Metronidazole (Systemic)

Brand Names : Flagyl, Flagyl 375, Flagyl ER, Flagyl I.V., Flagyl I.V. RTU, Metric 21, Metro I.V., Protostat, Apo-Metronidazole, Novonidazol, Trikacide

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For metronidazole, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to metronidazole. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Studies have not been done in humans. Metronidazole has not been shown to cause birth defects in animal studies; however, use is not recommended during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Breast-feeding - Use is not recommended in nursing mothers since metronidazole passes into the breast milk and may cause unwanted effects in the baby. However, in some infections your doctor may want you to stop breast-feeding and take this medicine for a short time. During this time the breast milk should be squeezed out or sucked out with a breast pump and thrown away. One or two days after you finish taking this medicine, you may go back to breast-feeding.

Children - Metronidazole has been used in children and, in effective doses, has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in children than it does in adults.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of metronidazole in the elderly with use in other age groups.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking metronidazole, it is especially important that your health care professional knows if you are taking any of the following:

• Anticoagulants (blood thinners) - Patients taking anticoagulants with metronidazole may have an increased chance of bleeding

• Disulfiram (e.g., Antabuse) - Patients taking disulfiram with metronidazole may have an increase in side effects affecting the central nervous system
• Lithium - Patients taking lithium with metronidazole may have an increased chance of experiencing lithium toxicity

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of metronidazole. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Blood disease or a history of blood disease - Metronidazole may make the condition worse

• Central nervous system (CNS) disease, including epilepsy - Metronidazole may increase the chance of seizures (convulsions) or other CNS side effects

• Heart disease - Metronidazole by injection may make heart disease worse

• Liver disease, severe - Patients with severe liver disease may have an increase in side effects
• Oral thrush or vaginal yeast infection - Metronidazole may make yeast infections worse.