Metronidazole + Alcohol: how much is too much?

right well basically metronidazole is a precursor (innactivated) form of a very toxic drug. The way it detects bacteria is by relying of the fact that the bacteria metronidazole are good at killing are anaerobes (dont use oxygen - good example is plain h. pylori (stomach ulcer bacterium)). Normally this is great because our cells use oxygen (are aerobic) so the bacteria are targeted and destroyed. If you drink even a modest amount of alcohol this will cause some of your cells to start respiring anaerobically - just a thing alcohol does. This means the antibiotic will target your cells too and kill them. End result you get very sick. Ive been told the effects are somewhat similar to those of people taking antabuse - basically drinking anything will make you feel nausious and potentially be sick.

I would avoid drinking any alcohol whilst on the drug, though the amount present in sauces is likely to be so negligible that youre probably not going to notice the effects.

*antabuse is a drug given to alcoholics to make them avoid drinking alcohol due to the unpleasant effects.

So just out of interest, if it's about anaerobic cells that are destroyed by the drug, does that mean strenuous exercise would have the same effect? If someone on Metronidazole went for a sprint or a run, they'd get just as ill?

An interesting point. I would rather hesitantly say no. If you exercise to your anaerobic threshold your still going to get some aerobic respiration going on. The anaerobic component is due to the hypoxia in the tissues due to higher demand and not enough supply, as opposed to actively inhibiting aerobic respiration as occurs with alcohol intake. I may well be wrong, its been a while since I did biochem!

I thought Metronidazole reacted with alcohol because it inhibited alcohol dehydrogenase like Disulfuram does so that alcohol rapidly accumulates and causes the sickness.

I thought Metronidazole reacted with alcohol because it inhibited alcohol dehydrogenase like Disulfuram does so that alcohol rapidly accumulates and causes the sickness.

I'm not sure how that can be right, otherwise it wouldn't cause you to be sick until you'd had at least a couple of pints.

Metronidazole is prescibed far too readily as a "cure all",especially by dentists. Its a potent drug which disrupts the lives of the majority of users to some extent from mild stomach upsets to fainting,fits and commonly nausea. Using alcohol with the drug is always going to lead to problems.Interestingly in some countries Metronidazole is rarely prescribed except as a 'last resort' and certainly not for abcess or gum diseases.The thing is it is very cheap to produce so the drug companies push it.It does the job but you have to accept a week or more of feeling absolutely crap.

I've been on metronidazole twice in the last two months, for a week each time, and count myself fortunate in that I've had no real side effects (except perhaps a slight dryness of the mouth). I was also scrupulous in avoiding any alcoholic drink or any foodstuff or product with alcohol in. However I'm still anxious to know how the minimum safe interval between taking the last dose and ingesting any alcohol. It's just that I'm rather partial to the Italian dessert tiramisu, which has wine among its ingredients. As well as being insatiably curious about the physiology and biochemistry involved in the drug interaction.