Is it okay to give diflucan to a newborn who has thrush?

by Admin on November 6, 2009

My 4 week old has been taking nystatin for the past week and a half for thrush but its not going away. Her doctor has now given us a prescription for diflucan. Ive only heard of adults taking it for vaginal yeast infections but not a child, much less a newborn. Then one of the other doctors in the same doctors office said he doesn’t prescribe it to his patients so it makes me wonder….is it okay for me to give it to her????

{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }

ISABELL ARRIVED 05/29/09@6:32AM November 6, 2009 at 7:10 am

My daughter just got off of fluconazole and it was a life saver…When she was on nystatin it just made her thrush worse and it started to hurt her and she stopped eating the first night i was told to give her 1ml and by the next morning the white bumps were almost gone…My daughter was fine it did make her go to the bathroom more but at least she was her happy smiley self again!!

Fedora November 6, 2009 at 7:10 am

Diflucan (fluconazole) is a potent systemic antifungal, and has been used in nursing mothers to treat candidiasis of the breast. Fluconazole is transferred in minimal quantities into mother’s milk. (It has a low milk:plasma ratio of .46 to .85.) Fluconazole peaks in your bloodstream approximately one to two hours after administration, but, with an adult half-life of 30 hours, it remains in your system for quite some time (Hale 1997).

"Two references have reported the safe use of this antifungal agent in neonates … The safety of fluconazole during breastfeeding cannot be completely extrapolated from these cases, but the dose administered to these infants far exceeds the amount they would have received via breastmilk … fluconazole is probably safe to use during breastfeeding" (Briggs, Freeman & Yaffe, 1994).

When dosing, it is always wise to avoid the time a medication peaks in your bloodstream, as this corresponds to the time it also peaks in your milk

Read more: http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/nhealth/0,,3x5q,00.html#ixzz0Msbb3rTi

Irritated Lactivist November 6, 2009 at 7:10 am

It is even given to preemies, so yes it’s fine. It can cause intestinal upsets though, so I’d go with Grapefruit Seed Extract. It’s a powerful natural bactericide, fungicide, antiviral and antiparasitic. I used it to clear up my nipple thrush (treated my baby simultaneously), and get rid of a vaginal yeast infection, as well as a urinary tract infection. I swear by this stuff!! :)
Here is a link describing how to use it for thrush:
http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/thrush.asp

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