Fluconazole: Usefulness And Side Effects

Fluconazole is a drug or drug that is included within the antifungal chemical compounds. Therefore, it is an anti-fungal substance and belongs to the triazole family.

On the other hand, due to its characteristics, it is used both in the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by fungi. In particular, medical teams choose to use it in infections caused by the fungus Candida spp .

It can also be used to combat the diseases caused by Cryptococcus neoformans, Microsporum spp, Blastomyces dermatitis and Histoplasma capsulatum .

Because it is an old drug, it can be found under various trade names. For example, it can appear as Candifix, Citiges, Diflucan, Lavisa, and Loitin, among others. The most common is to use the generic name of the compound, it can also be used alone or in combination with other drugs to treat the patient’s pathology.

Sometimes, it is necessary to modify the diet to promote pharmacological action. The most common is that in difficult cases your medical team recommends a mushroom-free diet for a couple of weeks as there may be interactions.

What is the mechanism of action of Fluconazole?

Fluconazole is a triazole antifungal drug. Its main mechanism of action is the inhibition of the fungal cytochrome P-450. It has been shown to be more selective for the enzymes of this fungal cytochrome than for those of other mammals.

When this substance reacts in the patient’s body, it inhibits the synthesis of sterols, chemical compounds that are essential for fungal growth to take place.

On the other hand, this drug is also capable of canceling the production of ergosterol, a component that forms the cell wall of this class of living beings. In this way, this alteration cannot be repaired and the ability of the fungi to reproduce is impaired.

What is Fluconazole used for?

As a general rule, we can find Fluconazole in the treatment of numerous diseases and in the prevention of other disorders. To directly fight infections, this drug is used if the patient has developed:

• Various types of yeast infection. Usually the genital and mucous membranes are included (they affect the inside of the oral cavity or the throat). However, this type of infection can also appear on other devices and systems such as:
  • Bloodstream.
  • Urinary tract.
  • Lungs.
• Cryptococcal meningitis, a fungal infection that affects the brain.
• Skin infections For example, those that affect nails, athlete’s foot, ringworm, etc.

On the other hand, if it is used as a preventive measure, it can be found in the following situations:

• Avoid recurrence of meningitis that have a fungal origin.
• Reduce the repeated occurrence of vaginal or mucosal infections (caused by the Candida fungus).
• Prevent the spread of alterations also produced by the Candida fungus.

It is normally applied in patients with a weak immune system.  Likewise, we can highlight that several of the alterations mentioned in the previous section are opportunistic infections.

This means that they develop more often in patients with certain medical conditions. For example, this is the case of subjects who have HIV or who have undergone a bone marrow transplant (and who use cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiotherapy).

What are the side effects of Fluconazole?

However, the patient may experience a series of unexpected problems or alterations when taking this drug. Thus, among the most frequent side or adverse effects of this drug we can highlight:

• Nausea and tiredness.
• Headache or headache.
• Formation of rashes in various places on the skin.
• Alterations in intestinal transit that can manifest as both diarrhea and constipation.
• Tiredness, weakness, or general fatigue.
• Feeling of discomfort in the abdominal area.
• Loss of appetite or decreased appetite. Likewise, this alteration can also cause a weight loss in the patient (unwanted).
• Increased flatulence or gas.
• Muscle pain or weakness. This problem can appear together with numbness in certain areas from time to time.
• Feeling of dry mouth (especially in the morning).
• Fever that can vary in intensity.
• Itching or itching that can appear in various regions of the body.

• Presence of seizures, dizziness and even fainting from time to time.

It should be noted that the use of this drug in conjunction with others such as erythromycin or quinidine, is contraindicated. Like any drug, it should not be used without a prescription and the specialist’s instructions should be followed during treatment.