Vaginal Yeast Infections - Prescription Treatments
If you go to your doctor to get a prescription, any responsible doctor will first check to see if your problem is really yeast. this will unfortunately involve those horrible stirrups and nasty, probing swabs, digging for a sample. it's enough to make you decide the yeast really isn't so unbearable after all. but really, GO. if your doctor decides the problem is yeast, you're likely to be sent home with a prescription for one of three things:
broad spectrum: will kill other types of Candida and some other fungi.
only 1 pill does the job.
it's really expensive
is a systemic treatment, so can cause side effects.
allergies to it are not uncommon.
the 1 pill doesn't always work. i used it once and had the yeast rebound about 5 days later, and i know a couple of other people who've had the same problem. many doctors now prescribe several days' worth.
The other major 1-dose, creamy treatment sold in the US is Gynazole, which contains a strong dose of butoconazole (stronger than the old 3-day version, sold as Mycelex). the Big Deal here is that the manufacturer has imbued it with a patented "bioadhesive" so that the junk will supposedly stick to your vaginal walls rather than running down your legs. they call this bioadhesive Vagi-Site(TM)! hilarious. anyway, i haven't tried it yet, so i can't speak from personal experience, but here's the dope:
only 1 day of any possibility of oozing gross, white, greasy stuff.
topical treatment, so no systemic effects and few, if any, side effects.
comes with 1 prefilled, disposable applicator.
according to an article since removed from the ABCnews website, butoconazole is one of the top ten drugs reported to the FDA to cause adverse reactions.
expensive at $15 - 20.
breaks down latex.
Terazol (terconazole):
broader spectrum than over-the counter ones.
only 3 days of oozing gross, white, greasy stuff.
contains oils that break down latex.
causes headaches, fever, and flu-like symptoms in a small but significant proportion of Women who use it.
Nizoral (ketoconazole):
really broad spectrum, powerfully evil stuff: kills everything.
can take with antibiotics as a prophylactic against those antibiotic-induced yeast infections.
trashes your liver, and reduces the adrenals' ability to make steroids, like testosterone. not to be taken lightly.