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Candida - female genital - Management
What short courses of antifungals are recommended?

  • Oral antifungals:
    • Oral fluconazole 150 mg (single dose).
    • Oral itraconazole 200 mg (twice a day for 1 day).
  • Intravaginal antifungals:
    • Intravaginal pessaries. See Table 1 for more details.
    • Intravaginal clotrimazole 10% cream (insert 5 g into the vagina as a single dose at night).
Table 1. Short courses of intravaginal pessaries for vulvovaginal candidiasis.
Preparation
Directions
Clotrimazole 500 mg
Insert into the vagina once at night
Clotrimazole 200 mg
Insert into the vagina once a night for 3 nights
Econazole 150 mg*
Insert into the vagina once at night
Econazole 150 mg
Insert into the vagina once a night for 3 nights
Miconazole 1200 mg
Insert into the vagina once at night
* Formulated for single dose use.
Information from: [BNF 53, 2007]
Basis for recommendation
  • These recommendations are based on published expert opinion [CDC, 2006; FFPRHC and BASHH, 2006].
  • The doses CKS has recommended for short courses are all licensed.

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