Yeast Treatments

Drugs for Treating Yeast Infection

Prescription Drugs

1. Diflucan (active ingredient, fluconazole) comes as a pill, usually only one. The drug will kill off Candida Albicans and other types of Candida and other fungus. The down sides are that it is one of the more expensive yeast treatments and can cause side effects and allergies. Also, one pill may not work completely and so re-occurrence can be a problem.

2. Gynazole (active ingredient, butoconazole). This is a cream, which is meant to stick to the vaginal walls and is supposed to cure yeast infections in one day. As it is a topical treatment, there should be little in the way of side effects. However, butoconazole has been reported to commonly cause adverse reactions and it is also expensive. Furthermore, the drug breaks down latex.

3. Nizoral (active ingredient, ketoconazole) is a very strong drug, which kills a broad range of infections. Unfortunately, it is detrimental to the liver and impairs the adrenals' ability to produce steroids such as testosterone. One of the most extreme yeast treatments.

4. Terazol (active ingredient, terconazole). Is meant to kill quite a broad range of yeast related infections in three days. This causes a white discharge and, like Gynazole, breaks down latex. Side effects for a proportion of users are, headaches, flu-like symptoms, fever.

Over-the-Counter Yeast Treatments

1. Monistat-1 (tioconazole) is meant to work in one day but may require longer or further yeast treatments. Also breaks down latex.

2. Femistat/Mycelex (butoconazole) treats yeast infection in about three days. Has the same active ingredient as Gynazole (above) so the same risks apply.

3. Monistat-3 is a stronger version of Monistat-1 but is for a three-day application. It is common to develop allergies to this.

4. Monistat-7/Canestan. These are the less recent products on the market and are designed for a seven-day course of treatment. These are becoming less popular because of the quicker products available but, in some ways they are safer and more reliable. They kill most yeast infections. Like others, they break down latex.