How long should I wait after taking Flagyl before I can have a glass of wine. I took flagyl for one day but had too many side effects so now I am on another antibiotic. I would like a glass of wine this weekend. Any suggestions?

At least 24 hours, but 48 would probably be safer.

I made the mistake of having a glass of the old red stuff 12 hours after my last dose of Flagyl and ended up practically bringing my toenails up I was so sick.

Of course there are some peoplle who have waited far less time and been fine so I think it's an individual thing.

Good luck.

Shell

If you are still on the new antibiotics I'd stay away from alcohol until you've finished taking all your meds. I have chronic pouchitis, and am on cipro and flagyl for life, I find that when I drink, even just a little, I get sick for days.

You may want to ask your doctor for their advice just in case, good luck!

Cheers!
Eric

I was on flagyl tid for years and never had a problem drinking alcohol concurrently. As a matter of fact, I have even been known to take my Sunday morning dose with a bloody mary!

YMMV

I take 250mg flagyl and 500mg cipro daily for past three years. I drink a bottle of white wine per week with no ill effects.

I agree with Eric.
You may as well nix the antibiotic if the alcohol is that important and it can't wait the 5-7 day course. It's not so much about ill side effects as it is diminishing the value of taking the antibiotic.

The Antibuse-like reaction is not really well documented, but it has been known to happen, as reflected by others here. Just like everything else, this is individual. As far as I know, alcohol does not reduce the effectiveness of the antibiotic and the warning is specifically about the possible reaction causing illness. The reason that the warning is so strong is because there is one case of a reported death. Recent studies question whether this is a true disulfram (Antibuse) reaction, but something else that occurs only in certain groups.

But, basically, a day or two after your last dose should be sufficient.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12022894

Jan

It's interesting there is a variance in reactions. I must admit, I've pushed it a bit close before (I think about 4 hours once) and seem to have got away with it but I do notice, even after 24 hours, that initially when I start to have a drink it (i) tastes less pleasant than normal and (ii) makes me feel slightly edgy initially. On the other hand, though, it might all be self-suggestion because of what I've read on here about people having reactions 48 hours later. Either way, I'm a lot more careful now.