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Just started vagifem and have thrush - anyone else experience this?

Posted , 8 users are following.

Suki_girl
Suki_girl

I have just started using vagifem and was pleased to find it did not irritate me (I have extremely sensitive skin down there and can only tolerate natural oils). However, after the second day of use I got thrush. I am susceptible to thrush and during the pre-menopause, with hormones in chaos, I would get it every few months despite being on a no sugar diet and taking lots of anti-candida supplements. I had been getting slowly dryer down there. I have not had a period for 51 days and since my last period suddenly became completely dry down there. Sexual intercourse has to be short, careful and aided by loads of oil based lube, but it still hurts and I am sore after. Having suffered from vulvodynia caused by repeated and persistent thrush I am wary about thrush and damage in that area. Water based vaginal moisturisers sting me and oil based doesn't rehydrate the cells. So, after trying various things without success and my GP warning me it will get worse, I have bitten the bullet and tried vagifem. However, I am worried that it may have caused the thrush. Has anyone esle experienced thrush caused by vagifem? Did it persist? Or did it settle down once your body had adjusted to the oestrogen, or once you had dropped down to twice a week doses (I am still on 1 a day).

1 like, 97 replies

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  • Suki_girl
    Suki_girl

    Posted

    Ok. After a brief sojourn into the world of post moderation, back to the topic of vagifem. I have stopped this after 1 week because the internal swelling was getting ridiculous- I couldn't even get my own finger in! Hubby would have no chance! So I didn't take a dose last night and today the swelling is already going down. Well, at least I tried it ..... What next?
  • Suki_girl
    Suki_girl

    Posted

    RE coconut oil. I know, Chris said she has found coco out oil helpful. I found it soothing when I had vulvodynia in 2013 and have continued using it just to keep me nice and moist during the day. I was just applying it externally but now I have got dry inside, I am applying it internally. I actually apply it after everytime I go to the loo. I am not sure how much it is helping the VA, but my hands and nails are lovely! Any left over on my fingers after I have applied it, I rub into my hands and nails. My nails have never been stronger and the skin on my hands is never dry. So, it must do something beneficial.
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      I was doing that too Suki, every time I went to the loo, but now, from last night,  I'm trying just using a dollop at night and seeing if that works all day too.  Generally I've no doubt that will be fine, but I just need to know that the skin will keep moist around the knob bit of the pessary, but so far so good! I thought exactly the same about hands LOL!
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      I love coconut oil. I'd use it all over my body if it didn't have such a high comedogenic rating. Instead if I ever get dry skin elsewhere I use jojoba oil or Shea butter or sweet almond oil. I also drink coconut water, use coconut milk for cereals and porridge (I have milk intolerance) and eat coconut as a snack. It is supposed to be anti candida, so I've gone coconuts!
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      LOL!  I love the smell of it too.  It reminds me of holidays in the sun:-)  I've not used any since last night and it feels fine so I'm going to try a few days of just using at night and see how it goes, but if it starts to feel dry I'll go to a couple of times a day and see how that goes, but using several times a day to start with certainly helped moisturisation!  I've actually got a coconut skin cream product that I got from one of the big high street stores - it's in a screw tub.  They do a shower stuff too:-)
    • beverly52803
      beverly52803 chris00938

      Posted

      I use cocout sented shampoo for the same reason. Instant transformation to the beach! I also use the milk and love coconut with dark chocolate. Have a sister who can't stand the smell or taste of it. More for me ;-)
    • chris00938
      chris00938 beverly52803

      Posted

      Me too LOL!  So coconut oil for the vagina, I'm very happy to use LOL!  When we went to bed last night my husband said 'I can smell coconut' LOL!
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      To help wih getting this swollen v down I am lavishing on the coconut oil. It is by far the nicest oil to apply because it is fairly solid so you can get a good blob of it on the end of a finger and insert it. Then it quickly becomes liquid at body temp. Not sure how one would get much liquid oil, e.g almond oil which is rich in vit E, inside. There is also shea butter which is supposed to be very good for dry skin and contains a lot of vit E. However in the raw natural form it is very solid and doesn't change to liquid at body temp, so needs to be rubbed into the skin from the solid. I use it on my elbows and knees which can get quite rough. I am about to try some pessaries that contain coconut oil, palm oil and vit E to try to soothe my swollen v wall. Have you tried these?
    • Sus28
      Sus28 Suki_girl

      Posted

      Good luck, I find Vitamin E is best for me.
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      I have - you're talking key e? Yes?  I didn't like the smell of them and prefer the coconut:-)  I found them a bit hard, as well, where as you say, the coconut is easy to get a dollop of, and it's firm enough to put there, but soft enough not to feel as though it's damaging anything.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      Yes, those are the ones. Strange, the ones I have got don't seem to have a smell. Didn't you say somewhere that you also insert a vit E capsule (intended to be taken orally) into your vagina? What strength do you use and   do you just put the whole thing in or pierce it first?
    • Sus28
      Sus28 Suki_girl

      Posted

      Suki, I Pierce the capsule , squeeze the oil out onto my finger and apply to the vagina
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      It wasn't a strong smell Suki - it was just a slightly 'fatty' smell, but it was the shape and hardness of them that I found difficult.  I tried the Vit E, but piercing it and squeezing it out - I found it difficult to get a 'fluid' anywhere further up in any amount, and I did try a whole capsule but then spent days panicking because I was worried the cellulose of the capsule outer bit wouldn't break down, so I stopped using those.  I prefer the coconut because it's easy to get a bit out of a jar and mould it to the shape you want and then it can be pushed into place, it's also what's worked best for me, and reading that it's also antibacterial and antifungal - I like that.  The only thing against it is that you shouldn't use it with latex condoms.
    • chris00938
      chris00938

      Posted

      This is the first time I've read that Vaginal moisturizers applied on a regular basis have an efficacy equivalent to local hormone replacement for the treatment of local urogenital symptoms such as vaginal itching, irritation, and dyspareunia, and should be offered to women wishing to avoid use of hormone replacement therapy.

      http://sogc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/145E-CPG-May2004.pdf

      The article isn't that new - because Vagifem reduced the 25mg dose to 10 because of the risks with the 25.  This was over a year ago.

    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      I tried the Regelle today and it didn't sting! A bit messy, because it is a gloopy gel applied internally with an applicator. But it is clear and water based, so no stains. One for the night, perhaps. The manufacturers say it only needs to be used every 3 days as the rehydration effects last that long. It can be used daily, if needed. It is available on prescription. I will let you know about any longer term effects - after all, the vagifem didn't sting but made me swell up inside.
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl

      Posted

      Update. Ok, I completely swelled up again inside. What is it with me and water based products / gels? I was hopeful about the Regelle because it had so few ingredients and was actually mostly water.  Also these products that sting / make me swell, do not have any one ingredient in common that I can pinpoint as the culprit. So, it is back to the natural oils .....
    • chris00938
      chris00938 Suki_girl

      Posted

      That's so disappointing:-(  Has a GP come up with any suggestions that helped?
    • Suki_girl
      Suki_girl chris00938

      Posted

      I emailed my consultant (not a gynae but a dermatologist who specialises in vulva and vaginal problems) about the reaction to vagifem and she said she had never come across vaginal swelling as a side effect. My GP recommended a prick test for allergies, but, like I said there seems to be no common ingredient that may be causing these problems. Hum, just had a funny thought - a prick test is what I do with my hubby to test the condition of my vag!
    • Sus28
      Sus28

      Posted

      Ha !
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