Metronidazole and Alcohol: 3 Things to Avoid or Check
Quick answer
Can you drink alcohol with metronidazole? The Flagyl label says to discontinue alcoholic beverages during treatment and for at least three days afterward, while CDC's guideline calls refraining from alcohol unnecessary. Ask your prescriber.
This is general information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
Key takeaways
- The Flagyl label says to discontinue alcoholic beverages or products containing propylene glycol while taking the capsules and for at least three days afterward.
- CDC's guideline for bacterial vaginosis says refraining from alcohol use while taking metronidazole is unnecessary, so the two sources differ.
- NIAAA says some medicines contain alcohol, and cough syrup and laxatives may have some of the highest concentrations.
- This page does not pick between the label and CDC. Your prescriber or pharmacist can say which applies to you.
The list at a glance
| # | Food, drink or supplement | What to do | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beer, wine and liquor | Avoid: The label says stop alcohol during treatment and for at least three days after. | FDA drug label and CDC |
| 2 | Foods and drinks that list propylene glycol | Check labels: Read the ingredient list and ask your pharmacist. | FDA drug label |
| 3 | Cough syrups and laxatives that contain alcohol | Check labels: Check the product's ingredients and ask your pharmacist. | NIH and FDA drug label |
People who search for metronidazole foods to avoid are mostly asking about metronidazole and alcohol. This page works from the Flagyl prescribing information on DailyMed, which covers the capsule form, plus a National Institutes of Health page on alcohol and medicines and a CDC treatment guideline. The label names alcoholic beverages and products containing propylene glycol. It does not name any other food. The CDC guideline takes a different view on alcohol, and this page shows both.
What foods should you avoid with metronidazole?
The Flagyl label names two things to stop during treatment: alcoholic beverages and products containing propylene glycol. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) adds that some medicines contain alcohol. The list below follows those three sources.
How this list was made: every item is named by one of the government sources linked at the end, and each one is quoted in that source’s own words. We added nothing that a source does not say. Where the sources disagree, both are shown and neither is picked.
1. Beer, wine and liquor
Can you drink beer, wine or liquor while taking metronidazole? The Flagyl label says to discontinue consumption of alcoholic beverages while taking the capsules and for at least three days afterward. CDC’s guideline for bacterial vaginosis takes a different view, so ask your prescriber or pharmacist which applies to you.
The Flagyl label says: “Discontinue consumption of alcoholic beverages or products containing propylene glycol while taking FLAGYL 375 capsules and for at least three days afterward”. It gives the reason in its precautions: “Abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing may occur if alcoholic beverages or products containing propylene glycol are consumed during or following metronidazole therapy”.
CDC’s guideline takes a different view: “refraining from alcohol use while taking metronidazole (or tinidazole) is unnecessary”. It explains that “The previous warning against simultaneous use of alcohol and metronidazole was based on laboratory experiments and individual case histories in which the reported reactions were equally likely to have been caused by alcohol alone or by adverse effects of metronidazole”. It also says that “Ethanol alone or ethanol-independent side effects of metronidazole might explain the suspicion of disulfiram-like effects”.
Two government documents give two different instructions here. This page does not call either one wrong and does not say that drinking is acceptable. The label quoted above is for the capsules, so ask your prescriber or pharmacist which instruction applies to your own medicine.
2. Foods and drinks that list propylene glycol
What about foods and drinks that contain propylene glycol while you take metronidazole? The Flagyl label says to discontinue consumption of products containing propylene glycol, along with alcohol, during treatment and for at least three days afterward. The label sentences used here do not say which foods or drinks contain it, so check the ingredient list and ask your pharmacist.
The contraindications section of the label says: “Discontinue consumption of alcohol or products containing propylene glycol during and for at least three days after therapy with metronidazole”.
The label names the ingredient, not a list of foods. No source used on this page says which foods or drinks contain propylene glycol, so this page names none. The ingredient list on a product is the place to look, and a pharmacist can help you read it.
3. Cough syrups and laxatives that contain alcohol
Do cough syrups and laxatives matter if you take metronidazole? The Flagyl label tells you to discontinue consumption of alcohol, and NIAAA says some medicines contain alcohol, with cough syrup and laxatives among the highest. The label does not name cough syrup, so check the product you use and ask your pharmacist.
NIAAA says: “Certain medicines contain up to 10 percent alcohol.” It adds: “Cough syrup and laxatives may have some of the highest alcohol concentrations.” NIAAA also says that many popular painkillers and cough, cold and allergy remedies contain more than one ingredient that can react with alcohol.
The link to metronidazole is the label’s own sentence, “Discontinue consumption of alcohol or products containing propylene glycol during and for at least three days after therapy with metronidazole”. Neither the label nor NIAAA says that a particular cough syrup is a problem with metronidazole. NIAAA’s advice is: “Ask your pharmacist if you have any questions about how alcohol might interact with a drug you are taking.” It also says, “To learn more about a medicine and whether it will interact with alcohol, talk to your pharmacist or other health care provider.”
How long after metronidazole should you wait to drink alcohol?
For the capsules the label covers, the Flagyl label says to discontinue alcoholic beverages for at least three days afterward. CDC’s guideline says refraining from alcohol use is unnecessary. The sources used here do not reconcile the two.
NIAAA makes a general point about timing: “Alcohol and medicines can interact harmfully even if they are not taken at the same time.” That sentence is about alcohol and medicines in general, not about metronidazole. If you want to know when you can drink again, ask the prescriber or pharmacist who knows your treatment.
What if you accidentally drank alcohol on metronidazole?
The label lists what may occur: abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing. The sources used here give no emergency steps and no advice on what to do after a drink. NIAAA says that your pharmacist or other health care provider can help with questions about how alcohol interacts with a medicine, so contact your prescriber or pharmacist.
What should you ask your pharmacist about metronidazole?
Useful questions come from what the sources leave open:
- Does the label’s alcohol instruction apply to the form of metronidazole you were given?
- Does the CDC guideline or the label apply to your situation?
- Does anything you eat, drink or take from the pharmacy shelf list alcohol or propylene glycol?
Other pages on this site cover medicines in the same way, for example foods to avoid while taking atorvastatin, foods to avoid on disulfiram and foods to avoid while taking cyclosporine.
Read the sources yourself
- Flagyl prescribing information, DailyMed
- Harmful Interactions, NIAAA
- Bacterial Vaginosis, STI Treatment Guidelines, CDC
This page is general information drawn from those sources. It is not medical advice. Decisions about your treatment belong with your prescriber or pharmacist.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to drink alcohol while taking metronidazole?
The sources used here differ. The Flagyl label says to discontinue alcoholic beverages while taking the capsules and for at least three days afterward. CDC's guideline says refraining from alcohol use while taking metronidazole (or tinidazole) is unnecessary. This page does not pick one, so ask your prescriber or pharmacist which applies to you.
Is the metronidazole and alcohol warning a myth?
CDC's guideline says the earlier warning was based on laboratory experiments and case histories where reactions were equally likely to have been caused by alcohol alone or by adverse effects of metronidazole. The Flagyl label still says to discontinue alcohol. Neither source is called wrong here. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist.
What happens if you accidentally drank alcohol while taking metronidazole?
The Flagyl label says abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and flushing may occur if alcoholic beverages are consumed during or following metronidazole therapy. The sources used here give no emergency steps. NIAAA says to ask your pharmacist about how alcohol might interact with a drug you take. Your prescriber can also help.
How long after metronidazole can you drink alcohol?
The Flagyl label says to wait for at least three days afterward for the capsules it covers. CDC's guideline says refraining from alcohol is unnecessary. NIAAA adds that alcohol and medicines can interact even if they are not taken at the same time. Ask your prescriber or pharmacist about your own treatment.
Does the metronidazole label name any foods besides alcohol?
The label sentences used here name alcoholic beverages and products containing propylene glycol. They name no other food or drink. For that reason this page lists only those, plus alcohol-containing medicines that NIAAA describes. Your pharmacist can answer questions about your own diet while you take it.
