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What is it used for? of Antifungal drugs
As with antibiotics, particular types of antifungal drug are better at fighting certain types of fungi.
Clotrimazole cream and pessaries are often used to treat vaginal thrush, caused by the fungus candida. The cream helps to soothe the itching while the pessary kills the fungi inside the vagina. Flucanozole tablets can also be taken to treat thrush, and as the drugs is absorbed into the blood stream it can treat oral and systemic (all over the body) thrush, as well as vaginal infections.
Oral thrush can also be treated using liquid or lozenge antifungals, such as amphotericin and nystatin. These forms of drug are absorbed through the mouth and throat surfaces, rather than going through the stomach and into the bloodstream.
Fungal nail infections can be treated with antifungal nail paints or tablets such as terbinafine.
Fungal scalp infections such as ringworm can be treated with antifungal shampoos, often containing the drug ketoconazole.
Systemic fungal infections (throughout the body) may be treated with tablets, or by injecting antifungals directly into the blood stream. Flucytosine and amphotericin, two different antifungals, are often injected at the same time to treat these types of infection, and other serious conditions such as cryptococcal meningitis. By injecting these two drugs together, it increases their ability to fight the infection, and slows the development of drug resistance.
Antifungal drugs such as fluconazole are sometimes given as a preventative measure for people who are at risk of developing a fungal infection. For example, during some cancer treatments and organ transplants, there is a chance that fungi will get into the body and damage the healing process, so this is prevented by making sure the antifungal drugs are already circulating in the bloodstream.
