thrush: is it worth taking a single dose of fluconazole?

[duffpancake]

I'm bfing my second dc, who's just coming up to 4 months old and think I have thrush. Although it's not as teeth-grindingly excruciating as when I had it with my first, the symptoms are pretty similar and I feel by four months I should be feeding pain-free(ly?). I told my hv and she gave me prescriptions for the gel and suspension for me and ds; I told her I'd taken fluconazole the last time so she said she'd have the GP prescribe it. When I picked up the prescription it was a single 150mg dose. The Breastfeeding Network website recommends a 150g-300g loading dose followed by 50-100g twice daily for ten days.

Will taking the single dose be any use at all do you think? I'm worried that if it doesn't clear it it will create some kind of drug-resistant super-thrush. Also, has anyone cleared thrush using just the topical products?

I went through similar with both my dd's and never managed to clear it with just the creams etc. I don't think 1 dose will do enough for breast thrush. I'd suggest making an appointment and taking the BFN print out with you that shows the recommended dose.

I would imagine not. I took fluconazole recently and actually needed 17 days of treatment following the loading dose to clear it entirely. I would ring your GP and explain what's happened, if you can get an appointment tomorrow then you could take the loading dose today anyway.
Either take the leaflet with you, or my GP looked it up on the net while I was in there. None of the literature (BNF etc) which Drs use for prescribing has the dosage details in it.

I second that advice ? the only way I could get rid of it was with fluclonazole?at the time (4 years ago) my GP hadn?t heard of it, so I had to go along with the research, she called the local breast feeding advisor, who said ?yes, it?s the best treatment?, then she prescribed it. I can?t remember the dosage, but it definitely wasn?t a single dose.

Thanks all, that's what I thought; however I have a slight problem in that my GP doesn't believe in thrush and wouldn't prescribe fluconazole last time; I had to acquire it by underhanded means (well, getting a Dr. friend to write me a prescription) I'm considering just going and buying it myself; after all, it's just the same as those Canesten once pills and you don't need to have a prescription for those.

If you have a look online I found the generic versions much much cheaper. here for example

good idea, thanks anchovies!

My GP was similar but I think there are guidelines now in treating breast thrush that they should follow. I think they say treat topically for at least 7 days and then with fluconazole. I had to go back to the GP twice to insist but got the Fluconazole in the end.

Duff I actually found an NHS Scotland website which had the same info as the BfN leaflet - might be worth showing your GP that if they are being a PITA?

Found it alibaba, thanks!

An update: Well, my GP still doesn't believe in thrush. When I asked her what else might be causing my symptoms she told me not to worry about it. She also asked me if I was feeding solids to(4 month old) ds yet and when I said I was planning to wait until about 6 months she said she thought that was awfully late. I said I understood that those were the current guidelines.

I have a lot of medics in the family so I am well aware of how beloved the self-diagnosing internet-informed patient is to her doctor, but can I just say JEEZ! (in place of the expletive-filled rant I'm actually thinking)

Anyway, I have gone around all the pharmacies in town like a junkie, buying one over-the-counter 150mg capsule (at vast expense) from each, and ordered a couple more over the internet, so we'll see how I get on.