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Your doctor has prescribed you a medication called metronidazole as part of your treatment following your surgery. This factsheet explains why metronidazole may help you.

What is metronidazole?

  • Metronidazole is a type of antibiotic.

How do I take metronidazole?

  • You have been prescribed metronidazole in tablet form.
  • Take with a full glass of water and with or just after food.
  • You should take as per the instructions provided by your hospital doctor or pharmacist.

Why have I been prescribed metronidazole?

  • The British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) provides National Guidelines on the management of Crohn’s Disease.
  • The BSG has suggested that taking metronidazole for three months may help stop Crohn’s Disease coming back after surgery.

What are the possible side-effects of metronidazole?

As with all medications, metronidazole may cause some side effects, although not everybody gets them. Please follow the general guide below and instructions from your hospital doctor or pharmacist:

  • Do not take metronidazole if you are allergic to it or have had a bad reaction in the past.
  • Do not drink alcohol whilst taking metronidazole. Drinking alcohol whilst taking metronidazole can cause unpleasant side-effects such as severe nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness and a headache.
  • Taking metronidazole for an extended time can cause peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerves in the extremities of the body such as the arms, hands and feet). The majority of people recover from this after stopping metronidazole.

What should I do if I experience side-effects?

  • If you have concerns about the side-effects of metronidazole please contact the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) team at the hospital.
  • If you experience numbness, pins and needles or confusion whilst taking metronidazole, stop taking it and contact the IBD team.

Where to obtain your prescription?

  • You will be prescribed 400mg tablets - one tablet to be taken twice a day for three months.
  • The hospital will provide you with the full three month prescription of metronidazole. The pharmacist will explain your medications to you before you are discharged.

Contact details

If you have any concerns or questions about the medication, please contact the Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Nursing Team.

Telephone: 020 3447 5120 / 020 3456 7890 ext. 75120 (voicemail service)

Email: UCLH.IBDadvice@nhs.net

Address: IBD Unit, Ground Floor West, 250 Euston Road, NW1 2PG

Services

Printing of this document is only valid on the day printed, please refer to the website for most up to date information:

https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-pages/metronidazole-following-bowel-resection-crohns-disease

Service information

Page last updated: 24 April 2025

Review due: 01 April 2027