear of continence problems. The one thing I am urked about now is my remicade co-ordinator said that she thinks my doc wants me to have an MRI of the perianal area (to check to make sure the abscess is gone) before they start remi. It can take up to 4 months to get an MRI around here - I can't wait that long to be medicated. Hopefully the colonoscopy will shed some light on the situation and the doc will change his mind.
Posted 12/11/2009 4:07 AM (GMT 0)

i also had to wait 12 weeks to get my remicade while having an abscess, it was awful. And I had to get a scan of the area too to make sure things were ok. I think it's part of the protocol the docs have to follow before they can authorise Remicade.

Posted 12/11/2009 4:12 AM (GMT 0)
The thing is, I've been going through this for 12 weeks already so another 3-4 months is a bit much to me. That's enough time for me to flare again and form another fistula and abscess. Not something I want to wait for.

My abscess was completely cut out of me. There is no abscess there anymore - I just have an incision. That's what is frustrating. I haven't felt this well in 4 months and the idea of falling back into a flare again stresses me out.
Posted 12/11/2009 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
I know just how you’re feeling, farfromnormal. I first had my abscess appear in November of 2009 and didn’t get it seen to until june 2009. so that was a lot of pain and a lot of waiting due to the neglect of my past doctors. And then I had the 12 week wait until I was eligible for remi. Are you still soaking the area for at least 15 mins a day in hot salty water? I would recommend staying on the flagyl if possible, i tried to come off it early because I hated the side-efects too and boy did I regret it. coming off it will increase your risk 10 fold of having the abscess return or another one forming. That’s what happened to me anyway, I guess it is different for everyone. While the flagyl doesn’t solve things (or didn’t for me)   -it kept things from getting worse than they were.
Posted 12/11/2009 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
I can't do the flagyl anymore - mentally it is not good for me. Honestly, it made me consider doing things that I would NEVER have thought about before. I value my life and my sanity and Flagyl just doesn't give me that. I've lost 20lbs (and dropping every day) since all of this started in September and I am just not keen on the REALLY bad side effects I encountered.

I have sitz baths daily with Epsom salts - I missed them today (I wasn't at hom) but most says I sit for 20mins twice a day (or more) and I irrigate the area after each bowel movement as well.

The one thing my surgeon noted while I was on flagyl was that my abscess was not responding to the treatment. I was on it from the middle of September to the middle of October. Off of it for a couple of weeks and then back on it for another month. Both times the doctor did not see any change in the abscess or even the inflammation in the bowel and it didn't help the fistula either.

All in all my sanity is just as important as getting this abscess under control - if I am having bad thoughts about things then my healing process is being deferred.
Posted 12/11/2009 10:22 AM (GMT 0)

I definitely agree - I was having suicidal thoughts on flagyl, and would get horrible anxiety over meaningless things. I would spend the weekend in bed, having no motivation to get up and get dressed. My abscess was the same, it did not improve at all on the flagyl, i first had it for a week in hospital and things only got worse. It just sort of 'maintained' the high level of infection that was there, but ultimately thing got worse and I couldn't even sit on my side anymore, I had to lie down all the time, it was too unbearable. I just know that going off them completely was so detrimental to the sepsis and the size of the abscess. It went black when I went off the flagyl. Have you thought of trying one tablet per day and seeing if things improve?

You are right though, mental health is important, and equally as dangerous as physical health. I hope you get some answers soon. Please do come here and chat to us if you're feeling down. We care. I can't speak for everyone but I know I care and I understand what you are going through.

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
12