Metronidazole..long term side effects, anxiety and panic attack!

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3 years ago I took metronidazole, 500mg three times per day, for three days only ( suppose to be a 7 days course)...bad adverse effects..dizziness..trembling..blurred vision..palpitations. I just ruined my life. I developt anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia (never have them before..and I'm 29).. 3 years since then and I still have no idea what else to do ...I visited over 20/30 doctors in two different countries, making a lot of analysis and everything came back normal..but the symptoms are still there

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  • Edited

    I see this post is really old but this antibiotic is making my body absolutely freak out!! It is really scaring me!! Today would be my 5 day taking 500mg twice a day but it's 5:30am right now and my body is going crazy... Randomly breaking into extreme hot flashes, heart racing, chest tightness, dizziness, very hard trying to take deep breath, shivers, total panic attack mode... Woke me straight up. Also has made me depressed even more than I was.. I don't know if I'm overly sensitive or if this is just poison and I should stop taking it

    • Posted

      Hi! What finally happened to you and the med? I was just prescribed Cipro and metronidazole and now in a panic BC they are awful. Hoping they can give me something else. Do you have after effects after stopping the meds? And did it help with your original issue. I have diverticulitis and this would be round 2 of antibiotics but I am not gonna take them. Thx

    • Posted

      i had severe side affects had to start antidepressents and anxiety medication on too of counseling. I missed over a month of work. its been over three months now and im still taking depression and anxiety medication. but i was able to return to work eventually its taken time but im starting to feel better. still scared to stop my medication. i feel like my case was severe but i am getting better. hope that helps everyones situation is different here if you have more questions. hope you feel better.

    • Edited

      Thank you for your reply. I have done a lot of reading about those two drugs and begged my GI not to give it to me because i have a mild case, not in any real pain. After going around, she put me back on Augmentin for 7 days and will see after that. Going to a chiro today for acupuncture and starting some naturopathic remedies. Nothing too wild, obviously load up on the probiotics specific for GI issues of divert, and oil of oregano---which is like a super strong anti-everything. Hoping it knocks out everything else the antibx do not. So sorry to hear of your post metronidazole problems, but the more I read, the more I hear stories like this. Glad you are feeling better again.

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  • Edited

    ive been on amoxiciilin.. and metro las week was ok for 3 days then boom .. was irratiable.. upset amd woke in night like i was lost major panic... i suffer gad anyway.. but after talking to docs told me to stop the lot... and wait a month before changing me tabs for summit ive used b4 that never worked... took mine for h pylori.. now im scared its going to worsen... as not treating it.. cant win.. that metro is bad news man.....

  • Posted

    I'm having symptoms of like a sinking feeling in my chest. Assuming it's anxiety and depression. Because I'm overly anxious and never have been before other than times when anxiety is normal. I'm sensitive as hell and tear up and cant stop once I've started. I look at my family and boyfriend and feel nothing. it fg breaks my heart because it's so frustrating. I don't even want to have sex with my boyfriend at the moment. A symptom is decrease of libido... which can be a serious symptom. I'm really worried because i don't want to lose him over something that is out of my control. I've never had an issue with sex drive until now.

    I got prescribed 7 days of 400mg of the metronidazole two pills a day for BV. Was feeling fine until i finished taking the antibiotic. It's been 4 days and i feel fg horrible.

    I'm relieved I'm not the only one who feels like this. I feel so alone.

    • Posted

      Hey Abbi, I too have been having intense anxiety. I just took 2000 mg of flagyl in one dose for a parasitic infection earlier today, and I've been having a panic attack ever since. Has your anxiety and low libido gone away since you wrote your post? If so, how long did it take?

  • Posted

    how are you feeling now? i know this is an old thread but im experiecing similar symptoms and feel like its ruined my life. is there a way out of this?

  • Edited

    i was perscribed this for a tooth infection. I took it that night woke up the next day In a panic attack, I'd never had one before, didn't think it could be the medication so I took another dose. what followed was severe anxiety, confusion, earworms (having songs stuck in your head, mild hallucinations and sleeplessness. it's been almost 2 years now and the earworms and anxiety have continued. I literally am singing a song to my self the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep. the anxiety is here I'm in a constant state of panic. I know this is an old thread but I was wondering of these effects had ever gone away for you? hoping they will go away for me! However I feel as though they are perminate some days the anxiety is a little better than others but the earworms are always there and it is debilitating! I sincerely hope your doing well.

  • Posted

    Hi, Alexandra. i would like to thank you for sharing this post. It gave me relief and let me know that I am not alone in my reactions to metronidazole (aka: Flagyl). For informational purposes: I have no previous psych issues nor do I have to tale any meds prior yo Flagyl. First they started me on Doxycycline but it slmost gave me a heart attack. I just went in for a bacterial infection and racing heart. I have been to 4 hospitals this week in my surrounding counties since starting metronidazole just to seek help. I have had confusion, increased BP, super increased heart rate, extreme fainting, fatigue, dizziness, delayed cognitive abilities....also slurred speech and they keep sending me home. I am now on my 5th day of this. its horrific. It feels absolutely awful and over whelming. It is affecting my life!!! I want my life back. I want my health back!!! I asked the last doc if I could discontinue this horrible med nightmare. She said, No. I am afraid if I stop then it won't kill the bacteria that invaded my body in the first place. This has been so dehabilitating. Does it go away after stopping the med?

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