Bacterial Vaginosis Remedies
There are many different ways to treat Bacterial Vaginosis (BV). Some people say you can put plain yogurt on a tampon and insert it in your vagina overnight and that will help kill the bacteria (the acidophollyis) – but that is mostly an old wives tale (not to mention a mess in your panties).
BV can be treated with antibiotics and is shown to be 85-90% effective when taken properly. Metronidazole can be taken orally twice daily for seven days. This is believed to be the most effective treatment and is the preferred treatment particularly if the woman is pregnant or breastfeeding. It also is available in gel form which is applied to the vagina once daily for five days. Metronidazole reacts with alcohol and makes the patient feel very ill. You should not consume alcohol for at least 48 hours after taking Metronidazole (trust me on this).
Your doctor can prescribe Flagyl (in a pill) or as a cream (Metrogel or Cleocin). The pill has shown to produce some unpleasant side effects – unlike the cream which has no side effects, however, the pill has proven to be more effective. Another pill (with less side effects) is Tindamax, an antibiotic, however, it is common for a recurrence of BV even after successful treatment with either the pill or the cream. More than half of those treated experience recurrent symptoms within 12 months. It is unclear why this happens, however, another course of antibiotics is usually prescribed.
Clindamycin is an alternative antibiotic often used if metronidazole did not work or the BV came back. It is available either as a cream applied to the vagina once daily for seven days or in capsule form taken twice daily for seven days. It is important to remember when taking Clindamycin, that barrier contraception methods, like latex condoms, diaphragms and caps may be less effective. Please make sure to use additional contraception as a precautionary measure.
