Can Fluconazole Be Taken To Treat Candidiasis Infection?

Posted on Tue, 1 Nov 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 1 Nov 2016 Answered on

Tue, 29 Nov 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I am a male over 80 years old. Can I take a fluconazole 150mg capsul to treat a candidiasis infection?

Answered by Dr. Bonnie Berger-Durnbaugh (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I tend not to used oral antifungals unless all topicals fail.

Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome,

I tend to avoid prescribing oral fluconazole or any oral systemic antifungals because these can be very hard on the liver. So you have to look at the risk vs benefit of using it.

Questions when looking at the risk vs benefit:
Can the candidal infection be treated with a topical cream?
How are your liver enzymes?
Are you on any medications that could increase the likelihood of the fluconazole being riskier?
Do you drink alcohol?

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar