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Metronidazole for Bacterial Vaginosis User Reviews

Brand names: Flagyl, Metro, Flagyl IV, Likmez, Flagyl 375, Metro IV

Metronidazole has an average rating of 6.7 out of 10 from a total of 806 reviews for the treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis. 53% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 21% reported a negative experience.

Metronidazole rating summary

6.7 average rating out of 10

806 ratings from 883 user reviews.

Compare all 32 medications used in the treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis.

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24%
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13%
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16%
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7%
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10%
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4%
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Reviews for Metronidazole

  • Dra...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 6, 2021

"I've taken 3 rounds of metronidazole over my life, and never once experienced the side effects mentioned here. The odor disappears in a day or so, and my vagina feels/smells new and squeaky clean by the end of treatment! Everyone will react differently but I had to throw my 2 cents in as there are so many negative reviews for a drug that's been great for me."

10 / 10
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209 Report
  • She...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 1, 2020

"Ladies, this antibiotic metronidazole WORKS for BV! I experienced no side effects, and I'm on day 5 of the treatment. I never usually take antibiotics for anything, but I had recurring BV along with thrush - my immune system has collapsed as a result of stress. Day 2 into this antibiotic and all BV had cleared! I am so impressed with it. I experienced no side effects, which was surprising as I'm really sensitive. Don't let the reviews scare you - everyone's bodies are so different. Sending all you ladies strength - BV is such an awful experience to go through! X"

10 / 10
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  • Ste...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 22, 2014

"I also had the problem with the Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). I was so ashamed because of the horrible smell and discharge. I also had problems with the smell escaping my clothing and was so embarrassed to be around anyone. I am now taking metronidazole and it has worked wonders. No smell, no discharge or itching. I had no side effects. So thankful this medication is available! Saved my life!"

10 / 10
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185 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • Jul...
  • January 20, 2021

"I am on day 4 out of 7 taking this metronidazole antibiotic. I was prescribed 2 per day. I have awful fatigue and brain fogginess. I feel like I am in a dream, my stomach is so sick, and I have super painful stomach cramping that had me in tears today. Diarrhea as well. I’m very nauseous even if I take this with food. This medication is very hard to take. I want to give up on it. I’ve never experienced side effects like this."

1 / 10
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68 Report
  • mil...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 2, 2019

"I got a prescription for metronidazole for BV, and after reading reviews, I was terrified to start taking it - I was afraid of the side effects because the comments were so scary. I did eventually take it (2x400mg for 5 days), and literally had NO side effects (not even diarrhea/nausea that I usually get from antibiotics). It cleared up my BV. I decided to write a review because I feel like other people might also get a wrong impression reading these reviews. Although some people will unfortunately have side effects, it's good to remember that most will not (and the ones that had a positive experience with the drug probably won't feel the need to even write reviews), so if you got a prescription for metronidazole, I recommend just taking it and not reading reviews in advance."

10 / 10
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  • aaa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 12, 2021

"I'm always prescribed this for when I have bacterial vaginosis - 500 mg 2x/day for 7 days. I always make sure to take it on a full stomach to avoid nausea. The only real side effect I experience is dark yellow/orange urine after taking it for a few days, and it goes away when I stop taking it, and slight nausea and loss of appetite. Like I said, having a full meal before taking it helps a lot. It works as intended. My only complaint is the horrible bitter taste when taking it, so to avoid that, I have to take it with extremely sweet drinks like some soda and try to swallow it fast so I don't taste it."

8 / 10
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59 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 10, 2014

"Had a terrible smell and had discharge constantly. After the second day on antibiotics, it went away! But once during the 10-day period, I had sex, so please follow directions. NO SEX because you will ruin the treatment and will have to start over."

10 / 10
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120 Report

More FAQ

  • Bab...
  • August 14, 2014

"I cover my pill with peanut butter completely & then take it. That nasty taste doesn't get in your mouth. If I don't do that then I feel like I'm going to spit it right back up. Just thought I would share that."

10 / 10
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101 Report
  • Ste...
  • April 30, 2020

"My experience is likely a rare case, but I do want to get this out there. I have taken Flagyl for BV in the past with no problems. I took it a few months ago and noticed an intense pain in my mid-back. It went away after a couple of days, so I ignored it. A week ago, I was on it again and woke up on day 4 with the same back pain. Four hours later, it migrated to my upper abdomen. It was so intense I couldn't stand. I went to Urgent Care to find out that this dumpster fire of a drug gave me acute pancreatitis. I have never felt pain like this before, and unfortunately, my entire life, at only 28, has to change because of it. If you have BV, please ask for the gel. It's expensive, but this pill is so hard on your body, any PharmD will tell you that. Even if you aren't an extreme case, you could end up with bad side effects that aren't worth it. If you have to take this pill, make sure to listen to your body. If you aren't tolerating it, stop and call your doctor before you do more harm than good."

1 / 10
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  • Sim...
  • December 28, 2014

"I've had bacterial vaginitis on & off for many years and just got sick of treating it until a few days ago when I was struck with bad pelvic pain and pressure, ended up in ER and diagnosed with pelvic inflammatory disease which has caused an abscess on my left ovary. Turns out the Pelvic Inflammatory Disease has been caused by the untreated bacterial vaginitis over time. So please get treated every time you get symptoms. I'm on day 2 & have an ease of symptoms from the BV but get very nauseous and sick feeling after taking it. I'm also on a few others for the PID but it's definitely no fun. Don't ignore Bacterial Vaginitis."

9 / 10
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89 Report
  • She...
  • February 3, 2020

"I have taken this pill, metronidazole, for one week; i.e., twice per day, and the odor and vaginal discharge are all gone. I am praying they both don't come back. My vagina is now odorless. Thank God!!!"

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51 Report
  • Inf...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 17, 2019

"The bad reviews and side effects scared me. I don't need more toilet/cry time. So I did this to have zero loose stools and barely lowered mood: -Set up your phone alarm so you don't miss a dose. -Dose at equal times apart. Your body will benefit from consistent levels of antibiotics (AB). If you dose early, you get more side effects. If you dose late, bacteria can grow back. Example: For two doses per day, dose 24 ÷ (2) = 12 hours apart. -Take probiotics (PB) between your AB. AB kill both good and bad bacteria. Without good bacteria, your mood worsens (look up 'mood gut'). PB restores a healthy gut. I took AB twice a day; this was my alarm clock schedule: 10 am-AB, 4 pm-PB, 10 pm-AB, 4 am-PB (I'd wake up, eat a bit, dose, then back to sleep.) -Take all your AB. Follow these tips to get fewer side effects. Take all your AB to save humanity from AB-resistant bacteria! -Eat some food before you take either AB or PB to avoid upset stomach from AB and to get more benefits from the PB."

8 / 10
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48 Report
  • Sel...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 19, 2015

"I sympathize with those who had to prolong their treatment in the course of 5 days. I, on the other hand, and thankfully at that, was prescribed only a single dose of 5 tablets of Metronidazole. Quick and easy. Make sure you eat before you take it, though, and I find if you hydrate yourself, you're less likely to feel nauseous. I've had recurrent bacterial vaginitis, so I know what I'm talking about."

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72 Report
  • kne...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 8, 2020

"I've been on metronidazole for 3 days, and I have been on it before. The reviews of this are so surprising to me because I don't have any of those awful side effect symptoms. I just take it as planned and go on with my day, it worked for me."

10 / 10
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39 Report
  • xsh...
  • November 16, 2013

"I was suffering symptoms of BV for more than 6 months. It was making me so self-conscious. I started avoiding sex and constantly had to wear panty liners because of the discharge. I finally went to the GP about it two days ago and he prescribed me metronidazole. So far, the discharge seems to have stopped, and it's the first day in what feels like forever I have been able to not wear a pantyliner. The odor seems to have gone already as well. It's not until this has started to clear up that I have realized how much it was dragging me down!"

8 / 10
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73 Report
  • Try...
  • December 17, 2014

"Okay, so before I took this, I read all the reviews on here. I was frightened. So I began a 7-day process, 2 pills a day. The odor went away the 2nd day. I guess it started smelling normal. I was very pleased it didn't have that fishy smell anymore. However, I still discharged, and on the last day, I discharged so much! The doctor and nurse said it's just cleaning everything out. Overall, I was pleased. The effects I did have were dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain, and somewhat nauseous. What was weird was that one day my mouth tasted like what it smelled like. It smelled and tasted in my mouth like a little bit of bleach. Oh, and the pills aren't that bad tasting when you get used to it."

9 / 10
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65 Report
  • Ken...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 11, 2017

"I want to share my experience to calm some of you women down that are scared to take this medicine. Let's start by saying I have a medication phobia. I'm always assuming the worst is going to happen when I start a new medication. I'm the biggest hypochondriac. I'm not even exaggerating when I say this.... I stared at this medication for 3 months before I finally took it because of the bad reviews I read. They kept making me procrastinate on taking it. My doctor prescribed me 500 mg of metronidazole twice daily for seven days. I finally got the nerve to take it. The first day I had a TINY bit of nausea, and after that, no side effects at all! By day three, my symptoms were gone! So I'm now on day four, and everything is still good with no side effects."

10 / 10
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50 Report
  • San...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 17, 2020

"When I first got metronidazole, I googled it beforehand (which is a common flaw of mine!) and was instantly put off by the reviews. I postponed my treatment because I was so nervous about having to work full-time and being so ill. I decided one day to just go for it, and I didn’t experience any major side effects at all! I was sleepier than usual, but nothing too serious. I didn’t experience any metallic taste, nausea, or dizziness. I was shocked because after reading the reviews, I was definitely not optimistic about taking them. On day 5, I did get a sore tongue, though, which is strange considering I didn’t have the tablet in my mouth that long on any occasion. Looking at these reviews now, it seems oral thrush is a common side effect, which possibly could have been what I was experiencing, but it has gone away on its own and wasn’t painful or that bad at all. I know everyone is different, but my treatment was a success! Good luck to you all, I am sure you’ll be just fine!"

10 / 10
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  • Ele...
  • September 6, 2014

"I experienced a couple of side effects: metallic taste in mouth, sore throat, abdominal pain, loose stools, headache, nausea, lethargy, decreased appetite, and a yeast infection at day 5! Side effects aside, this stuff works. All symptoms of bacterial vaginitis disappeared by day 2. Take some probiotics while taking this and hopefully you can avoid a yeast infection. Felt like the longest week of my life. I need a drink (you have to avoid alcohol on this)."

9 / 10
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59 Report
  • JLa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • February 14, 2020

"Taking this medication really wasn’t all that bad. I’m seeing a lot of negative reviews on this, but I know everyone is different and feels different. But for me, the only things I noticed while taking metronidazole were dark brownish urine, used the #2 more frequently, which probably is okay because it could just be my body cleaning itself out. And I wasn’t exactly dizzy, I just couldn’t concentrate too much on what I was looking at, but not too seriously. In the morning is when I’d taste a bit of that metallic taste. But those aren’t that bad of symptoms to me because it took the odd smell away and my discharge isn’t a constant amount anymore. I used to always have to change panty liners daily, and I can now just wear my underwear without a panty liner, and it’s not uncomfortable. So I actually appreciate my doctor for giving me this medication."

8 / 10
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33 Report
  • Nan...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 29, 2020

"I got prescribed 500 mg metronidazole twice a day for 7 days for BV. By day 4, I had extreme nausea, dizziness, irritability, and trouble falling asleep. On day 5, I woke up with awful stomach cramps, got out of bed to throw up, and ended up fainting. I felt mentally out of it the whole time I was on them. It cleared the infection, though. I don't really want to experience this again. Also, the taste is god-awful."

3 / 10
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28 Report
  • UNK...
  • June 16, 2014

"My obgyn prescribed this for me, and today makes three days, and I can tell that it is very effective, quick. I had a strong smell and used to hate having sex with my boyfriend because of the odor. Normally I'm wet with clear, but it has been clumpy and white. Hanging around my friends, I had to drench myself in perfume because the smell would trespass through my clothes and I would be embarrassed. I had this issue for quite some months, close to a year. I thought it was a 'I'm here and I'll go away soon' type of thing. Overall, love the pill. I had no side effects, just eat before you take it."

10 / 10
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55 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • July 23, 2014

"I just took my first dose last night after I ate a 'hearty' meal (as advised by the pharmacist), and already this morning the smell is gone. As well as most of the discharge, yay. I started noticing the smell about two weeks ago (to me, literally the worst smell I have ever smelled on myself) and am going on vacation soon, so I figured it was not going away on its own. I have to take it 2x/day, 500 mg for 7 days. Lunch and dinner."

10 / 10
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50 Report
  • str...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 12, 2013

"When I found out I had BV, my doctor prescribed me with metronidazole. My doctor told me to take all 4 pills at once with food and water. On the second day, the odor was gone. Then the discharge was slowly going away. I was looking up the side effects of metronidazole. I did have a metallic taste whenever I ate or drank something, and I felt kind of dizzy at times. But I must say, it is all worth it to have a healthy body again."

8 / 10
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51 Report
  • Ano...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • August 24, 2020

"I bought this drug, metronidazole, to tackle BV. I definitely feel side effects, but they are not as common. I have developed an achy throat and what feels like slightly swollen glands up to my ears, and a runny nose. I’m also feeling a bit faint, however, on the whole, it’s nothing serious. It’s definitely a harsh drug, but let it be known that it is extremely effective. At least it has been for me. My symptoms that I haven’t been able to get rid of for a long time have disappeared overnight-no more odor. Make sure to finish the course of drugs if you can because it is worth it."

8 / 10
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24 Report
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.

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