Can you buy thrush treatment over the counter?

[Jojay]

For mum and baby?

Asking for a friend.

Thanks x

Yes, daktarin oral gel for baby and clotrimazole (canestan) cream for nipples.

I've just spoken to a bfing counsellor friend who said that the Mum would need to take something orally as the thrush is deep in the breast. do you know what that would be?

Thanks so much.

The oral treatment is fluconazole, you can buy it OTC for vaginal thrush (which is a single dose of 150mg) but not at the right dosage for treating thrush deep in the breast (which is, if I remember rightly, something like a single big dose and then 100mg once a day) - you'd need to get that prescribed.

Is your friend absolutely sure it's thrush? There's some interesting info in this fact sheet:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/dibm/Thrush_and_Breastfeeding_Feb_2013.pdf

(Edit: you can buy it OTC for vaginal thrush in the UK, here in Ireland it's still prescription-only for all uses, which is great fun for those of us who often get thrush from antibiotics and get equally itchy dermatitis from Canesten. Joy.)