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Infant feeding

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Original poster

Help - breast thrush - what treatment works?????????

35 replies

foxcub · 28/03/2007 21:50

I have breast thrush in my milk ducts (again - had it 4 times with DS1) following a course of ABs and am in despair

I am on fluconazole (400mg loading dose then 200mg daily) plus acidophilus, plus not eating sugar, bread, alcohol etc etc

I'm unconvinced the fluconazole will work, as I've been on a lower dose for 10 days and it hasn't worked.

Has anyone tried anything different which got rid of the ductal thrush? Or has anyone else tried the higher dose fluconazole??

Please help, I am desperate and very depressed, I so much want to be able to BF my baby and am dreading the pain levels of the thrush if it is still there when my medication runs out. I've had this before and its unbearable. Baby is only 3 weeks ols, so I am faced with the prospect of maybe having to give up BFing at such an early stage if I can get rid of the thrush.

Also, has anyone given up because of thrush - does the thrush go when you stop BFing?

Help please!!

OP posts:
Original poster
foxcub · 28/03/2007 21:51

Forgot to say, am also using daktarin cream on nips and daktarin oral gel for baby's mouth, but these haven't preveneted it during the last 10 days and it is now in the ducts.

OP posts:
fishie · 28/03/2007 22:02

oh dear. i have no experience of this at all, have you tried kellymom?

Manictigger · 29/03/2007 00:02

Have you tried taking citrocidal (grapefruitseed extract) tablets? Combined with cutting out sugar etc, I found I can keep the thrush under control. GP wouldn't prescribe fluco.. so I had to find an alternative. I nearly gave up bf because of thrush and GP was STILL unhelpful. Hope you feel better soon, thrush is a nightmare.

Chattea · 29/03/2007 00:19

So sorry - remember this well. Stopped feeding both mine because of thrush but they were much much older than your baby. DO keep on with all the meds you've been given and research how to beat candida in your diet- you're on the right lines re. yeast/sugar - I just don't have up to date info. at my fingertips. Talk to the breastfeeding helplines. Hang in there - thrush IS TREATABLE!!!!

DebsCee · 29/03/2007 07:59

So sorry you are going through this. I was in a similar situation a few weeks ago, and the higher dose did fix it for me, I took the pills for 15 days - 14 days of 200mg after the loading dose. These are the other things I did in combination and am still doing:

Drinking Yakult each morning
Taking acidophillus tablets AM and PM
Rinsing nipples in vinegar after each feed
Using daktarin cream on me after each feed
Daktarin gel on DS2 after each feed (though he had no signs in his mouth)
Pre-soaking my bras, muslins, towels etc in vinegar and Milton solution and then washing separately at 60C (basically anything that touched milk or nappies!)
Took 8 drops of grapefruit seed extract in juice every lunch time
Changing breast pads at every single feed and exposed boobs as much as possible to keep them dry - no more Lansinoh
Took Candida homeopathic remedy daily
Obsessively washed hands before & after every nappy change and feed
Reduced wine, wheat, sugar etc but easier said than done

The lower dose only worked temporarily for me and as soon as I stopped taking it it returned, but the higher dose did work - took about 6 days to see significant improvement.

FWIW - I also had problems with latching and some of the pain I attributed to thrush was actually the latch, though not all of it, so maybe worth just checking that with a BFC.

I hope this helps - I can really sympathise.

moondog · 29/03/2007 08:06

Foxy,we have been there!
We know!
Fluconazole worked like a dream for me and i was in hell.
Spidermama (check her posts) will tell you sdimilat.
You need to look at B/feeding network page to make sure dosage is correct. Will link...

moondog · 29/03/2007 08:10

Check this out

yellowrose · 29/03/2007 08:58

Yes what debs. & moondog say. BFN suggests Daktarin Oral Gel for baby and Canestan or something similar for your nipples. The only way to get rid of it is to persist. Difficult when you are in pain, but it does go away.

Original poster
foxcub · 29/03/2007 09:36

Thanx for your advice - the fluconazole hasn't worked so far - so have self medicated and upped the dosage to 400mg loading dose and then 200mg per. day. As per. Dr Jack Newman's suggested dosage. Has anyone else had this dosage - am a bit worried (i.e.e a lot worried) about whether its safe - though his website says that it is WHO approved.

Feeling in complete confusion and despair atm and don't know whether to persist with dosage and diet, switch to Nystatin, or just give up BFing....

Would be interested to know if anyone else has had high dose (Gps don't like presvcribing it and when they do tend to presribe a low dose)...

OP posts:
Original poster
foxcub · 29/03/2007 09:37

Sorry - meant to say that I think the flucanozole has started to work - but am getting all nuerotic about self medicating the high dosage IFSWIM!! Have felt some improvement in last 24 hours.

OP posts:
DebsCee · 29/03/2007 12:22

Foxy - I took the highest dosage for 14 days and it worked for me, don't think you have any problem with self medicating as the next step as you say, is to go to the higest dosage - exatly what my dr did after the lowest dose didn't work.

foxybrown · 29/03/2007 12:27

have you not been to the GP? I've experienced it and its terrible, so you have my sympathy. I am cringing at the thought of it. Nystatin?? (can't quite remember but that is in my head). Drops for the baby, cream for you. It didn't take long to clear up.
I really, really hope it clears up soon for you whatever you try. Don't give up breastfeeding, do go to the GP and get treatment for both of you.

foxybrown · 29/03/2007 12:29

sorry, didn't mean to sound like i was telling you off! "have you not been to the gp"!!!

Original poster
foxcub · 29/03/2007 13:26

Foxy - yeah I've been to the Gp and she gave me low dose fluconazole - so I'm now self medicating by buying the high dose.

Debs - thanx, that's reassuring....

Went to another GP this morning to ask whether high dosage is fine for BFing mothers and he confirmed that the high dose (400mg, then 200mg) is absolutekly fine and that the drug is given to prem babies so no harm in it being passed through breast milk.

Phew!!

Had convinved myself at 2am this morning that I was poisoning my baby!

Just hope it bloody works as I am at my wits end....

OP posts:
foxybrown · 29/03/2007 13:42

and the baby is being treated? First time I had it the dopey dr gave me the treatment but none for baby. dur! no wonder it didn't clear up!

had me in tears, hope you are ok.

Original poster
foxcub · 29/03/2007 18:08

Foxy - yes I have both Daktarin gel (which baby loves as its orange flavour) and Nystatin oral suspension (which baby hates as it takes foul) so am now using both and coating the insides of his mouth after each feed.

I used Nystatin tablets each time I had thrish previously, but was advised that flucozanole is better (although low dose didn't work) - Nystatin takes about a week to ease the pain doesn't it?

I've been feeling so anxious I've hardly been able to eat the last few days, (remembering the pain of thrush from previous infections) but hoping the flucozanole will shift it.

Anyone used Caprylic Acid [sp?}

OP posts:
Kif · 29/03/2007 18:18

what are ABs? antibiotics would make it worse.

main things: treat you and bub together

fluc. - which you're doing

I found acidophillus v. good - and cut sugar out my diet.

I got grapefruit seed in tablet form from a website called bodykind .

Kif · 29/03/2007 18:19

god tip is to apply the daktarin with a cotton bud.

Note - sucking a bit of acidophilus or homeopathic candida remedy off your finger wouldn't do bub any harm. but prob not that important

foxybrown · 29/03/2007 19:00

oh, foxcub, you have tried everything! Sorry I can't be of any help, but hope you get it sorted soon. Good luck and I hope someone comes along soon to help you out. Try not to give up on the breastfeeding if you can, but I completely know how excrutiating it is.

BandofMothers · 29/03/2007 19:06

I had this with dd1, nut don't think it was in the ducts, just on outside. They gave me the Nystatin for dd1, who was also 3 wks old but nothing for my nipples. So I put that on me too, and after 3 rounds of the stuff it finally went away. I did have to give up bfing tho, as dd1 learned to suck funny cos her mouth hurt and after 3 rounds of ab's she dropped off the chart.
Hope you have more luck, and can continue!!!

Lizcitral · 29/03/2007 19:22

Hello Foxcub, you have my total sympathy - I had v persistent thrush after antibiotics for mastitis when dd was about 5 weeks old. We tried all the medical treatments with limited success but they didn't really shift it. I cut out/reduced sugar, yeast, etc, took acidophilus and tried to stop worrying about it (I know, easier said than done, but I've always been prone to thrush and stress always made it worse). Dd's mouth wasn't too sore, her white tongue coating kept getting smaller and I could put up with the pain, as compared to the bleeding nips of the first 2 weeks bfing, it was minor!
It slowly, slowly went away, I had just had to keep at it. I was very determined to bf, so if you want to carry on, I hope you can find a way. Homeopathy's always worth a try, too.

yellowrose · 30/03/2007 08:24

kif - how is it going ? sorry haven't been on mn for a while ! Is it going well ?

Kif · 30/03/2007 08:50

Well, I did the thrush treatment as we chatted about daktarin/daktarin/no sugar diet/boil wash/probiotic*2/homeopathic thing/grapefruit seed/garlic - shooting pain bye bye.

Complicating factor: i weighed Ds a few days into the treatment - and he'd crashed off the charts for weight . So query whether he was screaming in pain or in hunger; whether thrush caused inadequate milk intake or whether inadequate milk intake cause other problems. So anyway, I finished the week with continuing the thrush treatment but also pouring galons of SMA down him.

Now: no pain, no screaming - and trying to get bf back on track - but that's a whole other thread!

Sweet of you to remember!

yellowrose · 30/03/2007 08:59

oh kif, glad you are feeling better

Melh27 · 30/03/2007 09:10

The thrush doesn't go when you stop bf, unfortunately, as the bacteria is still present.

I found the 1st time i got it that I needed 3 weeks of fluclonazole to shift it. The diet etc will work.

What you also need to be doing is washing everything which comes into contact with your breasts after each wear/use (bras/tops/pjs/towels) seperately to the main wash & on as high a temp as possible.

What I also found was excellent was washing my nipples in white vinegar. I would dab it on with cotton wool (sep bit for each nipple) when I 1st went into the toilet in the morning. I would have a wee (sorry if TMI!!!) and washed my teeth, then shower it off. It works a treat, and has even helped a good friend who has suffered with thrush constantly for 8+ months.

It is just awful, I have had 3 bouts now, but at 10 months I am sooooo pleased I endured the agony & kept going. You will get there, chin up.

love

Mel xxxx

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