What Are The Chances Of Birth Defects With My Baby After Taking Fluconazole Thrice At 72 Hour Intervals?

Posted on Tue, 5 Jun 2018

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

Tue, 5 Jun 2018 Answered on

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 Last reviewed on

Question : I was starting my second week after conception and took 150 mg of fluconazole to be taken every 72 hours. a total of three (3) PILLS. I was reading about it on the internet and it said that one pill at 150mg was only safe. I am upset that he would give me three pills. what are the chances of birth defects with the baby I am carrying. I don't go back for a couple of weeks to see my doctor.

Answered by Dr. Deepti Verma (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Unlikely to lead to any birth defect

Detailed Answer:
Hi dear,
I have gone through your question and understand the concerns.
Fluconazole , when taken in high doses of 400-800 mg a day, can lead to birth defects in the fetus.
However, lower doses of 150 mg taken every 72 hours is unlikely to cause any defect in the fetus.
This is so because in 72 hours, the drug washes away completely from the body and next dose acts as the new single dose of fluconazole.
Therefore, I suggest you not to worry as the chances of birth defects due to fluconazole are almost nil.
A detailed anomaly scan at 18-20 weeks will be helpful in ruling out any congenital anomaly in the fetus.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Regards
Dr Deepti Verma
OBGYN
Maternal and fetal medicine specialist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D