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Antifungal/Antiyeast Agents

Antifungal/antiyeast agents A group of drugs prescribed to treat infections caused by either fungi or yeasts (and sometimes both in one product) that can be administered directly to the skin or taken orally or by injection. They are commonly used to treat different types of TINEA, including ATHLETE’S FOOT, JOCK ITCH, and scalp ringworm. They are also used to treat THRUSH and rare fungal infections such as cryptococcus.

Side Effects

Agents applied to the skin, scalp, mouth, or vagina may sometimes increase irritation, and antifungal agents given by mouth or injection may cause more serious side effects, damaging the kidney or liver.

Types

Antifungal agents are available as creams, injections, tablets, lozenges, suspensions, and vaginal suppositories. The most common antifungals include amphotericin B, cyclopirox, clotrimazole, econozole, griseofulvin (by mouth only), itraconazole (by mouth and IV only), fluconazole (by mouth and IV only), ketoconazole, miconazole, and tolnaftate. While amphotericin B is the standard drug for treating fungal infections, it is usually given in the hospital because of the danger of side effects. On the other hand, itraconazole and fluconazole are the two most recently approved drugs to enter the antifungal arsenal. These two cause fewer side effects and can be taken orally on an outpatient basis.

Nonprescription creams such as Monistat 7 and Gyne-Lotrimin may be helpful in remedying candidal vaginal yeast infections, but fatal candidal infections affecting the brain, kidney, or other organs may occur in immuno-compromised patients in the hospital.

Antiyeast agents such as Nystatin do not kill most fungi, but most antifungals kill yeasts as well - except for griseofulvin. Drugs that are used for both systemic fungal and yeast infections include fluconazole, ketoconazole, amphotericin B, and itraconazole.

Most yeast infections are superficial. Systemic, life-threatening yeast infections do NOT occur in normal individuals.