Diflucan

Diflucan Information

Brand Name: Diflucan

Diflucan is a tablet you swallow to treat vaginal yeast infections caused by a yeast called Candida. It helps stop too much yeast from growing in the vagina so the yeast infection goes away.

Diflucan is different from other treatments for vaginal yeast infections because it is a tablet taken by mouth.

Diflucan Indications

Diflucan (fluconazole) is indicated for the treatment of:

Vaginal Candidiasis (vaginal yeast infections due to Candida).

Oropharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis. In open noncomparative studies of relatively small numbers of patients, fluconazole was also effective for the treatment of Candida urinary tract infections, peritonitis, and systemic Candida infections including candidemia, disseminated candidiasis, and pneumonia.
Cryptococcal meningitis. Before prescribing fluconazole for AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis. Studies comparing fluconazole to amphotericin B in non-HIV infected patients have not been conducted.

Prophylaxis

Fluconazole is also indicated to decrease the incidence of candidiasis in patients undergoing bone wmarrow transplantation who receive cytotoxic chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

Specimens for fungal culture and other relevant laboratory studies (serology, histopathology) should be obtained prior to therapy to isolate and identify causative organisms. Therapy may be instituted before the results of the cultures and other laboratory studies are known; however, once these results become available, anti-infective therapy should be adjusted accordingly.

Diflucan Ingredients and Composition

How Does Diflucan Work?

Mode of Action

Fluconazole, the active ingredient in Diflucan, is a highly selective inhibitor of fungal cytochrome P-450 sterol C-14 alpha-demethylation. Mammalian cell demethylation is much less sensitive to fluconazole inhibition. The subsequent loss of normal sterols correlates with the accumulation of 14 alpha-methyl sterols in fungi and may be responsible for the fungistatic activity of fluconazole.

How To Take Diflucan and Diflucan Dosage and Administration

Single Dose

Vaginal candidiasis: The recommended Diflucan dosage of for vaginal candidiasis is 150 mg as a single oral dose.

Multiple Dose

SINCE ORAL ABSORPTION IS RAPID AND ALMOST COMPLETE, THE DAILY DOSE OF DIFLUCAN IS THE SAME FOR ORAL (TABLETS AND SUSPENSION) AND INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION. In general, a leading dose of twice the daily dose is recommended on the first day of therapy to result in plasma concentrations close to steady-state by the second day of therapy.

The daily dose of Diflucan for the treatment of infections other than vaginal candidiasis should be based on the infecting organism and the patient's response to therapy. Treatment should be continued until clinical parameters or laboratory tests indicate that active fungal infection has subsided. An inadequate period of treatment may lead to recurrence of active infection. Patients with AIDS and cryptococcal meningitis or recurrent oropharyngeal candidiasis usually require maintenance therapy to prevent relapse.

Oropharyngeal Candidiasis

The recommended Diflucan dosage for oropharyngeal candidiasis is 200 mg on the first day, followed by 100 mg once daily. Clinical evidence of oropharyngeal candidiasis generally resolves within several days, but treatment should be continued for at least 2 weeks to decrease the likelihood of relapse.

Esophageal Candidiasis

The recommended Diflucan dosage for esophageal candidiasis is 200 mg on the first day, followed by 100 mg once daily. Doses up to 400 mg/day may be used, based on medical judgment of the patient's response to therapy. Patients with esophageal candidiasis should be treated for a minimum of three weeks and for at least two weeks following resolution of symptoms.

Systemic Candida Infections: For systemic Candida infections including candidemia, disseminated candidiasis, and pneumonia, optimal therapeutic dosage and duration of therapy have not been established. In open, noncomparative studies of small numbers of patients, doses of up to 400 mg daily have been used.

Urinary Tract Infection and Peritonitis: For the treatment of Candida urinary tract infections and peritonitis, daily doses of 50-200 mg have been used in open, noncomparative studies of small numbers of patients.

Cryptococcal Meningitis

The recommended Diflucan dosage for treatment of acute cryptococcal meningitis is 400 mg on the first day, followed by 200 mg once daily. A dosage of 400 mg once daily may be used, based on medical judgment of the patient's response to therapy. The recommended duration of treatment for initial therapy of cryptococcal meningitis is 10-12 weeks after the cerebrospinal fluid becomes culture negative. The recommended dosage of fluconazole for suppression of relapse of cryptococcal meningitis in patients with AIDS is 200 mg once daily.

Prophylaxis in Patients Undergoing Bone Marrow Transplantation: The recommended Diflucan daily dosage for the prevention of candidiasis of patients undergoing bone wmarrow transplantation is 400 mg once daily. Patients who are anticipated to have severe granulocytopenia (less than 500 neutrophils per cu mm) should start fluconazole prophylaxis several days before the anticipated onset of neutropenia, and continue for 7 days after the neutrophil count rises above 1000 cells per cu mm.

If you suspect a Diflucan Overdose

There has been one reported case of overdosage with Diflucan (fluconazole). A 42-year-old patient infected with human immunodeficiency virus developed hallucinations and exhibited paranoid behavior after reportedly ingesting 8200 mg of fluconazole. The patient was admitted to the hospital, and his condition resolved within 48 hours.

In the event of Diflucan overdose, symptomatic treatment (with supportive measures and gastric lavage if clinically indicated) should be instituted.

Fluconazole is largely excreted in urine. A three hour hemodialysis session decreases plasma levels by approximately 50%.

In mice and rats receiving very high doses of fluconazole, clinical effects in both species included decreased motility and respiration, ptosis, lacrimation, salivation, urinary incontinence, loss of righting reflex and cyanosis; death was sometimes preceded by clonic convulsions.

Diflucan Side Effects

Diflucan Warnings

Diflucan Precautions and Contraindications

General

Single Dose: The convenience and efficacy of the single dose oral tablet of Diflucan (fluconazole) regimen for the treatment of vaginal yeast infections should be weighed against the acceptability of a higher incidence of drug related adverse events with fluconazole (26%) versus intravaginal agents (16%) in U.S. comparative clinical studies.

Contraindications to Diflucan

Diflucan (fluconazole) is contraindicated in patients who have shown hypersensitivity to fluconazole or to any of its excipients. There is no information regarding cross hypersensitivity between fluconazole and other azole antifungal agents. Caution should be used in prescribing fluconazole to patients with hypersensitivity to other azoles.

Diflucan Pill Identification / ID and Appearance

Diflucan Tablets: Pink trapezoidal tablets containing 50, 100 or 200 mg of fluconazole are packaged in bottles or unit dose blisters. The 150 mg fluconazole tablets are pink and oval shaped, packaged in a single dose unit blister.

Storage: Store tablets below 86°F (30°C).

Diflucan for Oral Suspension: Diflucan for oral suspension is supplied as an orange-flavored powder to provide 35 ml per bottle.

Storage: Store dry powder below 86°F (30°C). Store reconstituted suspension between 86°F (30°C) and 41°F (5°C) and discard unused portion after 2 weeks. Protect from freezing.

Diflucan Injections: Diflucan injections for intravenous infusion administration are formulated as sterile iso-osmotic solutions containing 2 mg/ml of fluconazole. They are supplied in glass bottles or in Viaflex Plus plastic containers containing volumes of 100 ml or 200 ml affording doses of 200 mg and 400 mg of fluconazole, respectively.

Storing Diflucan

Storage: Store between 86°F (30°C) and 41°F (5°C). Protect from freezing.Diflucan injections in Viaflex Plus plastic containers are available in both sodium chloride and dextrose diluents. Storage: Store between 77°F (25°C) and 41°F (5°C). Brief exposure up to 104°F (40°C) does not adversely affect the product. Protect from freezing.