Sudden death due to metronidazole/ethanol interaction.
Case ReportsHuman subjects
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
Supplement × Prescription·Evidence index
PubMed indexes 7 records that name Alcohol and Metronidazole together, either in the title or in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context. Each one is listed below with its study design and, where the abstract states one, the authors’ own conclusion, quoted and linked. This page reports that literature. It does not tell you whether to combine them.
Every statement below is attributed to a named, dated, linked source.
This page lists published research relevant to Alcohol and Metronidazole. It deliberately does not state whether the combination is safe, whether it interacts, in which direction, at what dose, or how far apart to take them.
Strongest relevance first: papers naming both substances in the title, then human trials and systematic reviews.
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
“Although all 4 case reports and 1 older clinical trial reported a potential link between some oral 5-nitroimidazoles and disulfiram-like reaction, 3 clinical trials, 1 cross-sectional chart review, and 2 experimental animal studies did not. Thus, the available evidence does not strongly support a clinically significant interaction between alcohol and oral metronidazole, calling into question the need for strict alcohol abstinence during treatment.”
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
“The warning against simultaneous use of alcohol and metronidazole appear to be based on laboratory experiments and individual case histories in which the reported reactions are equally likely to have been caused by ethanol alone or by adverse effects of metronidazole. Recent research does not confirm a clinically relevant interaction between ethanol and metronidazole.”
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
“Four of the eight cases were serious, including one death, but the authors of all the reports presumed the metronidazole-ethanol reaction to be an established pharmacologic fact. None provided evidence that could justify their conclusions.”
Names both Alcohol and Metronidazole in its title.
“Alcohol and antimicrobial interactions are often lacking evidence. This review questions common beliefs due to poor, often conflicting data and identifies important knowledge gaps.”
Names Alcohol and Metronidazole together in an interaction, co-administration, or pharmacokinetic context.
Search-based evidence indexes have real limits, and it is worth being explicit about them:
NutriStack is a free iPhone app for organising a supplement routine: what you take, when, and what the published record says about it. Its exploratory interaction checker covers Alcohol, Metronidazole, and several hundred other substances.
The checker is a research and organisation tool, not a clinical decision aid, and its per-pair assessments are excluded from search until they pass claim-level review.
NutriStack is an informational and organizational tool, not a medical service, and not a substitute for professional advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping, or changing any supplement or medication.