Can fluconazole take more than 72 hours/150 mg to treat a yeast infection?

I used to get stubborn thrush infections and the only thing that worked was to take a smaller dose of fluconazole (50mg) daily for 2 weeks. This is available from the GP. Then when I had premenopause the infection was particularly stubborn and recurrent and I saw a consultant who prescribed 100mg for a week, which did the trick. It is important to get it treated because repeated infections can give you an allergy to the yeast which makes it even worse. Also, it is not good getting a swab test for thrush when you are on, or soon after taking fluconazole because it will come back negative - the fluconazole masks the infection.

For me fluconazole did not help to subside my recurrent yeast infection which took on a time frame of 3 years in total. From what I studied regarding the infection is that fluconazole (and the other azole groups such as miconazole, clotrimazole) are used to cure against candida albicans, but sometimes the strain you get is other types of candida that cannot be treated with the azole group. And I have had in experience, a yeast infection combined with a bacterial infection which means besides the azoles you need antibiotics too. 

I think rather than just taking oral meds (which have side effects and compromises liver and kidney functions) you should also combine topical treatment, and what worked for me was boric acid capsules inserted into the vagina for about 7 to 10 days to clear up an infection. May be you can try it. 

Maggie is correct, there are different strains of candida and different azoles used to treat them. Because albicans is the most common I don't think that the medical profession even consider the other strains. I'm not sure they even test for them. It is also possible for Candida albicans to become resistant to fluconazole, all the drs keep doing then us upping the dose. One day fluconazole will be completely ineffective.

Hey hun!

   I’m not a doctor but just was at the doctors for the same thing. I had sex and two days later a yeast infection and uti. After taking the first dose of fluconazole 150 and I thought it worked. The next morning it was back and worse. I started freaking out and went back to the docs and turns out just another yeast. My doc said that sometimes one dose isn’t enough. I wish you the best and good luck. 

Back in 2013 I had recurrent and persistent thrush 150mg two or even three times worked but it kept comping back. The doctor also tried 50mg per day for 2 weeks, but it come back, then 50mg for a month. I tried all sort of home remedies such as bicarbonate or soda in the bath and cider vinegar. The drs through it was related to hormone balance in peri menopause (I was 47). It seemed to recur after sex and just before my period. Many women get thrush before their period due to hormone levels. The trouble is that if you keep getting it the skin can become sensitised to the yeast and even allergic to it. Hence the persistent soreness and stinging. I was negative for all STIs. It went on for 5 months with me until the burning pain was so unbearable I asked to see a specialist. I had to come off the fluconazole so that they could properly test for infection. I also had a biopsy of the vulva. Turned out I didn’t have any infection and I was diagnosed with vulvodynia - a nerve condition where the nerves become hypersensitive and hyperactive resulting in a constant burning pain. This is a very difficult condition to treat and it took me 2 years to become pain free. Just when the yeast infection / allergy became vulvodynia we don’t know but I now know it is important to treat a yeast infection before it turns into the hell of vulvodynia.

Diagnosis: Double infection, a UTI and a yeast infection/overgrowth

Tests Performed by Doc: urine, blood and vaginal swab

Prescribed 6 medicines

Symptoms (Overall):

-Reoccuring yeast infections every month during my short and late periods. Goes away, comes back, duration of at least 3 months.

-Urgency to pee when bladder is empty, occasional non-menstrual pelvic pains, weird sensation when peeing, some discharge, smelled weird at the end of my cycle only.

-Itchy, red, inflamed, burning of the outer vagina which started flaking after a few days. My entire vagina swelled up, each portion swollen, red and shiny. After a few days, I noticed white flakes at the surface as the swelling was going down. It looked like a inflated balloon, then deflated. I'm on day 10 and it's back to its original form.

-The lips on my mouth felt like they were chapped, red, irritated (couldn't eat salty foods) and very dry. It broke out in tiny blisters starting with the top lip at the corners to the middle, then the bottom lip at the corners to the middle, almost methodically. The blisters were not cold sores, but felt just as painful because it was so many of them. They would breakout and heal along the path of my upper and lower lips as I described, healing time was just a day or so after each breakout. Corners of mouth cracked from dryness. I applied an ice cube to the lesions to reduce swelling. Severe dryness and rareness follow, used plenty vasoline.

-Itchy, tiny raised red cluster of bumps on face near mouth.

-Itchy small red bump rash on neck, which spread to ears and I believe around my eyelids, but not in eyes or ears. Hard not to scratch from the itch.

-Red bumps that can ooze in between fingers, on top of fingers, on top opposite of palm, under side wrists, around wrists, under side and around forearm. Fiercely itchy, and highly spreadable. Anti itch cream and calamine lotion do not help.

-Heavy fatigue.

-For some reason, my stomach lining was irritated so I was throwing up maybe once a day, at first. By day 5, i couldn't hold down water, so i made the dr appt. By day 6, I barely made it out the bathroom and on time to my doctors appointment.

I went to see a doctor on day 6 of having all of these severe symptoms, at the point of dehydration. Every symptom listed above all started on the same day, or one day apart. The doctor performed and sent three tests to the lab, a urine, blood, and vaginal swab. The urine and swab test came back showing a double infection, non STD and not contagious.

These are the medications that were prescribed (6 total):

-Nystop 100000 Powder (Topical Antifungal for outside of vagina and

-2 Fluconazole tabs, taken 72 hours apart (Kills yeast throughout body)

-14 Nitrofurantoin Mono 100MG twice day (For UTI)

-14 Metronidazole 500MG twice day (For Yeast Infection)

-30 Ranitidine 150MG (For vomiting)

-6 Ondansetron dissolve tabs

I'm going on day 11. I developed halitosis (white nasty smelling things at the back of throat) on day 7 or 8. My tongue would turn an off color gray, which brushed away easily. I believe that I had oral thrush accompanying my UTI and Yeast Infection. I believe that my throwing up was due to yeast overgrowth and a weakened stomach lining. I also believe that my rash was a yeast rash on my face, neck, and hands. The doctor didn't confirm any of those possibilities above with tests. On day 7, doctors office called with the results of my blood test. My body's functioning properly, only issue being my protein was .2 higher than the cutoff level. Liver and kidneys are functioning properly, and negative for STDs and HIV. Going on day 11, everything has cleared except the rash on my forearms, fingers, in between fingers. I am not feeling or showing any other symptoms.

I've never felt the swelling of my vagina before. Such great pain and agony, physically and emotionally! I believe I've been living with yeast overgrowth for quite some time now. My symptoms were getting increasingly severe fast on day 1 and day 2, which gives me reason to believe that I've had yeast in my body for a long time, now a yeast overgrowth, oral thrush and rashes, vaginal yeast infection symptoms, and digestive issues.

The way my doctor put it, the antifungal Fluconazole kills yeast inside your body wherever it is - stomach, vagina, toenails, etc. The Metronidazole is to clear up the infection due to yeast. Nitrofurantoin is for the UTI infection. You take both Fluconazole within 72 hours to have it continuously working beside the antibiotic.

The way my timeline works: day 1 is the first day I start to show severe symptoms. That was Saturday 5/26.

Today 6/5, I am on day 11.

I am a healthy individual. Do not work out, but frequently active. Average-slim build. Under HIGH stress. Do not take any daily medications. Frequent UTIs growing up as child.

Please let me know if you have any questions. I am not finished taking the course of my medications for my issues yet. I feel fine now, but things can change. I'll post the results in a week or two.