• Basic Info
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What is fluconazole?
Fluconazole is an antifungal antibiotic. Fluconazole is used to treat infections caused by fungus, which can invade any part of the body including the mouth, throat, esophagus, lungs, bladder, genital area, and the blood. Fluconazole is also used to prevent fungal infection in people with weak immune systems caused by cancer treatment, bone marrow transplant, or diseases such as AIDS. Fluconazole may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

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What is the price of this medication and similar alternatives?

This pricing information is subject to change at the sole discretion of DS Pharmacy. For the most current and up-to-date pricing information, please visit drugstore.com.

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What are the possible side effects of fluconazole?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);

• fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms;

• severe blistering, peeling, and red skin rash;

• easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness; or

• seizure (convulsions).

Less serious side effects may include:

• mild nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or upset stomach;

• headache;

• dizziness;

• unusual or unpleasant taste in your mouth; or

• skin rash or itching.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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How should I take fluconazole?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Your dose will depend on the infection you are treating. Vaginal infections are often treated with only one pill. For other infections, your first dose may be a double dose. Carefully follow your doctor's instructions. Tell your doctor if your symptoms do not improve. Take this medicine with a full glass of water.

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What is the most important information I should know about fluconazole?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to fluconazole, or similar drugs such as clotrimazole (Lotrimin), econazole (Spectazole), ketoconazole (Nizoral), miconazole (Monistat), sertaconazole (Ertaczo), sulconazole (Exelderm), terconazole (Terazol), tioconazole (Vagistat-1), or voriconazole (Vfend). Do not use fluconazole if you are also taking cisapride (Propulsid) or terfenadine (Seldane). Before taking fluconazole, tell your doctor if you have liver disease, kidney disease, a heart rhythm disorder, or a history of "Long QT syndrome."

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What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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What other drugs will affect fluconazole?
Before taking fluconazole, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs: astemizole (Hismanal). a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin); cyclosporine (Gengraf, Sandimmune, Neoral); an oral diabetes medicine such as glipizide (Glucotrol), glyburide (Diabeta, Micronase, Glynase), tolbutamide (Orinase), tolazamide (Tolinase), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), and others; rifabutin (Mycobutin) or rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane); a sedative such as diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), alprazolam (Xanax), or midazolam (Versed);

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Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?

Fluconazole has been assigned to pregnancy category C by the FDA. High-dose animal studies have revealed evidence of embryolethality, fetotoxicity and teratogenicity. There are no controlled data in human pregnancies. Fluconazole should only be given during pregnancy when there are no alternatives and benefit outweighs risk.

A malformed infant girl was born prematurely to a woman who received fluconazole 400 mg per day throughout pregnancy for disseminated coccidioidomycosis. The infant displayed cranioschisis of the frontal bones, craniostenosis of the sagittal suture, hypoplasia of the nasal bones, cleft palate, humoral-radial fusion, bowed tibia and femur, bilateral femoral fractures, contractures of both upper and lower extremities, and defects of the fingers and toes. The infant died shortly after birth. Two additional cases of congenital malformations have been reported in infants born to women receiving fluconazole during or beyond the first trimester of pregnancy. Craniofacial, skeletal and cardiac malformations were evident. Only one infant survived. A 24-year-old pregnant woman at week 16 of gestation was treated with fluconazole for Candida albicans sepsis. She received fluconazole 10 mg/kg for a total of 50 days. Following treatment for sepsis, the remainder of her pregnancy took a normal course. At week 39 gestation she delivered a healthy female with no signs of congenital abnormalities. At two years of age, the baby showed normal growth and mental development.

Fluconazole is excreted into human milk in relatively high concentrations. The manufacturer recommends that due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants, a decision should be made to discontinue nursing or discontinue the drug, taking into account the importance of the drug to the mother.

A nursing woman who received a single dose of fluconazole 150 mg orally to treat vaginal candidiasis had breast milk:plasma ratios of 0.46, 0.85, 0.85, and 0.83 at 2, 5, 24, and 48 hours, respectively, indicating relatively high concentrations of drug in the breast milk. The use of fluconazole has been documented in at least 2 neonates at a dosage of 6 mg/kg. One infant developed a small, transient elevation in liver function tests which resolved with a dosage reduction. These cases suggest fluconazole may be safely used during breast-feeding, as infants would receive significantly less drug. However, more experience is necessary to establish safety.

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Who should NOT use this medication?

• Hypersensitivity to fluconazole or any ingredient in the formulation.
• Concomitant use with certain drugs (e.g., cisapride, terfenadine). (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)

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What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Symptoms of a fluconazole overdose may include confusion or unusual thoughts or behavior.

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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking fluconazole?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to fluconazole, or similar drugs such as clotrimazole (Lotrimin), econazole (Spectazole), ketoconazole (Nizoral), miconazole (Monistat), sertaconazole (Ertaczo), sulconazole (Exelderm), terconazole (Terazol), tioconazole (Vagistat-1), or voriconazole (Vfend). Do not use fluconazole if you are also taking cisapride (Propulsid) or terfenadine (Seldane). Before taking fluconazole, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have: liver disease;

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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
If you have been diagnosed with a disease for which an antibiotic is needed, you must complete the prescribed course of treatment. Even if you start to feel better, do not skip any doses and remember to take the medication until it is all gone.

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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.

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Where can I get more information?
More Information

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