Canesten Thrush Combi Pessary and External Cream

What is Canesten Thrush Combi Pessary and External Cream?

Canesten Thrush Combi is a treatment for vaginal thrush, a common yeast infection caused by Candida. The pack has a single 500mg pessary to treat the infection inside the vagina and a 2% cream to ease the itching and soreness of the vulva around it. It is meant for women who have had thrush diagnosed by a doctor before and recognise the symptoms.

How does it help?

Clotrimazole is an antifungal. It stops the Candida yeast making a substance it needs for its cell walls, so the yeast cannot keep growing and the infection clears. The pessary is a single dose, inserted as high as is comfortable into the vagina at bedtime with the applicator. The cream is applied thinly to the vulva and surrounding area two or three times a day until the symptoms go.

Key benefits

• Treats the internal infection and the external itching together
• The pessary is a single dose, used at bedtime
• The cream can be used until the external symptoms settle
• Can be bought without a prescription when thrush has been diagnosed before

Who should take care?

Always read the patient information leaflet before use. Only use it if a doctor has diagnosed thrush before. Get advice from our pharmacist or your doctor first if you are under 16 or over 60, have had more than two episodes of thrush in the last six months, you or your partner have had a sexually transmitted infection, you are or might be pregnant, or you have reacted to clotrimazole or another antifungal before. Do not use it, and get medical advice instead, if you have irregular or unusual vaginal bleeding or a blood-stained discharge, sores, ulcers or blisters, pain low in your tummy or when passing urine, fever or chills, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, or a foul-smelling discharge. Avoid using it during your period. Do not use tampons, douches, spermicides or other vaginal products during treatment, and avoid sex while you have the infection. It can damage latex condoms and diaphragms, so use other precautions for at least five days afterwards. Tell us if you take tacrolimus or sirolimus. The cream contains cetostearyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol, which can irritate the skin. If you are no better after seven days, see your doctor.