How is Candida treated?

[anonxc]

Hi everyone, I have had swelling, burning and itching for the past month. Docs took a swab two weeks ago which has came back as a heavy growth of Candida, they recommended an otc pessary for treatment and to contact them if it does not go. I have now contacted them as it has not gone and it's horrific, they have said a health care assistant will call me on Thursday to discuss my symptoms further.
From what I've read Candida is not treated with pessaries but diet etc and I'm also scared about invasive Candida from doing my google research... I'm also very very bloated now along with my vaginal symptoms.

Candida is thrush and quite common. Usually treatment is a combination of the pessary and some external cream too which you can get from the pharmacy. If you have a sexual partner they will need treatment too if they have any symptoms. If treatment doesn’t resolve the symptoms you have, it may be worth a trip to a sexual
health clinic to rule out other causes.

Maybe try the oral tablet

Cut sugar out of your diet as much as possible. This was the thing that stopped recurring bouts of thrush for me.
All the obvious things like chocolate, sweets, biscuits and cakes, but also cereals, jars of sauce and sweet bread products where the sugar is not as obvious.
Once sorted I could eat sugary things again, but still try to limit them as better for my health in so many ways.

An oral tablet is usually the next step. Invasive candida is pretty rare, especially if you are otherwise healthy.

OP, I suffered with this as a teenage and controlled it with Diet, no sugar/yeast/white carbs together with Citricidal.

www.healthline.com/health/grapefruit-seed-extract-candida

This is a great book a well worth getting:

Candida Albicans: The Non-Drug Approach To The Treatment Of Candida Infection

Good luck!

Yeah it hasn't worked, been checked for other infections which are clear

I recently went through this, doctor gave me tablets, pessaries and told me to try and limit carbs and sugar and also a different cream as apparently the caneston one was causing issues with redness and itchiness.

This is why I'm confused because I've seen a few other people say doc put them on a course of pessaries but I was just told to buy one otc - seems odd

Yeah I got several that I did over a couple of days and then had me back in to check if it had worked basically!

Maybe I will mention it to health care assistant who is going to call me due to symptoms not going... I'm so frustrated I've been in a lot of pain for a month now

i got a prescription for thrush but it was cheaper for me to buy it so maybe that’s why they didn’t prescribe. I had it reoccurring so had oral tablets instead, they were prescribed too and that one it wasn’t cheaper to buy. Cleared it up as far as I know

They didn't advise me to buy multiple just said to buy one but it didn't work not even a little bit if anything the pessary irritated me more 😓

@anonxc if you can’t get in at the drs again you could always go on boots or Lloyds pharmacy online etc and they will likely be able to prescribe the oral tablets

Fluconazole tablet and ask for a HbA1c blood test

I could but I don't think it's a good idea for me to take loads within a certain time without advice from doctor, I will mention on phone when they call me on Thursday

Mine was a pain to be rid of. In the end I went to a herbalist near me who gave dietary advice, some pro-biotics and said walk around the house in just a nightie for as much air to get there as possible. It worked for me.

Oh and put nothing in the bath and wash the area with hot water, no soap etc.

Doing all of those right now except pro biotics, I will invest in them I think

Don't have a bath with Hot water OP. That will aggregate it. Shower with warm water would be best.

Sometimes thrush can be stubborn and need a couple of pessaries/ cream/ oral tablet before it goes. Then there's lots of advice online about how to prevent it in future.

If you have a sexual partner, they should be treated as well as it's possible for them to reinfect you.

Thank you, does Candida overgrowth also cause stomach pain? For the past few days I have had horrific bloating and stomach pain along with the vaginal symptoms I've had for a month

Just buy OTC fluclonazole. £5 and it has always sorted mine overnight.

I took that a month ago when my symptoms first started as I literally had the cottage discharge everything...I'm still in the same situation one month later

if You have a sexual partner make sure they use the full treatment course as well
wear cotton knickers
no tight/ man made clothing, the more air circulation the better
don’t use tampons
no hot baths
tumble dry or iron your underwear to kill fungal spores
do you have a rash anywhere else?
discuss with GP surgery.

I’ve always found the external canestan cream very soothing, you can buy from a pharmacy

I had awful recurring thrush. I had courses of oral medication as well as pessaries, but it was so difficult to get rid of.

I tried all the diets recommended, “good bacteria” supplements etc etc

the best thing that worked for me was actigel. Initially I used it alongside all the prescription medications. I buy in bulk from amazon.
It’s actually sold for bacterial vaginitis but it also helps clear up thrush, it basically keeps the vagina at a PH level where the thrush bacteria cannot survive. They do sell a similar product for thrush, but that comes in individual applications, whereas this is multiple applications so works out much better value. I apply around 2.5ml with a medicine syringe rather than use the applicator thst it comes with.

when I had thrush, I used it daily, then every other day, then 2/3 times a week, then weekly. it can really sting at the beginning if your thrush is really bad, but normally it shouldn’t. Now I only use it after baths/swimming, after sex and the week before my period i sometimes start to get mild thrush symptoms.

it really was a lifesaver.

I don't, I do have Lichen Sclerosis though and I have had a full sti check