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Is It Safe I Am A 24 Years Old Female Taking On And Off Fluconazole For 2.5 Months?

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Posted on Thu, 11 Feb 2021
Twitter Thu, 11 Feb 2021 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 20 Feb 2025 Last reviewed on
Question : Hello, i am a 24 years old female taking on and off fluconazole for 2.5 months. I've been prescribed high dosage one and off. First 200 then 100 then 200 again then off then 100 again. I suffered from telogen effluvium in the past I've read online that it can cause telogen effluvium, is it true? I'm really scared
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Answered by Dr. Aaron Branch (59 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Recent research does suggest this

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
While I was not aware of this, there is a recent study that does show that fluconazole can cause alopecia (hair loss), and specifically telogen effluvium. This does seem to be relatively common, occurring in 12-25% of patients with long-term therapy. Fortunately, it appears this usually resolves with stopping or switching to another antifungal medication.

Given your history, then, and depending on the reason for using fluconazole, I would recommend talking with your doctor about switching to another antifungal if you still need to be treated. If you haven't yet experienced hair loss, I wouldn't be concerned about it, and even if you have, it should resolve after stopping the fluconazole.

I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further.
Thanks.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Vaishalee Punj
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Dr. Aaron Branch

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Practicing since :2011

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Is It Safe I Am A 24 Years Old Female Taking On And Off Fluconazole For 2.5 Months?

Brief Answer: Recent research does suggest this Detailed Answer: Hello, While I was not aware of this, there is a recent study that does show that fluconazole can cause alopecia (hair loss), and specifically telogen effluvium. This does seem to be relatively common, occurring in 12-25% of patients with long-term therapy. Fortunately, it appears this usually resolves with stopping or switching to another antifungal medication. Given your history, then, and depending on the reason for using fluconazole, I would recommend talking with your doctor about switching to another antifungal if you still need to be treated. If you haven't yet experienced hair loss, I wouldn't be concerned about it, and even if you have, it should resolve after stopping the fluconazole. I hope that helps, please let me know if you have any other questions about that, and I would be glad to discuss it with you further. Thanks.