Can you have sex while taking metronidazole?
If you are taking oral metronidazole or using metronidazole gel for an infection that is linked with sexual activity, such as trichomoniasis, pelvic inflammatory disease, or bacterial vaginosis you should not have sex for 7 days after single-dose therapy (or until you have completed the 7-day treatment regimen) and your symptoms have resolved. This will help reduce the risk of reinfection. If your sexual partners are also being treated, then abstain from sexual intercourse until they have finished treatment.
This means you should abstain from all forms of sex (including oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex, and sex with a condom). This advice even applies to women being treated for bacterial vaginosis, which although not sexually transmitted, is linked with sexual activity. Researchers think that sex may change the bacterial environment in your vagina, making bacterial overgrowth more likely. Abstaining from sex during treatment gives the vaginal flora time to return to normal.
If you are taking metronidazole for other reasons, such as for an abdominal, bone, heart, lung, or skin infection, you do not need to abstain from sex.
References
- Jack D. Sobel, MD Bacterial Vaginosis. Healthy Women. https://www.healthywomen.org/condition/bacterial-vaginosis/diagnosis
- Metronidazole. Northern Devon Healthcare. https://www.northdevonhealth.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Metronidazole-sexual-health-clinics.pdf
- Metronidazole (Vaginal Route). Mayo Clinic https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/metronidazole-vaginal-route/precautions/drg-20064738
Read next
What happens if you drink alcohol with metronidazole?
Drinking alcohol while taking metronidazole is not recommended because the combination of metronidazole and alcohol can cause a reaction (often referred to as a disulfiram-like reaction) in some people. Symptoms may include flushing, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. There has been one reported death associated with this reaction. The product information and health professionals recommend not to drink alcohol during metronidazole treatment and for 3 days after finishing the course. Continue reading
How long does it take for metronidazole to work?
Metronidazole starts to work 1 to 2 hours after you take it, because it is quickly absorbed, and it reaches its maximum concentration after 20 minutes to 3 hours. But it may take a couple of days before you start to feel better or notice an improvement in your symptoms. It is important that you still finish the course of metronidazole that your doctor has prescribed, even if you feel better, because the infection may still be present, and it could flare up or recur if you haven’t finished the course. Continue reading
Can metronidazole cause a yeast infection?
About 10% of women report a vaginal yeast infection (vaginal candidiasis) as a side effect of metronidazole treatment. Although metronidazole spares vaginal lactobacilli, which are naturally resistant to nitroimidazoles such as metronidazole, it does not restore a Lactobacillus-dominated microbiome and disruption in the normal vaginal microbiota can persist. Continue reading
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Drug information
- Metronidazole Information for Consumers
- Metronidazole prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Metronidazole (detailed)
Related support groups
- Metronidazole (127 questions, 349 members)