How Long After Metronidazole Can I Take Fluconazole (And Why)?

Exact Answer: After about 6 hours

Generally, doctors prescribe antibiotics as a treatment of most diseases. These antibiotics destroy the disease-causing bacteria present in the body.

But, sometimes they even destroy the useful bacteria present in the body. The destruction of useful bacteria leads to yeast infection.

Such infections occur on various parts of the body, in the private parts of the body.

Various bacteria and yeast are present in various locations of our body. One of them is Candida which grows uncontrolled in the female vagina to lead to infections.

The common symptoms of infection due to yeast are irritation around the vulva leading to itching and rashes. Such type of fungus infections need proper hygiene, care and atmosphere to get healed properly.

How Long After Metronidazole Can I Take Fluconazole?

Vagina has a mixed proportion of bacteria and yeast to maintain its atmosphere. The chief bacteria present in the vagina is Lactobacillus, which gives the vagina its slight acidic tint.

However, it does not provide an atmosphere for the fungus to grow and create colonies. Consumption of antibiotics due to diseases like bronchitis or any kind of infection hampers the body’s balance of bacteria and fungus.

They erase away the traces of those bacteria which might harm the body.

However, these antibiotics also lead to mass destruction of the chief bacteria of the vagina thereby removing the acidity of the vagina. This sets the atmosphere for culturing of yeast.

In such cases, the doctor prescribes the patient to take some medicines like fluconazole along with other medicines to reduce the effect of those medicines.

These antifungal medicines play the role of good bacteria thereby protecting the vagina from excess growth of fungus.

Metronidazole is a medicine that is used to cure infections of the vagina caused due to any kind of microbes. It is even used to treat infection in other regions like the colon, pelvis and liver.

It is mainly prescribed in the form of a gel. It has been proven effective in many cases.

It is even used to cure ulcers and other problems of the digestive system. But, it fails to cure the infections or other problems caused due to virus.

Fluconazole is a type of azole antifungal which is used to treat infections and diseases caused due to virus. It is mainly prescribed to be taken orally in the form of tablets.

It is even used to cure infections of the urinary tract, pneumonia and other infections caused due to uncontrolled growth of Candida.

Why Should I Wait So Long To Take Fluconazole After Metronidazole?

However, both these drugs have some disadvantages besides all the advantages. Fluconazole can sometimes lead to improper functioning of the liver and heartbeat.

It may even lead to rashes and abnormality in the adrenal gland. However, if you experience any such symptoms, then you should stop taking the medicine and consult the doctor.

Generally, it is advised to talk to the doctor for all the information before taking the medicine.

Similarly, metronidazole may even lead to such problems as headache, pain in the abdomen, rashes, nausea, diarrhoea, dryness in the mouth, vomiting, loss of appetite leading to weight loss. Some serious side effects include sores in the mouth, pain during urination, meningitis and cancer in organs.

If the patient experiences any signs of discomfort, then it would be wise to consult the doctor at the earliest. These medicines may even lead to some serious diseases and hence should be taken only on being prescribed by the doctor.

However, metronidazole should not be used by pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers. It gets released through the milk of the mother and has the potential to affect the foetus and the newborn.

Fluconazole can even prove harmful for the foetus developing in the mother’s womb and hence should be avoided during pregnancy. However, during breastfeeding, there are fewer chances of the baby getting affected due to intake of the drug by the mother.

However, these medications should not be taken along with alcohol. Generally, we can see the writing on the label which states to avoid alcohol and other such narcotic substances during the intake of the medicine.

Intake of these medications along with alcohol and other such substances may lead to other complications thereby leading to death.

Conclusion

Both these medications should not be taken at a time. There must be a time gap of at least 6 hrs between the intake of Metronidazole and Fluconazole.

A time gap of a minimum of 72 hours should also be maintained if the person has consumed alcohol.

Although, no interactions have been noticed between Metronidazole and Fluconazole due to the difference in their mode of intake, yet, it is safest to maintain a minimum time gap as this would reduce the chances of complications.

However, one should take these medicines together if only the doctor has prescribed them. If the patient feels any discomfort or notices any anomaly, then he should go to the doctor immediately.

Reference

1. https://journals.lww.com/drug-monitoring/fulltext/1999/04000/fluconazole_bioequivalence_study__quantification.10.aspx