Health & Fitness

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Q) I saw that there was a new option available on your shelves for treating vaginal yeast infections. What can you tell me about this new treatment?
  
A) The drug is called CanesOral and while it may appear to be a new option to our patients, it has, in fact, been available for many years as a prescription-only drug under various names including Diflucan.  

The active ingredient is fluconazole and what makes it unique from other treatments of vaginal yeast that were previously available without the requirement of a prescription, is that fluconazole is administered as a single oral tablet rather than the traditional vaginally inserted creams and ovules.  

CanesOral is as effective (80- to 90-per-cent success rate) as vaginal treatments such as Monistat, Canesten and their no-name equivalents, but is widely preferred by most females who, quite rightfully, do not care for the increased mess and time commitment the vaginal treatments require over a one- to seven-day treatment period.  

All of the different options should improve your symptoms within three days and leave you feeling 100-per-cent within a week. If you fail to achieve these kinds of results, you should follow-up with a doctor to rule out other possible causes for your symptoms.  

Another reason to see a doctor rather than to self treat, would be if this is the second yeast infection you have suffered from within two months as recurrent infections could indicate that you have an underlying health problem that needs to be addressed. 

If you have external vaginal irritation or itching, there is also a CanesOral Combi-Pak that contains both the single tablet of fluconazole and a small tube of clotrimazole (Canesten) cream which should provide rapid relief to your discomfort.  

There are times when the vaginal creams and ovules should be used, including: when you are pregnant, trying to become pregnant or are breastfeeding, when cost is an issue (CanesOral will be at least $5 more), if your stomach is sensitive to drugs (fluconazole is not brutal but can cause stomach upset in some patients) or if you are diabetic and are taking pills from the sulfonylurea family (eg. glyburide, gliclazide….) as the interaction may result in your blood sugars going too low.  

For more information about this or any other health-related questions, contact the pharmacists at Gordon Pharmasave, Your Health and Wellness Destination.

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Sunday, March 21, 2010