Drug Of The Day: METRONIDAZOLE

For those of you who don't know we that well, I LOVE DRUGS! No I am not a drug addict, although I do frequent an ibuprofen for a headache. But I love to learn, talk and educate on drugs.

This is something I have wanted to do for a while, do a short post on a drug I find interesting or want to learn more about, to share with you and help me reinforce the information I'm learning! It's funny working in a retail pharmacy almost everyday there is at least one drug that 'stands out', a drug we see an odd increase in prescriptions for. Today we got prescription after prescription for metronidazole.

Generic Name: metronidazole Brand Name: Flagyl
Pharmacological Class: amebicide, antibiotic, antiprotozoal
Use: Treatment of susceptible anaerobic bacterial and protozoal infections
Dosage forms: Tablets, Extended Release Tablets, Capsules, Inject-able Solution, Vaginal gel and Topical: cream, lotion, gel.
Important Counseling Info: Alcoholic beverages should be avoided for at least 1 day to 3 days after discontinuing.

Why I choose this drug: It was fresh in my mind, due to the an increase number of scripts. A lot of drugs have an 'avoid alcohol warning' but this is no joke for metronidazole. Drinking alcohol in any quantity(even OTC cough syrups) while taking metronidazole will make one violently ill, with symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. This interaction with alcohol is the similar to a drug called Antabuse, which is used to treat alcoholism, because of the violent vomiting.

That is metronidazole in nut shell! I don't know how long I will keep this up, but I'm going to try while I'm on summer break. Feel free to ignore these post if you are not interested, but you might just learn something!

{all information came from my brain, AccessMedicine from McGraw-Hill and Facts & Comparisons}