Who can use it? of Antifungal drugs

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Each antifungal drug works differently. Your doctor or pharmacist will be able to make sure that you are taking the right drug for your particular infection, and that it will not have any harmful side effects.

As with all drugs, there is a chance that an antifungal drug will interact with other medicines and that one or both of the drugs will then not work properly. For example, research has shown that the â€œazoleâ€ antifungals (such as ketoconazole and fluconazole) may interact with certain types of antihistamines (drugs used to treat allergies such as hayfever). Your doctor or pharmacist will be able to tell you if any drugs you are already taking will interact with a specific antifungal.

Flucytosine is a strong antifungal drug that can affect the blood, liver and kidneys. People taking this medication are usually given regular blood tests to monitor the effect on their bodies. It is not usually used in people with kidney infections, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or elderly people.

Clotrimazole (used to treat thrush) has few drug interactions but it is best to inform your GP or pharmacist before using this antifungal, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or taking any other drugs. If you are pregnant you should not use the pessary form of clotrimazole unless your GP has specifically instructed you to.

You can buy certain antifungal treatments over the counter at your pharmacist. These include clotrimazole cream and the oral tablet fluconazole for thrush and balanitis caused by thrush, and pessaries for vaginal thrush.

If you are experiencing the symptoms of thrush for the first time, or if you have any doubts about whether you have thrush, you should visit your GP before using an over the counter medication. Symptoms such as vaginal discharge can be caused by a number of different conditions so it is important to get a definite diagnosis and use the right treatment. You should also go to your GP if you have more than two previous episodes of thrush in the last six months, if you have unusual vaginal bleeding or sores, if you have abdominal pain, or if you are pregnant.

Other antifungal drugs will be prescribed by your GP.