Is Candida Resistant To Prescription Drugs?
What if Candida albicans started to develop resistance to the drugs that are prescribed for yeast infections? Well, it might just be happening already. In fact, more and more women are reporting that their yeast infections are not responding to regular medical treatment.
New strains of Candida albicans are showing resistance to Fluconazole (otherwise known as Diflucan). That’s according to a study published in the ‘Obstetrics and Gynecology’ journal which described this as an ‘emerging problem.’ The study, conducted at the Wayne State University, noted a trend of increasing resistance to Fluconazole over an 11 year period.
So if prescription drugs are becoming less effective, what can you do? The good news is that if you suffer from repeated, chronic yeast infections, there are some excellent alternatives.
Try Natural Antifungals instead
Prescription antifungals often come with a nasty set of side effects. This is because fungal cells and human cells are in fact quite similar. They are both eukaryotic, meaning that they have a membrane and a nucleus. Why does this matter? Well, it makes it extremely hard to design a drug that will attack the fungal cells without attacking human cells too. This is why prescription antifungals often have lots of side effects.
The alternative is to use natural antifungals instead. These tend to come with far fewer side effects, and many have proven antifungal properties that are just as powerful as the prescription drugs.
Antifungals like Caprylic Acid, Berberine, or Undecylenic Acid are a great place to start. Studies have proven their effectiveness against Candida albicans, and they are easy to find. You can also use a combination antifungal, like our new CandAssist formula that contains these and a total of 7 different antifungals.
For treating vaginal yeast infections, other good options are yogurt or garlic applied topically, or boric acid suppositories. We explain these in greater detail in the book.
Treat The Underlying Condition
These antifungals should certainly help to eliminate a yeast infection, but will they stop it from coming back? Many Candida sufferers experience repeated, chronic yeast infections that seem to return no matter what they do. One antifungal alone will not stop that from happening. In fact, I would recommend taking up to three antifungals at the same time, to prevent the Candida from adapting to the treatment. If you do this then there should be no need to ‘rotate’ the antifungals as is sometimes suggested.
Getting long term relief from yeast infections also requires a more holistic treatment plan. Rather than just treating the yeast infection, you need to make changes in your diet and lifestyle that will prevent your body from being a breeding ground for Candida.
The Ultimate Candida Diet treatment program is a great place to start. First, begin your treatment with a cleanse to detoxify your colon and liver. Once that is done, move on to a strict diet that excludes starchy vegetables and junk food. Then, add probiotics and antifungals to your daily supplements. This program will not only eliminate your yeast infections (and prevent them from coming back!), but greatly improve your digestive and general health too.
3-Month Candida Elimination Kit Start Your 3-month Candida Cleanse
This Candida Kit contains all the supplements recommended on the Candida Diet:
- LIVER ONE to process and remove the toxins created by Candida.
- CANDASSIST to inhibit and weaken the Candida colonies in your gut.
- PROBIOTIC to replace the Candida yeast with probiotic bacteria.
Plus... the CANDIDA DIET RECIPE BOOK with 50+ low-sugar recipes
I got a pop-up saying you had a free 8 page guide and when I tried to sign up it said I already had. I don’t remember getting the guide. Wonder if I could please have one. Thanks
Hi Kay! The guide comes in a series of 10 emails – you should receive part 1 again today or tomorrow
Same thing happened to me. Could I receive the 10-part e-mails please?
That’s done!
Hi Lisa:
I did sign up for the 8 part guide but did not
receive all of the 8 e mails.
Would you please send all again.
thank you
Sure, no problem at all
Hi I’m just wondering is there anything i can take during pregnancy for thrush related candida, besides eating the veg n garlic n no sugar etc etc. I have 7 weeks left and really want to be thrush free before labour!
Hi Jesse! You obviously have to be much more careful during pregnancy, but there are still some things that you can do. Check out this page for some ideas:
https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-diet-pregnant.htm
Thanks Lisa, now for the motivation ha!
I just read an article about women having worse candida problems, partly due to our monthly period because candida likes progesterone. Do you recommend we up the dose of prescription and/or natural antifungals during this time?
Hi Cindy! I would stick with a consistent dose of whatever antifungal you are taking (any sudden changes in dosage might cause a Die-Off reaction). However, you could try to eat more probiotic yogurt or kefir during these times to support your gut flora and prevent the Candida from spreading.
I’ve had vaginal candida/thrush for close to 30yrs.I am vegan and allergic to wheat and gluten. To say that life and esspecially cooking is a challenge is a real understatement. To be honest eating, urinating and sex have become so complicated I am miserable most of the time. I did the cleanse for 6 weeks and I have been on the program since January 2012. I ‘ve lost just over 30kg and I still have another 10kg or so to go. Besides the weight isseus I have, I cannot seem to get rid of these repeated infections. My gynea even thought I had vaginal cancer last christmas! That was hard to deal with but I was tested negative!! sometimes even walking is very painfull. As antifungals I use odourless garlic, up to 6 pills a day , grapefruitseed extract and also wild oregano oil(when it’s available in cape town). Additionally I use kelp pills ( I cannot stand eating it!) and zinc. I stick to the program religiously and still it comes back. I realize stress has a huge impact on candida. O…and I am bipolar to. But I have been stable for many years. I litterally drink only water and allow myself some decaff only on special occassions. I’ve been from specialist to specialist who all tell me to just live with it. I’ve also been told that my candida strain has grown resistant to chemical drugs. I am not a negative person at all, but I can honestly tell you I have had it. I am always tired and really fed up with this. Please tell me there is something more I can do.
Hi Adele! Are you taking a good-quality probiotic supplement? Or at least some kefir or probiotic yogurt each day? That could help. Try some stress-reduction techniques too as that is absolutely one of the risk factors for Candida.
This sounds like me above.
I been drinking water and baking soda in helps of the PH. PH level needs to be right so it can not grow. My PH is 6. I do not know if this will really help, but my mouth feel better. What do you think about the sites that state baking soda helps with the PH? Anyone having a problem when waking up and it feels like you can feel the blood pumping in your veins, Heart feels like it is straining?
Does breastfeeding feeds candida overgrowth? As far as I know candida likes when body hormones is out of balance.
I am struggling with candida (also breastfeeding) and strict diet is so hard to keep because I need so much more calories than usual to produce milk.
Hi Kaidi! If you are breastfeeding then you should not follow a really strict Candida diet as your body needs lots of energy to produce the milk. Check out this page: https://www.thecandidadiet.com/candida-diet-nursing/.
Hey Lisa great post! I have heard from numerous women about how their medications all of a sudden stopped working. Liquid Pinecone extract has shown great success and our clients have been very pleased. The pinecone extract gets to the root of the problem and balances the immune system, instead of a temporary fix. It has been very rewarding helping people and I want to continue to do so. Have you looked into pinecone extract before?
I have been battling systemic Candida for a year with prescription antifungals & herbal antifungals. I’m feeling much better, no more anxiety attacks and more energy. My recent blood work has shown little to no change in the Candida levels, very surprising to me for sure! I have also been on a strict diet. Looking closer at my diet. I heard herbal teas all contain mold and should be avoided. What do you think of this? As I drink lots of herbal, peppermint, Tulsa, ginger, pay d’arco. I look forward to hearing from you! Also thank you for your website it’s been a wonderful resource.
Hi Brooke. Herbal teas are great for a Candida diet, I particularly like dandelion, pau d’arco, ginger and nettle leaf. They certainly don’t all contain mold and you should drink as many as you feel like. I’m glad you’re feeling so much better!
Hi… I’ve suffered with thrush for many years and it has now become resistant to flucanzole! If I try and take any kind of natural antifungals I get terrible die off symptoms that I just can’t deal with. Do you have any other suggestions? Thanks