Thrush will not go!- advice please.

[Beare]

Hi, I have had vaginal thrush for 3 weeks. Ive had a swab so I know its that plus ive had it quite a few times before. Ive taken 3 x fluconazole 150 mgs and had pessaries from GP and using canesten cream like theres no tomorrow but its not shifting at all. Its driving me crazy! Any ideas on how to get rid of this please. Very grateful for any advice. Ive tried slathering myself in yogurt. It takes the itch off but doesnt cure the problem. Thank you. x

Aarrgghhh i completely understand! Have you tried the canestan with hydrocortizone?

I am not sure if you can get it through a Pharmacy or if it has to be prescribed there, but look for Nystan cream. I was given this nice little gem a few months back when nothing else was helping me and it worked a treat in just a few days. It does burn like hell for a little bit at first, but the feeling should die down shortly after applying.

Thank you. Ive asked gP for some nystatin cream. He said you cant use it 'below'! Honestly, some GPs are crap!. Anyway he relented and has prescribed me some so Ill try that. Thank you. x

I really recommend extra virgin coconut oil. I had thrush terribly for a really long time after antibiotics and I was utterly miserable with it. Over the counter stuff did nothing (but I was too stupid to go to the docs). Eventually, I religiously ate coconut oil instead of butter on my bread and also applied it topically (different jars, honest!) for immediate relief. You can get it in health food stores, Holland and Barrett etc. The added benefit is you will have lovely glossy hair like a pedigree pooch and it is the biz on cracked heels too.

I used grapefruit seed extract, mixed it in cooled boiled water and used it to wipe and even resorted to dipping a tampon in the solution and inserting it (very quickly before it expanded too much :) ) It cleared my persistent thrush in a few days. I also took loads of probiotics.

I had thrush for several years pretty much non stop. In the end, after trying all the -azole medicines, my doctor realised it wasn't Candida albicans that I had. This is the common type which responds to these medicines. Instead, I had candida glabrata which requires totally different medication.

I'd suggest you go to your local GU clinic and get swabbed for types of thrush so you know what you're dealing with.

Good luck, it's horrible isn't it?

Google zoe harcombe and start treating it via what you eat

Reduce your sugar and bread intake.

There's a very interesting pod cast bbc radio 4. Medical matters. The points were that:

1. Some candida is normal. It exist in 2 forms: yeast and hyphae. One causes a problem, I think the hyphae. The other is normal by still will show on a swab.
2. Even once treated you can get a terrible itch. Caused by damage to the skin and / or a reaction to creams. A strong steroid cream used 2x a day for a month can help a great deal.

Apparently thrush is overdisgnosed.

No sugar

No sugar, no wheat, no yeast.
No artificial sweeteners.

No crap food.

Take good quality pro biotics.

Drink lots of water.

Used to get this a lot until I stopped eating gluten. Haven't had it once since then. Do you have any other health problems or symptoms, even ones that seem unconnected? I also had lots of mouth ulcers plus tiredness, joint pain & generally run down. All better now I've cut out gluten.

If the nyastin doesn't work, try a broader spectrum anti fungal. Itraconazole helped mine chronic case.

You don't have a Mirena IUD do you??

My sympathies. I had similar issues during cancer treatment. None of the prescribed stuff did anything, so eventually I took matters into my own hands.

Take probiotics orally (carry on once it's cleared up, they're great for all sorts and will possibly prevent the thrush coming back) and also use a capsule as a pessary. The casing will dissolve fully (if it doesn't work its way out first) so it really won't do any harm.

Use natural yoghurt (absolutely must be plain untampered with stuff, no sugar!) to soothe the skin and get as much inside as you can, keep it on the skin for a bit and then rinse off. Don't use it straight from the fridge as it'll be too cold!

Repeat the yoghurt as needed and pop another capsule in after a few days if it isn't clearing up.

I hope it clears up soon, thrush really is miserable. All the best

PS if you're sexually active, your partner may need treatment too, otherwise they could reinfect you

Oops sorry missed in your OP that you've been using yoghurt already.

Change your diet.
Cut out all sugars, including fruit
Cut out yeast
Cut out processed food.

Take pro biotics. Eat natural live yoghurt.
Eat whole foods and complex carbs, protein and veg.

Within a week or two, you will see an improvement but keep it up for about a month to clear it properly.

Vitamin B complex - biotin and pantothenic acid are the helpful ones.
Royal Jelly
Vitamin C

• this combination worked miraculously for me a few years ago.

PS I don't buy Holland Barretts own brand stuff - I don't thin that it is very good quality.

@SconeRhymesWithPhone what did they treat you with?

I was treated for thrush but it turned out to be Lichen Sclerosis and needed strong steroid ointment on a permanent maintenance regime.