Once you know for certain that a yeast infection is your V zone problem, it's time for choosing your treatment regimen - no easy feat, for sure.
Seven days ; three days ; one day. Oral ; topical; natural. Prescription, over-the-counter, doctor recommended. Yikes ! These are just some of options from which you can choose.
Indeed, many a friend has left the drugstore in tears, simply overwhelmed by her growing list of treatment choices.
Worse still - when you think you know what will work best - and it doesn't. Only you keep repeating the same treatment over and over, mistakenly believing that the problem lies within your infection when it's really the product that's wrong for you..
Well if you've been hopelessly caught in the maze of treatment options, fear not - there is a way out - and the following treatment guide
can help !
Remember too, to rely on your doctor for not only advice but counsel about whatever treatment you select - even an OTC preparation. In many instances drug companies provide physicians with far more detailed information about even their over-the-counter products than they offer to consumer , so it's likely your doctor can shed some additional light on the best ways to use the products you select.
Over The Counter and Out of The Woods
Although treatment options include both prescription and non-prescription choices, most women initially turn to over-the-counter ( OTC) products first - even when their infection is diagnosed by a physician
Despite the long and often confusing list of choices on your drugstore shelf, according to the FDA, all non-prescription anti-yeast therapies are derived from a single class of drugs - the anti-fungal compound known as imidazole.In fact, this is the only class of medications currently approved by the FDA for the over-the-counter treatment of yeast infection. The four versions of this basic compound include:
tioconazole ( sold as Vagistat )
butoconazole ( sold as Femstat 3 )
miconazole ( sold as Monastat 1, 3, and 7 )
clotrimazole ( sold as Mycelex 7, Gyne-Lotrimin, and Femcare
Each of these medications works in primarily the same way - by affecting the cell wall of the fungus thus causing it to die.
In terms of killing off your yeast infection, studies show that, when used properly, each of these treatments are between 85 and 90% effective. In addition to stomping down a yeast infection, both clortrimazole and miconazole are also used in the treatment of other skin fungus infections including athlete's foot, " jock" itch, and ringworm.
Although the primary ingredients in these treatments are chemically related, they are not identical. Additionally, each preparation has it's own specific formula of inactive ingredients - things like alcohol, wax, corn starch, and preservatives.
Which all goes to say that, if you don't get relief from one product, or particularly if you do get a negative reaction - such as an allergic response - you can try another with some confidence that your response will at least be different, if not better.
By the same token, the medications are not necessarily interchangeable. So if you found a product to work in the past , stick with it, since purchasing something different the next time around may not necessarily give you equal results.
Finally, the form the product takes - cream , suppository or capsule - may also influence your decision about what to buy. While effectiveness is roughly the same between all three,how well a treatment works often depends on whether you use it correctly, and for the correct amount of time.
As such, be certain to choose whichever form of treatment you are more likely to use. Often , personal preferences can vary, so don't rely only on what your best friend , or sister or mother prefers. Instead, go for what you think is best for you.
One hint - if you are used to using tampons, the pre-filled applicator creams will probably work well. If you have never used a tampon - mostly because you don't like the insertion process - then these applicators may prove uncomfortable and hard to use.
One, Three, Seven : How To Choose
One of the most obvious features that separate the various anti-yeast medications is the length of the treatment itself. While in the not too distant past all of the products offered were 7 day regimens, today you can also select from three day , and now one day treatments.
The important point here : All yeast infections take 7 days to clear, regardless of which medication you use.
Confused ? No need to be.
While the number of days vary with some treatments, those that offer 1 or 3 day regimens are simply more potent formulas, able to continue working for several days after the treatment is administered. The shorter regimens simply limit the number of days you have to take your yeast treatment - and not the actual length of time it takes to clear your infection
Jumping Behind The Counter :
When Prescription Treatments Are A Must
For most women, over-the-counter anti-yeast preparations are all that's needed to bring about a cure.
For some, however, a stronger , more broad-spectrum anti-fungal becomes necessary. This can be the case when infections continually recur, or if one particularly stubborn infection won't respond to over-the-counter products.
This can sometimes be the case when a yeast infection is caused by a strain other than the common candida albicans fungus.
When, in fact, you do need a prescription treatment you doctor can choose either an oral preparation, a vaginal tablet, or a cream. The basic choices include :
flucanazole ( Diflucan ) - 1 pill , 1 dose cure
ketaconazole ( Nizoral ) - A oral, multi-dose pill version of
the topical imidazole drugs used for OTC yeast products.
nystatin (mycostantin vaginal ) Available as either
an oral tablet, or a vaginal tablet.
terconazole ( Terazol 3, Terazol 7 ) - Available as a
broad spectrum cream or vaginal suppository, both considered more potent than over-the counter versions.
While all these drugs should begin to clear your infection beginning about 3 days after treatment, for more immediate relief of symptoms
( such as itching and burning ) ask your doctor about an anti-inflammatory cream to be used along with the oral medication.
Do not, however, chose an OTC anti-fungal treatment cream to use a long with your oral prescription unless your doctor tells you to do so.
Additionally, men who require treatment for yeast infection can choose from either Diflucan or Nizoral. Again, since a topical vaginal preparation will not work on a penile infection, prescription drugs are the only real treatment alternatives.
From: The V Zone by Colette Bouchez
