How to get rid of thrush
If you have thrush, you will need to take antifungal medicine to get rid of the infection. This may be a tablet you swallow, a tablet that is inserted into your vagina (pessary), or a cream that can relieve irritation.
How long does thrush treatment take to work?
Whatever kind of antifungal medicine you take to get rid of thrush, the infection should go away within 7 to 14 days.
How does thrush treatment work?
Thrush treatment works by killing the yeast that is causing the fungal infection. To stop thrush from returning, you should take the medicine for at least 2 weeks if advised by your doctor.
Thrush cream
We offer Canesten 2% Cream which can be used to treat thrush in women, if the symptoms are on the skin of the vulva. The active ingredient of Canesten Cream is clotrimazole.
How does thrush cream work?
Thrush cream works by relieving irritation of the vulva that is caused by vaginal thrush. While the cream can provide relief from the outer irritation caused by vaginal thrush, it will not get rid of any internal cause of the infection.
How to apply thrush cream
If you have been prescribed Canesten Cream to treat vulval thrush, you must follow the instructions below:
- Pierce the tube seal before using. Do this by inverting the cap over the end of the tube and press.
- Apply the cream thinly and evenly to the area around the entrance of your vagina.
- Use the cream 2 or 3 times each day, and make sure it is smoothed in gently.
- You should continue treatment for two weeks.
Thrush Tablets
We offer Canesten Duo, which is a tablet that contains fluconazole, alongside cream.
How do thrush tablets work?
Canesten Duo is a thrush treatment that contains an oral tablet and external cream. The oral tablet contains the active ingredient fluconazole that works from within to get rid of the infection. The active ingredient of the external cream is clotrimazole that helps to calm the itch.
Thrush Pessary
We offer Canesten Combi, which is a pessary (tablet you insert into the vagina), and a cream to get rid of vaginal thrush.
How does a pessary work for thrush?
The pessary is inserted into the vagina which allows the active ingredient clotrimazole to act directly on the area of infection.
How to insert a pessary for thrush
Unless instructed otherwise by your doctor or pharmacist, you should insert the pessary as high as comfortably possible into your vagina. It is advised to do this before going to sleep.
You must wash your hands before taking off the foil from the blister pack, and again once you have used the applicator.
- Take out the applicator from the packaging and pull out the plunger A until it has stopped. Take off the pessary from the foil blister pack and firmly place into the applicator B.
- Tightly squeeze the holder of the applicator at both sides to fit the pessary in. The pessary should fit tightly into the applicator and must be squeezed into the holder to roughly 1cm.
- Gently put the applicator as deep as is comfortable into the vagina. This is easiest when laying on your back with your knees bent up.
- Hold the applicator in place, press the plunger slowly until it has stopped. This is to ensure the pessary is deposited into the vagina.
- Pull out the applicator and dispose of it in a safe place. You should not flush the applicator down the toilet.
As the pessary dissolves into the vagina, you may benefit from wearing a panty liner. This is because it is quite common to notice a white, chalky residue once you have used the pessary. Back to top