Yeast Infection Cure

Antifungal medications, such as clotrimazole or tioconazole, are the most common cures for a yeast infection. These medications can be applied to the affected area as an ointment, taken orally as a pill, or inserted in the vagina. Because more women are diagnosing themselves (often incorrectly) and taking medications for a yeast infection unnecessarily, there is a risk that antifungal medications will not provide a cure when needed.

Yeast Infection Cure: An Introduction

Yeast infection treatment involves taking antifungal medicines, such as:
 
  • Butoconazole
  • Miconazole
  • Clotrimazole
  • Tioconazole.
 
These medicines are taken by mouth, applied directly to the affected area, or used vaginally.
 
Although these medicines usually lead to a cure (80 percent to 90 percent success rate), infections that do not respond to these treatments are becoming more common, especially in HIV-infected women receiving long-term antifungal therapy.
 

Details on Curing a Yeast Infection

Women can buy medications for yeast infections in many forms, including:
 
  • Antifungal creams to be applied directly to the area
  • Tablets to be taken orally
  • Suppositories for use in the vagina.
     
Because bacterial vaginosis, trichomoniasis, and Candida yeast infections are difficult to tell apart on the basis of symptoms alone, a woman with vaginal symptoms should see her healthcare provider for an accurate diagnosis before using these products.
 
Both three-day and seven-day yeast infection treatments may be effective as a yeast infection cure. Women who have chronic or recurring yeast infections may need to be treated with vaginal creams or oral medicines for longer periods of time.
 
HIV-infected women may have severe yeast infections that often do not respond to conventional treatment.
 
(Yeast Infection Cure Continued: Page 2)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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