Prescribed Canesten and Nizoral for 8mo skin infection - are they too strong?

[missrose]

8mo DD had little patches of eczema which we controlled with hydrocortisone, lots of moisturing and very little bathing.

It started to get a lot worse with red oval welts across her torso. We've just moved and I took her to a new GP who advised I stop breastfeeding, give her soy formula and to cut out dairy.

I decided I wasn't prepared to do any of that without some confirmation that she had allergies so I went back to see a different GP at the same practice to ask for a referral to a dermatologist.

She took one look at DD and said it wasn't eczema but a fungal skin infection and has prescribed Nizoral and Canesten to use twice a day.

The rash has got a lot more red and angry looking and spread to her nappy area. I really don't know what to do and am terrified that all these strong medicines are doing more harm than good.

Does anyone have any experience of using these medicines and what was it for?

TIA

When DD1 was 9 months I used canesten on her nappy area.
She had a nappy rash that just wasn't clearing. Tried lots of creams.
Then a close friend, with baby same age, mentioned her dd had thrush and so she was using canesten on her.
I got some and tried it and it cleared up very quickly. I never used it again and dd is now 5 1/2.
I figure these things are fine as long as you don't use them all the time!
No experience of other medication though- sorry.

I was prescribed nizorol by a&e for my dd (18mo) a couple of months ago for an infection in the nappy area mainly but had spread up her tummy and onto her neck. I thought it was chicken pox! anyway the pharmacy was closed and we had an appointment with the gp the next day for something else so I took the prescription along. She was very against the hospitals judgment and prescribed something called fluxodin sp? My also has excema and we use hydrocortisone and a doublebase gel. I think they only prescribe it if it's a pretty aggressive infection. My dd has other health problems and needs daily dialatations so the area needed to be completely infection free to continue to do so. This may have been the reasoning for changing the prescription but she seemed astonished they would prescribe to someone of her age. Not sure if that helps or not.

Also my dd skin has improved tremendously since we introduced soy milk to her diet. Not sure If there is a connection there or not.

Well you can stick them both up your vagina so they are quite safe to use on infant skin!

They are both antifungals and are quite safe to use as prescribed.

It's also important to hot wash clothing and bedding to remove all the fungal elements.

I wouldn't stop breastfeeding, or switch to soya formula/milk until I'd seen a paediatric dermatologist personally, so do push for a referral still if things don't improve with the antifungals.

Thanks for your comments - they were all really helpful. Since my post, we've had to go back to the GP as the rash got progressively worse. I've now been told it's not an fungal infection but just eczema. The anti-fungal creams have made it much, much worse as they dried her skin out so much. I don't really know what to do now.

The poor little thing is in agony and trying to scratch all day, nights are a disaster. Her nappy area is still really red and not calming down at all.

I think it's time to see yet another GP. I know it's hard with rashes but it would be nice to have one diagnosis so I know what to use on it. I don't want to keep chopping and changing with medication. She used to have such lovely, soft baby skin and I feel desperately sorry for her at the moment, as if I've let her down by allowing it to get so bad :(