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Posted 9/9/2007 1:35 PM (GMT -8)
my doctor just put me on a low dose of flagyl (an anti depressant) to slow my gastric emptying. has anyone been on this? i am worried about constipation...
~k
Posted 9/9/2007 1:47 PM (GMT -8)
flagyl is an antibiotic not antidepressant
Posted 9/9/2007 2:34 PM (GMT -8)
Flagyl is an antibiotic, it fights off infections. Do you have an infection? I was on it when first diagnosed "just in case I had an infection" and it didn't make me constipated. It did have some nasty other side effects, like headaches, making my tongue have a white-coating and making everything, even water, taste absolutely horrible. But not all people have these side effects. I was taking 2 pills, 3 times a day I think....it might been less than that, I can't remember. Do you know if you have ulcerative colitis or just colitis?
Posted 9/9/2007 2:40 PM (GMT -8)

Here's a site with numerous reviews of patients' experiences on Flagyl:

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=12623&name=FLAGYL

I think you really need to force yourself to eat while taking this drug to counteract some serious side effects.  I couldn't make myself eat, and I couldn't finish 4 days of it.  Lost about 15lbs.  It DID almost completely clear up my bowel symptoms while I was on it, but I absolutely couldn't take another dose after 4 days.


Post Edited (UC in Dallas) : 9/9/2007 5:30:17 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/9/2007 3:26 PM (GMT -8)
i was taking 4 a day and it didnt do anything to or for me.
Posted 9/9/2007 4:24 PM (GMT -8)
Back in 2004 and again in 2005 my GI put me on it for 10 days along with crypto. I had no desire to eat anything, I lasted 8 days, and only ate food the first 3 days I was on it. I lost about 12lbs, but it did help me.
Posted 9/9/2007 4:43 PM (GMT -8)
wow, this is all good (but scary) to know. thank you so much for responding. did anyone have constipation while taking the drug? that is one worry i have...
Posted 9/9/2007 4:47 PM (GMT -8)
I had the "everything tastes bad" side effect. Didn't seem to help my colitis one bit.

I stopped taking it.

Posted 9/9/2007 8:55 PM (GMT -8)
It can cause a mtalic taste in the mouth for some people, I never had any problems/side effects from it, but no help for me either....

Just make sure you're taking probiotics!! at least 2 hrs after taking any antibiotics for the day.

:)
Posted 9/9/2007 9:40 PM (GMT -8)
i wonder why my dr. said it was an anti-depressant. weird. she was very adamant about it. weird. in any case, i have just started today and i am so happy to have so much feedback. any more insights would be appreciate, i am glad you all shared your experience with this drug. and can i just say YUCK!! it sucks that we all have to go through this. i love the support i get here and i love supporting others but i just want to say THIS SUCKS. ok, i have that out of my system. thanks for letting me vent :)
Posted 9/10/2007 3:22 AM (GMT -8)
yucK! IT DOES MAKE EVERYTHING TASTE METALLIC.
Posted 9/10/2007 5:07 AM (GMT -8)
The metallic taste is the worst. And never, ever drink any alcohol with it -- if no one told you that, they should be shot.

I actually quit coffee for about a year after being on Flagyl. I couldn't drink it while on it because it tasted so awful and figgered it was a good time to give up the habit. I started again about a year later.

I got Flagyl for c-diff, a bug in the gut. Your doc may think you have a bug in your gut that is causing your rapid emptying and is just trying to cover his/her bases.

Be sure to take your probiotics.

Good luck!
Mitz
Posted 9/10/2007 5:54 AM (GMT -8)
no one did tell me about the alcohol. why is that? ( i mean why is it bad to drink when you take it?)
Posted 9/10/2007 8:37 AM (GMT -8)
I think you should look up Flagyl and read up on it. Fortunately, we have lots of resources available to us via the Internet these days to help us take responsibility for our health. Unfortunately, for those that don't take advantage of that and continue to rely on doctors and pharmacists to tell us what we need to know, we often get incomplete or out-and-out wrong information.

Flagyl and alcoholic beverages do NOT mix. You can get violently ill if you try to drink alcohol while on Flagyl.

Here's the FDA's site on Flagyl. Read up on it!
http://www.drugs.com/pro/flagyl.html

Mitz
Posted 9/10/2007 10:09 AM (GMT -8)
Flagyl and alcohol can make you throw up....you're not suppose to drink while taking any type of antibiotic in general...

If your doc was so adament that it was an anti-depressant I'd be looking for a new doc...unless she meant to say antibiotic but anti-depresant was what kept comming out of her mouth.

You should ask her again...see iif she changes her answer, LOL!

:)
Posted 9/10/2007 12:32 PM (GMT -8)
thanks for the info! i'll start doing my homework and figuring this out. thank god for you guys!!
Posted 9/10/2007 12:47 PM (GMT -8)
haha, if only....love the flaming lips reference! makes it easier to stomach!!
Posted 9/10/2007 3:08 PM (GMT -8)
so apparently my doctor prescribed the WRONG medication. she wanted me to be on flagyl as well as a low dose antidepressant, but confused the two. NOT A GOOD SIGN. granted it was the RN and not my real GI doc but how scary!! thank god for this forum otherwise i would have had no idea!!!! thank you all for cluing me in!!
Posted 9/10/2007 4:04 PM (GMT -8)
Flagyl came on the market in 1970s as an amebicide-- to be used against protozoan infections. From what I read on this site, it is being overprescribed to UC patients. This drug can cause peripheral neuropathy, nerve damage in the extremities, and should only be taken for a short time + with caution. Any doctor who calls it an "anti-depressant"-- or any RN, for that matter, should be removed from their employment before they kill some unlucky patient! / Old Hat (nearly 30 yrs with left-sided UC; currently on 3 X 3 Colazal daily for July flare in descending colon; should be in remission soon)
Posted 9/10/2007 6:01 PM (GMT -8)
i only took 3 doses of flagyl...  it gave me horrible stomach cramps, severe D, and tingling in my hands, arms and temples.  I quit taking it, even though the doctor told me to continue.  He was fired shortly thereafter......NEXT!!!!!!!!..............
Posted 9/12/2007 11:20 PM (GMT -8)
agreed. in fcat, it was the RN's mistake , when i really should have been seeing the doc herself.
Posted 9/13/2007 6:01 AM (GMT -8)
Katie..What med were you supposed to be on then ?
Posted 9/13/2007 6:41 AM (GMT -8)
i was supposed to be on amitriptylne (which i am now) on low dose to suppress the fact that i have a stomach on speed...have you ever been on this?
Posted 9/13/2007 8:04 AM (GMT -8)
IT makes you wonder how they got a liciense to practice. I know they are busy but that is just a little to much. When I was put on flagyl my doctor repeatedly told me no alcohol not even in cough syrup, said it would make me so sick I would wish I was dead. Unfortunetly the flagyl made me that sick without any alcohol. I always just ask my pharmasist about any new med I have to take, he takes the time to explain it all to me. and checks to make sure it can be taken with all my other meds.
Posted 9/13/2007 8:28 AM (GMT -8)
it is scary. very scary
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