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| |  AAFP: Metronidazole (Flagyl) Linked to Pancreatitis By Drex Earle Special to DG News ATLANTA, GA -- October 5, 2001 -- Metronidazole (Flagyl), an antibiotic commonly used to treat bacterial infections and Crohn’s disease complications, may be linked to the development of pancreatitis in women, according to a new study. Dr. Christopher Prior, with the Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, reported findings from a case study at the 2001 American Academy of Family Physicians Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. He and his team investigated a 32-year old African American woman with a past history of acute pancreatitis who was given metronidazole to alleviate vaginal discharge. The patient had no known risk factors for pancreatitis, but presented symptoms of the disease just one week after starting the drug. "She did not drink a lot of alcohol, have a history of gallstones or high cholesterol, and there was no presence of a virus or history of trauma," Dr. Prior said. After taking the patient off metronidazole, the symptoms went away, suggesting a relationship between the antibiotic and the disease. "Potential mechanisms for causing this could be free radicals produced by the breakdown of metronidazole in the pancreas, or it could be some sort of auto-immune or inflammatory response," Dr. Prior explained. Metronidazole-induced pancreatitis has been documented in the past, but the side effects of the antibiotic are still not widely known. “We would like to raise public awareness that there is a definite connection between this drug and pancreatitis,” Dr. Prior told Doctor’s Guide. In the future, the researchers would like to see if different applications of the same drug elicit similar results. "There is a preparation of metronidazole in a gel form that can be given vaginally rather than by mouth," Dr. Prior said. "We would like to find out if it has the same effect." Overall, he urged the medical community to stay informed and be cautious when prescribing the drug. "As a provider, you should think twice before giving metronidazole to a person who has a history of pancreatitis, because you may not necessarily want to give it to that patient," he concluded.
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