[metronidazole]
Consumer Medicine Information
What is in this leaflet
This leaflet answers some common questions about Metronidazole Kabi.
It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking Metronidazole Kabi against the benefits this medicine is expected to have for you.
If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
What Metronidazole Kabi is used for
This medicine is used to treat
- Serious infections caused by bacteria and other organisms when metronidazole cannot be given orally
- Prevent certain infections that may occur during surgery
This medicine is an antibiotic. This medicine works by killing or stopping the growth of bacteria and other organisms causing your infection.
Your doctor may have prescribed Metronidazole Kabi for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Metronidazole Kabi has been prescribed for you.
Metronidazole Kabi is available only with a doctor’s prescription.
Metronidazole Kabi is not addictive.
Before you are given Metronidazole Kabi
When you must not be given it
Do not use Metronidazole Kabi if:
- you have an allergy to
- metronidazole, or any other medicines used to treat infections
- any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include wheezing or difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body, rash, itching or hives.
You must not be given this medicine if:
- you have or have ever had a blood disorder
- you have a disease or disorder involving the brain, spinal cord or nerves
- you have taken disulfiram (a medicine used to treat chronic alcohol dependence) within the last two weeks
- you have ingested alcohol or products containing propylene glycol
- you have Cockayne syndrome
If you are not sure whether you should be given Metronidazole Kabi, talk to your doctor.
Before you are given it
Tell your doctor if you have any allergies to any other medicines or any other substances such as foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any other health problems/medical conditions including:
- blood disease or history of blood disease
- disease or disorder involving the brain, spinal cord or nerves
- liver disease or any liver problems
- heart disease or any heart problems
- any kidney problems
- liver disease or any liver problems
- Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory disease of the intestines.
Tell your doctor if you drink alcohol or ingest products containing propylene glycol.
Do not drink alcohol or ingest products containing propylene glycol during (and for three days after stopping) treatment with metronidazole.
Tell your doctor if you are on a low sodium diet.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Metronidazole may affect your developing baby if you use it during pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of using metronidazole during pregnancy.
Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding or intend to breast-feed. Metronidazole passes into breast milk and may affect your baby. The use of metronidazole is not recommended while breastfeeding. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of using it when breast-feeding.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell your doctor before you are given Metronidazole Kabi.
Taking other medicines
Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines may interfere with Metronidazole Kabi.
These include:
- disulfiram, a medicine used to treat chronic alcohol dependence
- some anticancer medicines such as carmustine, cyclophosphamide, fluorouracil, 5-fluorouracil and busulfan
- warfarin or other medicines used to prevent blood clots
- phenytoin, a medicine used to treat convulsions
- phenobarbitone, a medicine to treat convulsions or for sedation
- cimetidine, a medicine used to treat ulcers
- corticosteroids such as prednisone or cortisone
- lithium, a medicine used to treat some types of depression
- azathioprine, a medicine used to suppress the immune system
- ciclosporin, a medicine used to prevent organ transplant rejection or to treat immune responses.
- Medicines that affect the heart rate or heart rhythm.
These medicines may be affected by Metronidazole Kabi or may affect how well it works. You may need to use different amounts of your medicine, or you may need to use different medicines. Your doctor will advise you.
Do not drink alcohol or ingest products containing propylene glycol while you are being given Metronidazole Kabi. Metronidazole and alcohol or products containing propylene glycol together can cause abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, headaches and flushing.
Talk to your doctor about the need for an additional method of contraception while being given Metronidazole Kabi. Some antibiotics may decrease the effectiveness of some birth control pills, although this hasn’t been shown with metronidazole.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while using Metronidazole Kabi.
How Metronidazole Kabi is given
Metronidazole Kabi is given as a slow injection into a vein. Metronidazole Kabi must only be given by a doctor or nurse.
Your doctor will decide what dose and how long you will receive Metronidazole Kabi. This will depend on your age, weight, type of infection and how well your kidneys and liver are working.
However, the usual adult dose of Metronidazole Kabi is 500 mg every eight hours for the course of the treatment, as decided by your doctor.
If you are given too much (overdose)
As Metronidazole Kabi is usually given to you in hospital or clinic, it is very unlikely that you will receive an overdose. However, if you are given too much metronidazole, you may experience some of the effects listed under “Side Effects” below.
If you are given too much Metronidazole Kabi you may experience symptoms such as vomiting or disorientation.
Contact Poisons Information Centre (phone 13 11 26) for advice or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have been given too much Metronidazole Kabi.
While you are given Metronidazole Kabi
Things you must do
If the symptoms of your infection do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, tell your doctor.
If you get severe diarrhoea tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse immediately. Do this even if it occurs several weeks after Metronidazole Kabi has been stopped. Diarrhoea may mean that you have a serious condition affecting your bowel. You may need urgent medical care. Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.
If you get a sore white mouth or tongue while using or soon after stopping Metronidazole Kabi, tell your doctor. Also tell your doctor if you get vaginal itching or discharge. This may mean you have a fungal infection called thrush. Sometimes the use of Metronidazole Kabi allows fungi to grow and the above symptoms to occur. Metronidazole Kabi does not work against fungi.
If you become pregnant while you are being treated with Metronidazole Kabi tell your doctor immediately.
If you are using Metronidazole Kabi for 10 days or longer, make sure you have any tests of your blood and nervous system that your doctor may request.
If you are about to start using any new medicine, tell your doctor and pharmacist that you are being treated with Metronidazole Kabi.
If you have to have any blood tests tell your doctor you are being given Metronidazole Kabi. Metronidazole Kabi may affect the results of some blood tests.
Tell all the doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are being treated with Metronidazole Kabi.
Things you must not do
Do not drink any alcohol or any alcoholic drinks while being treated with (and for at least one day after stopping) Metronidazole Kabi. The use of alcohol with Metronidazole Kabi may make you feel sick, vomit or have stomach cramps, headaches or flushing.
Things to be careful of
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Metronidazole Kabi affects you.
Metronidazole Kabi may cause dizziness, confusion, hallucination (hearing or seeing strange or
unusual things), convulsions (“fits”) or transient visual disorders in some people.
Make sure you know how you react to Metronidazole Kabi before you drive a car, operate machinery or do anything else that may be dangerous if you are affected.
Side Effects
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are being given Metronidazole Kabi.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- nausea (feeling sick), vomiting or loss of appetite
- constipation/diarrhoea
- abdominal pain, indigestion or discomfort
- metallic or unpleasant taste in the mouth
- swollen red or sore tongue
- sore, red mouth
- ulcers or cold sores
- oral thrush – white, furry, sore tongue and/or mouth
- vaginal thrush – sore and itchy vagina and/or discharge
- dryness of the mouth, vagina or genitals
- loss of sex drive or painful sex
- joint pains
- nasal congestion.
These side effects are usually mild.
Tell your doctor or nurse as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:
- confusion, irritability, depression, disorientation
- clumsiness, lack of co-ordination, problems with moving or balancing
- difficulty in speaking
- headache, stiff neck and extreme sensitivity to bright light
- problems with sleeping
- fits or seizures
- dizziness or spinning sensation
- ringing/persistent noise in the ears (tinnitus) or other hearing problems
- blurred/double vision or other eye problems
- yellowing of the eyes/skin or flushing
- swelling or redness along the vein which is extremely tender when touched
- pain when passing urine or passing more urine than normal
- blood or pus in the urine, darker urine
- loss of control of your bladder or bowels
- feeling of pressure around the pelvis
- sore back passage, sometimes with bleeding or discharge
These may be serious side effects. You may need medical attention.
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
- sudden signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, throat or neck which may cause difficulty swallowing or breathing
- skin rash that can be widespread with blisters, swelling, pain, burning, itching or peeling, often with fever
- tingling or numbness of the hands or feet, pins and needles or muscle weakness
- severe blisters and bleeding in the lips, eyes, mouth, nose and genitals
- signs of frequent infections such as fever, severe chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers
- severe abdominal cramps or stomach cramps
- watery and severe diarrhoea, which may also be bloody
- fast, erratic heartbeats and/or fainting
These are very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell.
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients.
Some of these side effects (changes in the liver, levels of blood cells or changes in heart rhythm) can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.
Storage
Metronidazole Kabi will be stored in the pharmacy or on the ward.
Metronidazole Kabi in glass infusion bottles is kept in a cool dry place, protected from light where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Metronidazole Kabi in Kabipac® (Polyethylene) bags is kept in a cool dry place, protected from light where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Product Description
What it looks like
Metronidazole Kabi is a clear and slightly yellowish, isotonic infusion solution.
Ingredients
Active ingredient
Each Metronidazole Kabi glass bottle or Kabipac® (Polyethylene) bag contains 500 mg of metronidazole as the active ingredient.
Inactive ingredients
Metronidazole Kabi also contains the following inactive ingredients:
- citric acid monohydrate
- dibasic sodium phosphate dodecahydrate
- sodium chloride
- water for injections.
Supplier
Metronidazole Kabi is supplied in Australia by:
Fresenius Kabi Australia Pty Limited
Level 2, 2 Woodland Way
Mount Kuring-gai NSW 2080
Australia
Telephone: 1300 732 001
Australian Registration Number
AUST R 310261
® = Registered Trademark
This leaflet was prepared in October 2023.
Published by MIMS December 2023