Candida Yeast Remedies

Candida, or yeast infections, affect most women at some point in their lives, although some people are prone to more yeast infections than others. Candida occurs inside the vagina when the pH level is too high or low. Candida can also occur in the mouth, which is known as thrush, although most individuals afflicted with this are babies, young children or adults with weakened immune systems. Candida also can occur on the skin due to exposure to multiplying yeast from another person, such as breastfeeding mothers who have a child with thrush.

Home Remedies

• Yeast infections can be treated successfully by drinking lots of water and adding active cultures to your body, such as by eating plain, unsweetened yogurt. You can also cover an unused tampon applicator with plain yogurt and place the tampon in a plastic zippered bag in the freezer to treat a vaginal infection. After one hour, remove the tampon from the freezer and the bag, and push the tampon inside your vagina using your fingers. Wash your hands and leave the tampon in for two hours.

Over-the-Counter Remedies

• If you are still experiencing symptoms of itchiness, pain or discomfort in your vaginal area and see a cottage cheese-like discharge, purchase an over-the-counter yeast infection remedy at your local drugstore or grocery store. Some remedies you may find include Monistat and Vagistat. These treatments may advertise that they take one day, three days or seven days to work, but most treatments take about one week in total until your symptoms stop.

  For candida occurring on the skin, purchase an over-the-counter antifungal cream, such as Lotrimin AF, at your local drugstore or grocery store. Place the cream directly on your skin two to three times a day until the itching and rash, if any, subsides.

Prescription Remedies

• If you have used an over-the-counter remedy for one week in the vaginal area and your symptoms have remained almost the same or have gotten worse, make an appointment with your general practitioner or gynecologist to obtain a prescription for Nystatin, which is a cream that is applied to the vagina.

  For thrush, or candida in the mouth, a prescription antifungal lozenge or tablet can be used. Most antifungal lozenges, such as Nystatin, are sucked on until they dissolve, while tablets are either chewed or swallowed. For more serious cases, oral medication is available to treat thrush. Your doctor may prescribe fluconazole or ketoconazole, which are both oral anti-fungal medications that cure yeast infections. For candida on the skin, doctors may prescribe oral anti-fungal medication or prescription anti-fungal creams, such as Terbinafine or Nystatin.