What causes the bad reaction of Flagyl and alcohol interaction in the body?
Because alcohol-Flagyl body reactions (e.g. nausea, trachycardia, flushing, etc.) are similar to alcohol-Antabuse reactions, scientists originally presumed that they work in the same manner. Antabuse (disulfiram) works by inhibiting the second step in alcohol metabolism in the liver. The first step is the break down of ethanol (alcohol) into acetaldehyde and the second step is the break down of acetaldehyde into acetic acid. Since Antabuse inhibits the second step, acetaldehyde will build up in the blood causing vomiting, flushing, trachycardia, etc. A recent clinical research found out that metronidazole does not inhibit the breakdown of acetaldehyde in the liver and there is no significant increase in blood level of acetaldehyde when metronidazole and alcohol are taken together. The researchers said that a different mechanism may be at work. Karamanakos and colleagues (2007) suggested that the reactions may be due to increase serotonin level in the brain when Flagyl is taken; they ha
