Newbie here - PN from Flagyl
 

Hello, I'm a 44 year old male, Air Force officer. I was taking Flagyl for C-Diff infection in my intestines, on a 14 day course.

Six days into the Flagyl (50 mg/tab, 2 tabs 3X day) I developed what felt like a strained right wrist. Medication also started making me very woozy and lightheaded. Pain in right wrist started in my left wrist as well.

Decided to quit the Flagyl, however I continue to have PN symptoms in both my lower arms. I have a good doctor who is very understanding and wants to get to the bottom of this.

I am very worried I have permanent nerve damage from PN. I am married with 3 young boys who are very active, this is very debilitating for me as I'm sure you have all experienced.

I am mad at my original doctor for not explaining the side effects of Flagyl. This medicine can really tear people up and they need to know it.

Any help or suggestions from anyone at this point?

lyrica
 

A nurse friend of mine suggested this drug for me ,nerve root impingement person here. I am going to ask my doc on wed. if he feels it will help. After my fusion surgery I felt good for 3 years ,recently it has come back to me. I dont work anymore ,so I feel I take it easy the majority of the time. Lately the restless legs and the pain is back in my legs...BAD. I recently got a puppy and maybe I bend more at the waist than normall...who knows..pain again..Florida

metabolically
 

Flagyl is metabolized thru the dehydrogenase pathways, like alcohol. When taken together there can be side effects like antabuse has with alcohol.

The only suggestion I have is to support the metabolic pathway with thiamine (as we do for alcohol).
300mg of thiamine a day in divided doses may help. Thiamine is Vitamin B1 and very benign with no side effects.
Benfotiamine is an improved longer acting type of thiamine which is better, and costs a little more.

You can find it online here...
http://www.iherb.com/Search.aspx?kw=Benfotiamine
I use the Doctor's Best form, and it works for me. Local stores do not carry this as a rule.
If you choose this, I'd start with 300mg a day for a month, and if you see improvement, you may reduce to 150mg a day.

I believe that people who react to Flagyl, have an inherent weakness in the metabolism of this drug (and hence may not be metabolizing alcohol well either). The buildup of the aldehydes is what may be doing the damage. So I would not use alcohol at all while you do this treatment. You may not be able EVER to handle alcohol.

Not everyone gets this effect. So something in YOU is different from the majority.
This article suggests that some people do not metabolize this drug in the liver properly and it accumulates to toxic levels:
http://www.theannals.com/cgi/content...act/34/11/1273

And this paper...reports a toxic event in the cerebellum (which controls movement)...causing ataxia:
http://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/abstract/24/8/1615

Thanks so much for the great responses. I will try the Vitamin B1.

As an aside, I do not drink alcohol at all, so that is not a factor. Definitely something genetic with me I guess.

Flagyl can cause PN, hopefully, you were on it for a short period of time and the problem will be temporary.

good news
 

The good news is that peripheral nerves regenerate, and toxic neuropathies are a "one-hit" problem. You had your hit with Flagyl; it's now gone; and you can go on to heal. Please read the stickies and read about all the supplements which aid nerve healing. I am particularly partial to all the supplements that facilitate mitochondrial---it takes a lot of energy to send nutrients from the cell body near the spinal cord out to your pinky or toe. Acetyl-l carnitine and CoQ10 are among two of the most important here.

Kitt, I agree with you, and also, I imagine the same applies for those with the hereditary neuropathies that are not CMTs. Drugs and drug interactions are so much more of a problem that people imagine.

Flagyl either aggravated or caused my PN. I haven't taken it for over 5 years, but I did take it on and off over the course of a year in 2002-03.

I will be trying the niacin therapy, along with my methylcobalamin B12. It is getting to the point where I get no sleep, between the feet and hands, the gall bladder (upcoming surgery) and the Crohn's and the tinnitus.

I hope that yours is only temporary and dissipates soon.

to lizajane
 

[QUOTE=LizaJane;435088]The good news is that peripheral nerves regenerate, and toxic neuropathies are a "one-hit" problem.

How can you tell if a PN is from toxic or other causes? (all the tests are normal - in my case, and my doctors can decide if it - genetic, toxic, sensory GBS - so I'm confused....)

[QUOTE=amit;435393]Some detective work is necessary sometimes when tests don't show much.

You have to go back to when this started, and review what you were doing/eating, etc. What illness you may have had
just before symptoms. If you breathe in fumes (paint strippers, formaldehyde, etc). What drugs you were taking.
What you may be missing in your diet. Those kinds of things.
That is where the answers typically are...doctors themselves are quite limited in this regard.

Dont take flagyl!
 

I had mild PN until 9 years ago and got the intestinal infection (which I have again right now) - which requires flaygl and/or vancmnycin to treat - they are only meds that work... I had mild nerve damage when I got sick with the infection - (the nerves were tested the day they discovered the infection) - and 6 months later - after several rounds of flagyl and oral vanco - had NO sensory nerve conduction - the docs said it was the flagyl and they shouldnt have given me the flagyl (kinda late)... it is not worth the risk. I went from walking to wheelchair, from eating to having no solid food now for 9 years cause of the nerve damage it did to my guts... and unless there is a medical miracle - will never recover them as sural nerve biopsy shows severe loss of large and small sensory nerves, as well as nerve roots - the roots are not growing back and wont... so what the docs think is in inherited PN but was not super serious - has taken me down - in much due to this drug. As I said - I hav somehow contacted this infection again and have been very sick - but at least my GI doc I have now knows not to give me flagyl, nor would I ever touch it... Vanco is much more expensive, and they go for flagyl first.... please dont take this med!!!!!!!!!!! The infection (C-diff) itself is very dangerous but vanco, while an anti-b of last resort - at least will not kill the nerves like the flagyl. There is also another new drug on the market they are using for C-Diff, sorry, cant remember name - states right on the side affects it is toxic to nerves!!!!:(