Metronidazole 400mg Tablets – 7-Day BV Course (14 Tablets)

Metronidazole is a prescription-only antibiotic. At Ways Pharmacy, metronidazole 400mg tablets are used to treat bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women aged 16 and over who have had BV diagnosed before and recognise the same symptoms again. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed your symptoms and confirmed that the treatment is suitable for you. Tablets are usually the first treatment tried for BV.

How to access this medicine

1. Start your free online assessment. Complete a short questionnaire and confirm your identity by uploading photo ID or showing it on a video call. The questionnaire asks about your symptoms, previous BV episodes, pregnancy, health and other medicines.
2. Pharmacist reviews and speaks with you. A GPhC-registered pharmacist contacts you by phone or video to confirm that your symptoms match BV, which you have had diagnosed before, and that this treatment is suitable. No examination is needed when your symptoms clearly match BV; if the cause is uncertain, the pharmacist will not supply treatment and will tell you where to get help.
3. If suitable, order and pay on this page. Once the pharmacist confirms the medicine is suitable, you select the pack and check out on this page, or call 020 8106 7084. If it is not suitable — including when the pharmacist recommends advice only — you pay nothing and the pharmacist explains your other options. If you have already paid and the pharmacist finds the medicine is not suitable, you receive a full refund.
4. We post your medicine or you collect it. Once approved, orders placed by 3pm on a weekday are posted the same day (see our shipping policy), or you can collect from our Holborn pharmacy.

There is no separate consultation fee. If the medicine you chose is not suitable, the pharmacist may suggest another option.

This treatment is for women aged 16 and over. If you are 16 or 17, you can consult online in confidence — a parent or guardian does not need to be present.

About this medicine

Dosage

• Usual dose: one 400mg tablet twice a day for 5 to 7 days, as advised by the pharmacist. The pack contains enough for a 7-day course.
• Take with or after food to reduce stomach upset, and swallow the tablet whole with water
• Finish the course, even if your symptoms improve sooner

Do not drink alcohol while taking metronidazole and for at least 48 hours after your last dose. Alcohol can cause severe sickness, flushing and a fast heartbeat.

One course is supplied per episode. If your symptoms have not improved within a week of finishing treatment, or BV comes back, please see your GP or a sexual health clinic. See our BV treatment service for other options.

Warnings and who should not take this medicine

• Anyone allergic to metronidazole or similar medicines (nitroimidazoles such as tinidazole)
• A first episode of vaginal symptoms, or BV twice or more in the last 6 months — please see your GP or a sexual health clinic
• Itching or soreness that suggests thrush, unusual vaginal bleeding, lower tummy or pelvic pain, fever or feeling generally unwell
• A possible sexually transmitted infection — see our STI testing service
• Pregnancy or breastfeeding — tell the pharmacist, who will decide whether this treatment is appropriate or whether you should see your GP or midwife
• Liver problems, or Cockayne syndrome
• Medicines that interact with metronidazole, such as warfarin, lithium, and some epilepsy medicines like phenytoin or carbamazepine — tell the pharmacist everything you take

Possible side effects

The most common are feeling sick, a metallic taste in the mouth, stomach discomfort and headache. Stop taking it and get urgent medical help if you develop swelling of the face, lips or throat, difficulty breathing or a widespread rash. Contact a pharmacist or GP if side effects are severe or do not go away.

Regulatory information

• Legal status: Prescription-only medicine (POM), supplied under a Patient Group Direction after pharmacist assessment
• Pharmacy: Ways Pharmacy, 77 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4ET · GPhC-registered premises 9012227
• Patient information leaflet: electronic Medicines Compendium (emc)
• Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme

This page gives factual information about a prescription-only medicine and is not an advertisement to the public. It is supplied only after a pharmacist has assessed that it is suitable for you.