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Candida - female genital - Management
Oral fluconazole
- The most common adverse effects of fluconazole are gastrointestinal in nature, and include nausea, vomiting, bloating, diarrhoea, and abdominal discomfort [Micromedex, 2007].
- Fluconazole should not be co-administered with terfenadine. Serious dysrhythmias secondary to prolongation of the QTc interval have been reported in patients receiving other azole antifungals in conjunction with terfenadine [ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2005].
- Discontinue fluconazole if signs or symptoms of liver disease develop. Hepatotoxicity has been reported (very rarely) with fluconazole use [ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2005].
Clarification / Additional information
- Concerns have been raised in the literature that oral fluconazole may cause oral contraceptives to fail [Baxter, 2006]. However, because very few pregnancies have been reported in women taking oral fluconazole and an oral contraceptive, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH), formerly the Faculty of Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare (FFPRHC), do not consider additional contraceptive precautions necessary when taking fluconazole [ABPI Medicines Compendium, 2005; FFPRHC, 2005].
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