Most effective medication for the treatment of vaginal thrush

Vaginal thrush, medically known as vulvovaginal candidiasis, is caused by yeast. Yeast is a fungus belonging to the genus Candida. There are several species of fungi belonging to the genus Candida. Out of them, Candida albicans is the commonest species that cause vaginal thrush. Candida albicans is an opportunistic organism. Opportunistic organisms normally live in human body in harmony. At normal conditions, they don’t cause harm. But, these organisms start to proliferate and invade the human body when the immunity reduces. So, vaginal thrush also occurs as a result of changes in the host immunity. The normal vaginal environment is acidic. The excessive growth of Candida is inhibited by this acidity. But, when the acidity reduces, Candida gets the opportunity to proliferate rapidly.  

According to Center of Disease Control and Prevention,  75% of women experience at least one episode of vaginal thrush at some point in their life. Therefore, it is a very common illness among women that requires effective treatment. Various types of treatment methods have been used to treat this condition. Antifungal medications are the main method of treatment.

Antifungal Medications

There are several types of antifungal medications. They are available as local preparations, oral drugs and intravenous preparations. The type of medication should be carefully chosen according to the severity of infection the woman has. For example, if the woman comes with a mild disease with no previous history of similar illness, she can benefit from simple local therapy. Local antifungal medications are available in the forms of creams and suppositories. They are usually prescribed for up to one week. Most infections relieve within several days.

Sometimes, a single dose of oral antifungal is given to treat mild to moderate infections. There are several types of antifungal medications. Azoles and fluconoazole are two of such antifungal medications that are widely being used. Examples for commonly used Azoles are Imidazole, Miconazole, Clotrimazole and Fluconazole. The above mentioned treatment options may not be effective for a woman who has a history of recurrent vaginal thrush.  She might be having a resistant infection. In such instances, the choice of treatment must be individualized by considering the effectiveness, convenience, potential side effects and cost.

Place of Ozone Therapy in Vaginal Thrush

Ozone therapy  has also been used to treat vaginal thrush but, its effectiveness is yet to be clarified. Vaginal insufflation is done by inserting a clean olive oil lubricated vaginal catheter. Ozone is delivered to the vagina through this catheter. The woman might sense the heat produced by oxidation. The procedure is repeated for several days.

As described above, vaginal thrush is an infection with very effective treatments. The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the correct choice of therapy. To have the maximum effectiveness, the patient should adhere to the physician’s instructions.