Diflucan (Fluconazole)

General Information

Pharmacological company Pfizer, which is a world leader in the development of original drugs, annually performs large-scale clinical studies in order to develop the most effective and safe medicines.

The products are manufactured on factories in UK, USA, France, Germany and comply with GMP standards. One of the most famous remedies of this company in the market is diflucan 150 mg. This antifungal product within a very short time became the gold standard for candidiasis treatment. Unlike other antimycotics, fluconazole tablet, which is the active substance of the drug, does not have pronounced hepato-, nephro- and cardiotoxic effects. Large-scale clinical trials, including more than 5,000 patients, proved the efficacy and unsurpassed safety of the remedy.

Depending on the form, it is used both for the treatment of vaginal candidiasis, and in the therapy of fungal meningitis and sepsis. A high profile of the substance’s safety allows it to be administered by newborns (including preterm infants) starting from the first hours of life.

Diflucan otc (Fluconazole) is effective against yeast-like fungus, which causes vaginal candidiasis, oral moniliasis, cutaneous mycoses, and pityriasis. It is prescribed for the prevention of fungal infections in malignant tumors and prolonged treatment with antibiotics. It is prescribed for people with diagnosed AIDS, immunodeficiency and oncological diseases, since they have a higher risk of fungal diseases development than other people.

The active substance acts only on fungi, slowing their metabolism, which leads to the death of microorganisms. Getting into the body, fluconazole has practically no effect on the cells of the body, it is very quickly absorbed into the blood and reaches a therapeutic concentration within one hour after ingestion.

Diflucan does not have a harmful effect on useful bacteria in the body and does not cause dysbacteriosis. The effect of treatment comes very quickly – the next day the itching decreases and the cheesy discharge is noticeably reduced.

Precautions

• Patients with previously diagnosed liver and kidney diseases should consult their physician before using the medication – in some cases anaphylactic shock may take place.
• With existing renal failure, the daily dosage should be reduced.
• When prescribing the drug to children of early age, it should be taken into account that at the age less than 4 months the main active substance is excreted slowly from the body.

How to take?

The dosage of this medication should be determined only by the attending physician – it depends on the condition of the patient and the specific fungal infection. In case of vaginal candidiasis (thrush) it is enough for the women to take capsules just one time, but in some cases it requires a fairly long therapy.

In case of cryptococcal meningitis it is necessary to give the patient 400 mg on the first day, further step is to take 200 mg of the medication per day (one-time). The duration of therapy depends on the individual characteristics of the patient's body, but experts recommend to be treated with Diflucan for at least 6 consecutive weeks. Please note: the prevention of recurrence of cryptococcal infection is carried out with Fluconazole at a dose of 150 mg once a day during several months. In the treatment of invasive candidiasis infections 400 mg of the substance should be taken one-time (the first day of therapy), then the patient should take not more than 200 mg a day (1 time). The length of the course of treatment depends on the clinical picture of the disease.

In case of candidiasis of the mucous membranes (with the exception of thrush in women) it should be consumed 50 mg per day for 30 days (without interruption). If the therapeutic effect is absent for 5 days, one should consult the doctor, who will either adjust the dosage (increase it) or cancel the treatment.

For vaginal candidiasis, 150 mg of the discussed product should be taken concomitantly. To prevent relapse, it is recommended to repeat the dose after a month.

With fungal infections and any infectious skin diseases it is recommended to take 50 mg per day (once) for 3 weeks. Based on the results of therapy and focusing on the patient's condition, the doctor can extend the course duration up to 4 weeks. In case of pityriasis 300 mg of remedy should be taken once a week – two procedures are sufficient. An alternative to this course is to take a dose of 50 mg once a day.

With fungal nail lesions (onychomycosis), 50 mg per day of medication should be taken for 3-4 weeks until full replacement of the infected nail with healthy one.

Diflucan ointment is prescribed in case of candidiasis of mucous membranes and mycosis of various etiologies. It is used to treat affected areas of the skin twice a day, applying a thin layer of the medicine.

The solution for intravenous injections is rarely prescribed, for example, in case of a common infection with a fungal infection, there is a significant weakening of immunity, and the need for rapid, “shock” therapy.

Important: when treating candidiasis infection in children a limit of 50 mg per day should be adhered to.

Side effects

In a long-term therapy with mentioned substance the following side effects can be observed in patients:

• dizziness, insomnia, taste change, convulsive syndrome;
• pain in the epigastric region, nausea and vomiting, development of hepatitis, jaundice;
• Arrhythmia, tachycardia and shortness of breath for no apparent reason;
• rashes on the skin, increased sweating;
• development of leukopenia;
• hypokalemia;
• myalgia;
• peripheral edema, hyperemia of the face;
• fatigue syndrome, weakness.

The above symptoms should be the reason for stopping treatment and contacting a doctor to adjust the therapy.

Overdose

Cases of overdose, which include active development of the above-mentioned side effects, are registered rarely.
Nevertheless, in one of the cases of an overdose with fluconazole in a 42-year-old patient infected with HIV, after taking 8200 mg of fluconazole 150mg, hallucinations and paranoid behavior were observed. The patient was hospitalized, his condition returned to normal within 48 hours.

Fluconazole is excreted mainly with urine, therefore forced diuresis, probably, can accelerate its excretion. The hemodialysis session for 3 hours reduces the level of fluconazole in the plasma by approximately 50%.

Interactions

Yes, Diflucane interacts with many drugs. So, for example, if you take it together with anti-coagulant medications, then the effect of the latter increases. Also, use of other remedies along with the discussed medicine, increases the number of side effects. It is completely safe to be used simultaneously with vitamin-mineral supplements (biologically active additives)

Drug and Alcohol

It is strongly recommended not to drink any alcoholic beverages together with diflucan and alcohol.

When using the drug in children at the age of 4 weeks or less, it should be kept in mind that in newborns Fluconazole is washed out slowly. In the first 2 weeks of life, it is administered at the same dose (in mg / kg) as for older children, but at an interval of 72 hours. Children aged 3 and 4 weeks of age are given the same dose at the of interval of 48 hours.

To date, Diflucan is considered to be the least harmful antimycotic to the children's body in the group of triazoles. In the field of pediatrics, it has gained fame relatively recently. Despite this, it managed to show its high effectiveness in eliminating Candida infections in children.

It is the drug that is well absorbed by the body of a child and especially by such organ as liver. Such an antifungal substance is characterized by high bioavailability and excellent absorption into the gastrointestinal tract, and this accounts for the absence of toxic effect on the body.

The maximum concentration of active substance in blood plasma is observed after 30-90 minutes after entering the children's body. It should be taken once a day, since its half-life is up to 30 hours.

This medication is characterized by good permeability in the tissues and fluid of the body, and for this reason its concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid, bronchial secretion and saliva is identical to the concentration in the blood. The active substance of this drug is Fluconazole, which exerts a suppressive effect on the synthesis of sterols in the fungi cells, which take an active part in the membranes formation. Fluconazole is excreted by the kidneys almost unchanged.

Nevertheless, it should be added that it is necessary to take the drug only upon the recommendation of the attending physician, and in no case apply any self-medication, this can only lead to complications.

Reviews

Olga: I have never had thrush before so I immediately ran to the gynecologist. He prescribed Diflucan to me.
I took the medication. I did not have time to understand anything yet, and my symptoms began to fade. The next day all of them passed. Honestly, I thought that I would have to spend a lot of money, since 1 capsule is quite expensive. I thought that I would have to say good-bye to fair amount of money, but fortunately it was not required.

Irene: I always choose these tablets, which are relatively expensive, but the quality is excellent and safe. I never trust analogues, and I do not advise them to you. There was a very bad experience with the use of analogues.

Sarah: It is a good medicine, I tried it a couple of times. It helped, I live without a thrush for now.

Rimma: I used this ointment for the treatment of fungus on the nails of the thumbs. I suffered from it for more than 10 years and tried a lot of pharmaceutical products, but this turned out to be the most effective. No side effects, my nails are healthy. The only drawback – I had to use the remedy for a long time (I was treated a little less than a year).

Victor: We used Diflucan to treat a moniliformis in child. I cannot compare with other medications, because in the hospital we were prescribed just this remedy. The doctor prescribed a fairly large dosage, so my son got headache and allergy, but there was nothing wrong with that. The moniliformis quickly passed. I advise you to try the drug.