Trichomoniasis

Is the alcohol warning with metronidazole real?

Given a course and told absolutely no alcohol, including for days afterwards. A pharmacist friend says the interaction is largely a myth. Who is right?

tide_line 2 weeks ago

NoteMember experience, not medical advice. Symptoms overlap between infections and only a test can tell them apart.

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northwindow 2 weeks ago

Your friend is closer to the evidence than the leaflet is. The supposed disulfiram like reaction with metronidazole has been looked at repeatedly and the evidence for it is thin. A small controlled study found no reaction and no change in the enzyme the theory depends on.

The warning stayed in the labelling anyway, which is why you were told it firmly.

green_door 1 week ago

That said, I would still follow what your own prescriber told you rather than a forum. Metronidazole on its own can make you feel unwell, and adding alcohol to nausea is its own bad evening even without a special interaction.

brown_paper 1 week ago

The instruction that actually affects the outcome is the one about not having sex until you and your partner have both finished treatment. That is the one worth being strict about.

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