Vitazol

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• Warfarin (Coumadin)
• Astemizole (Hismanal)
• Disulfiram (Antabuse)
• Busulfan (Busulfex, Myleran)
• Lithium (Lithobid)
• Phenobarbital
• Phenytoin (Dilantin)
• Cimetidine (Tagamet)
• Vitamins        

This is not a complete list of metronidazole drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Serious side effects have been reported with oral, topical, and injectable forms of metronidazole including the following:

• Rash
• Itching
• Stuffy nose
• Fever
• Joint pain

Metronidazole can cause dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how metronidazole affects you.

Do not drink alcohol during therapy or after therapy with metronidazole.  If you drink alcohol, you can experience stomach cramps, severe nausea and vomiting, headaches, and flushing.

Do not take metronidazole if you:

• are allergic to metronidazole or to any of its ingredients
• have trichomaniasis and are in the first trimester of pregnancy
• have taken disulfuram (Antabuse) within the last 2 weeks

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

• the condition being treated
• other medical conditions you have
• other medications you are taking
• how you respond to this medication
• your weight
• your height
• your age

Oral forms:

The recommended dose of metronidazole for the treatment of trichomoniasis is 375 mg two times a day.

The recommended dose of metronidazole for the treatment of amebiasis in adults is 750 mg three times a day.

Topical forms:

The recommended dose of metronidazole for the treatment of rosacea is two applications daily, usually in the morning and evening.

Injectable forms:

The recommended dose range of metronidazole for the treatment of amebiasis in children is 35 to 50 mg/kg every day, divided into three doses.

The recommended dose of metronidazole for the treatment of anaerobic bacterial infections is 7.5 mg/kg every 6 hours. A maximum of 4 grams should not be exceeded within a 24-hour period.

Metronidazole has been shown to be carcinogenic in mice and rats. Unnecessary use of the drug should be avoided.

Metronidazole Topical Cream is indicated for topical application in the treatment of inflammatory papules and pustules of rosacea.

In controlled clinical trials, the total incidence of adverse reactions associated with the use of Metronidazole Topical Cream was approximately 10%. Skin discomfort (burning and stinging) was the most frequently reported event followed by erythema, skin irritation, pruritus and worsening of rosacea. All individual events occurred in less than 3% of patients.

The following additional adverse experiences have been reported with the topical use of metronidazole: dryness, transient redness, metallic taste, tingling or numbness of extremities and nausea.