Clindamycin versus metronidazole in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis

One hundred forty-three women with complaints of vaginitis were assigned to receive either 500 mg of metronidazole twice daily for 7 days or clindamycin 300 mg twice daily for 7 days. There was no significant difference in the failure rate between patients treated with clindamycin (6.1%) and those treated with metronidazole (4%). Adverse reactions were infrequent and mild in both treatment groups. Three patients who received clindamycin developed non-bloody diarrhea, which was mild and did not necessitate discontinuing therapy. We conclude that clindamycin may be a safe and effective alternative to metronidazole for treating women with bacterial vaginosis.