Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline and Headaches: What Users Say (Page 3)

• Efu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 2, 2017

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "This is Day 4 for me, and I feel like I'm pregnant, having morning sickness. Everything I eat, it comes right back out, slight headaches, very tired, and I smell everything, and it makes me nauseous! Please let these last six days come quick!"

• Gha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2022

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "Treatment of 10 days. 16 Pylera pills a day (plus 2 esomeprazole pills). My side effects were extreme exhaustion, sleepiness, nausea, black feces, dark urine, headache, feverish sensation as if you caught the flu, but with NO actual fever and occasional sneezing. My nose and throat run regularly. All in all, it is similar to the sensation of having a cold or flu, but without actual fever (just the sensation of it). The leaflet does not really describe most of the symptoms that I read here."

• Sam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 22, 2019

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I am on day 6, and let me tell you, that med is so nasty that it is the most hated med in my life. At day 2, I started having nausea, dark stool, headache, and just sometimes an uncomfortable feeling, and dark urine started at day 4. I wish I never went to the doctor or got this med. I hope it works because I would be annoyed after all that suffering, it must give me relief. I avoided everything they said to avoid, and the side effects still didn't go away. Hope that is helpful."

• Tou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 15, 2021

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I had food poisoning in July 2021, recovered in a week but had persistent diarrhea for some reason (frequent bowel movements, not watery stool). My doc checked for H. pylori and it came back positive. I didn’t have any symptoms, but he said it’s better to treat it. Took Pylera, and I have to say it is a very tough medicine. The first two days were the worst: headache, nausea, neck stiffness, loss of appetite, fatigue, dry mouth, mood swings, feeling like I would die and depressed, the worst feeling ever. Then my body started adapting, and symptoms started to come and go throughout the treatment. Black stool, dark urine, and frequent urination. I just finished it 2 days ago and will check if I still have the bacteria or not. Advice: take with food, avoid dairy and alcohol during treatment, water, and good luck."

• CIN...
• September 21, 2016

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "Started taking this and made me feel sick to my stomach, as well as feel not with it, very tired, and had headaches. The worst part is the last pill before bedtime. I had to set an alarm and eat crackers, then take the pill. Then, in the morning, I didn't want to get up and felt very worn. I still have 4 more days and hope I make it. Will have to recheck with my results on how I did. Oh, and also the cost of these, even with insurance, was $250.00. All I can say is they better work."

• Jes...
• May 24, 2021

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I am starting day 5 of a 14-day treatment. I have experienced so many awful side effects that I started keeping a journal. I have extreme fatigue, my arms feel heavy, I can't really grip things (dropped my toothbrush in the sink 3 times last night), cold sweats, complete loss of appetite, dizziness, nausea, a slight ringing in my ears, feeling like there's a buzzing sensation in my scalp, minor headaches, cramps, dark stool, and finally this morning I threw up an hour after taking my first 3 pills. On top of all these horrible side effects, I am really struggling to fit in the 4 doses and the two doses of omeprazole. I am also prescribed pain medication 3 times a day for a separate issue, and the last two days I have only taken 3 total pills.... I can't figure out timing to safely take everything. Two nights ago I simply skipped the 4th dose because I could not fit it in. I am praying that Pylera works, because right now in the middle of it I am questioning, is this worth it!?"

• Ras...
• January 15, 2018

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I'm currently on day 4 of a 20-day regimen. Drinking plenty of water and getting plenty of rest has helped counter the side effects of this medicine. By day 2, I was exhausted. I slept the majority of the day and night and did not understand that it was because of the medicine until I began reading reviews. Day 3, I experienced headaches throughout the day. I have also experienced extreme moodiness, dark stools, and an aftertaste in my mouth since beginning the medicine. This is my 2nd treatment, and I'm optimistic because I would not want to go through this again. I'm not sure how my next couple of weeks at work will be. I have stopped taking my multivitamins so that the antibiotic won't have any interference, so my energy levels are low."

• Bif...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2018

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I'm on day 5 of Pylera. I had dark, loose stools for the first 2 days and a nasty headache the 3rd. All that is gone now. I'm just extremely tired! Been napping 2 hours a day, and I couldn't stay awake to take my last dose, so I had to wake up and take it. I've been taking a strong probiotic with it and drinking 4-5 cups of tea a day (green, black, peppermint, ginger). Staying away from gluten too. Good luck, everyone! I've had this infection since 2008. Was on other meds then, but I guess I've had it and it never went away. I was deathly sick for a month, dropped under 100 lbs, and had 6 emergency visits all because of this nasty infection. Praying this finally makes it go away!"

• ngu...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 26, 2017

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I have had an H. pylori infection 3 years ago and took PrevPac (Omeprazole, Amoxicillin, Clarithromycin), tolerated that without any side effects. I started on Pylera as the current recommended treatment due to my history of having a prior infection. Days 1-4 were fine, but my stools smelled odd. Days 5 and 6, I had dizziness and a headache that prevented me from driving or working."

• Oma...
• December 26, 2015

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I'm now on day 6. I start every day with a headache - 2 pills of Panadol solve that pain. Nothing much, everything's normal. I had suffered from that bacteria all my 20 years past, so I hope that Pylera will work for me. I just need to know, is smoking okay while I'm taking Pylera? And what kind of food helps that medicine to be more effective?"

• MD ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2022

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I am glad I found this site, it gave me the will to keep going through Pylera. After reading others' experiences, I am on day 9, one more day to go. I was about to quit on the 5th day, then I found other people's reviews who experienced the same side effects. My side effects were terrible starting day 2 till the 7th day. I had nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, and headache, plus stomach acid before bowel movements. On day 9, still loss of appetite and nausea, but less from all other side effects. I used Nexium twice a day plus Pylera. Will update after a few weeks with the end result. But without a doubt, a very hard drug and a bad experience going through the 120 pills of Pylera."

• Chr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2021

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "The first three days were okay. After that, I had headaches, an upset stomach, and felt like I had the flu. Joint pain the first few days, it was always hard to get a full night's sleep. It seemed like forever, but I finally got through the ten days. Afterwards, I had some neurological issues going on, like pins and needles and muscle twitching. You need to take probiotics at least twice a day. Eat very clean (organic, no seasonings, no fast food). Fruits, vegetables, and lean meats if you're not vegan. I would also recommend you use ice packs for headaches instead of taking drugs like painkillers that put more work on your organs on top of taking the antibiotics. The only reason I did not give this one a higher rating is because I have not been retested for H. pylori yet. But the medication absolutely sucked, but you have to keep pushing through, you can do it."

• Joh...
• March 16, 2017

For Helicobacter Pylori Infection "On my 2nd day of meds, and the headache is ridiculous. Very rarely do I get headaches, but this one is bad, and 1000 mg of Tylenol didn't touch it. Going on 6 hours with it now. Also, am itching randomly. Haven't noticed any rash, though, except a small patch on my lower back about the size of a half dollar. Going to keep an eye on my body and make sure I don't break out. My course is 14 days at 4 times a day. Not sure if I can make it through this."

• Cai...
• November 2, 2021

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I was prescribed Pylera for H. pylori infection. Day 1 was fine except for a bad headache and some dominant cramps. I am badly constipated. Haven’t had any sleep since last night because of abdominal discomfort and bad anxiety from constipation. ANY ADVICE? Did anyone have constipation before? Everyone seems to have diarrhea?"

• Pyl...
• December 31, 2019

For Helicobacter Pylori Infection "On the combo bismuth subcitrate potassium, metronidazole, tetracycline, which is the second course of medication for this nasty infection. First was Prevpac, didn’t work. I am on my 6th day of taking tetracycline, bismuth, Protonix, and Flagyl. Days 1-4 were okay, felt a return of my energy, increased hunger, and craved sugary food for some reason, which I don’t advise. I also began to have black soft stools multiple times a day. Today is day 6 and I feel bad, I have a weird off-and-on pain in my left upper quadrant. I’m assuming colon pain? Headache all day and a general feeling of unwell. I hope I can make it another 8 days. Called my GI doctor and the nurse said the Flagyl can cause stomach pain, but the pain I have is a weird stinging pain, and now I am very paranoid and worried. I don’t have any nausea, which is good, I do drink 16 oz of water with each dose."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2022

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I am on day 4. Days 1-3 were okay. Day 4, I have very soft stools and I'm going more than usual. My time is off, and I missed my last dose for 2 days. I was only given Pylera, not another med, as I see in the comments. The comments are helpful, I'm so glad to see them. I thought I was going crazy. Very hard to take 12 pills a day. Headaches starting, and my stomach is sore at the top. Feeling tired on day 4. Canceled plans for day 7. I needed to change my diet anyway, so this will help. I'm making a pot of chicken vegetable soup to eat before taking the dose. Hope it helps. I was going to quit, but after reading comments, I will keep it up for 10 days. Keep the comments coming."

• Diu...
• May 11, 2017

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "I'm on my 8th day taking Pylera for HP. Loose stool, headaches, palpitations, chest pain, my life is literally upside down."

• Had...
• April 29, 2017

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "Day 7, not so bad for me, the reviews really scared me. Slight headaches, metal taste in my mouth. That's about it, hope it works. Good luck."

• Ty1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2021

Bismuth subcitrate potassium / metronidazole / tetracycline for Helicobacter Pylori Infection "The worst experience. I cried the whole time I was taking the medication. I threw up numerous times, no appetite, headaches, and awful stomach aches. I’m so happy I’m done with it."