Has anyone ever taken flagyl and alcohol and not had a bad reaction?

kKellie, Flagyl ( orally) is really strong, it pretty much boils bacteria and protozoans out of your stomach and GI tract. If you are orally taking Flagyl, and you attempt to drink, I can Promise you, you are going to hurl, puke vomit, spew, blow chunks, regurgitate, and violently. Once I had a brilliant dr who thought he would save me some money by not doing a prep culture and handed me an envelope with 16 flagyl pills in it, told me to take 8 at once and give my boyfriend 8 to take at once. I questioned him repeatedly to make sure he was telling me to take all 8. I know you don't know me, but I have a super power of normally never throwing up. I threw up the whole next day and I did NOT drink anything alcoholic. I have been given it exactly twice since then and on 1 pill per day was so nauseous I thought I was going to hurl. Don't drink on this, it will make you terribly ill. Patti

Hey kkellie,

To answer your question it is possible to not have a bad reaction BUT it is possible to have a bad reaction based on the following warning:

metronidazole ↔ ethanol

Applies to: Flagyl (metronidazole), Alcohol (contained in alcoholic beverages) (ethanol)

GENERALLY AVOID: Use of alcohol or products containing alcohol during nitroimidazole therapy may result in a disulfiram-like reaction in some patients. There have been a few case reports involving metronidazole but data are not convincing. The proposed mechanism is metronidazole inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) similar to disulfiram. Following ingestion of alcohol, inhibition of ALDH results in increased concentration of acetaldehyde, the accumulation of which produces an unpleasant physiologic response referred to as the 'disulfiram reaction'. Symptoms include flushing, throbbing in head and neck, throbbing headache, respiratory difficulty, nausea, vomiting, sweating, thirst, chest pain, palpitation, dyspnea, hyperventilation, tachycardia, hypotension, syncope, weakness, vertigo, blurred vision, and confusion. Severe reactions may result in respiratory depression, cardiovascular collapse, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, acute congestive heart failure, unconsciousness, convulsions, and death. However, some investigators have questioned the disulfiram-like properties of metronidazole. One study found neither elevations in blood acetaldehyde nor objective or subjective signs of a disulfiram-like reaction to ethanol in six subjects treated with metronidazole (200 mg three times a day for 5 days) compared to six subjects who received placebo.

MANAGEMENT: Because clear evidence is lacking concerning the safety of ethanol use during nitroimidazole therapy, patients should be apprised of the potential for interaction and instructed to avoid alcoholic beverages and products containing alcohol or propylene glycol while using oral, intravenous, or vaginal preparations of a nitroimidazole. Alcoholic beverages should not be consumed for at least one day after completion of metronidazole therapy and for 3 days after completion of tinidazole therapy.

So best to stay away from the alcohol until at least one day after completing the Flagyl prescription.

Best wishes,

Laurie