Canesten Thrush Combi Pessary & External Cream 500mg / 2% w/w

Canesten Thrush Combi is a two-part clotrimazole treatment for vaginal thrush: a single 500mg pessary treats the internal infection and the 2% external cream soothes itching and soreness around the vulva. For women aged 16 to 60, sold by Ways Pharmacy (UK).

Key facts

Who it is for

• Women aged 16 to 60 who have had thrush diagnosed by a doctor before and recognise the symptoms
• Those who want to treat both the internal infection and external itching in one pack

Not suitable for: Anyone allergic to clotrimazole or any of the other ingredients; girls under 16 and women over 60 unless a doctor advises. See a doctor before use if this is your first episode of thrush, you have had more than two infections in the last 6 months, you are or may be pregnant, you or your partner have had a sexually transmitted infection, or you have irregular or abnormal vaginal bleeding, ulcers or blisters, lower abdominal pain, pain passing urine, fever or chills, nausea or vomiting, diarrhoea, or a foul-smelling discharge.

How to use

1. Read the label and Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) before use, including the instructions and diagrams for the supplied applicator.
2. Wash your hands before and after use.
3. Pessary: at night, load the pessary into the applicator and insert it as high as comfortably possible into the vagina, then withdraw the applicator. One pessary is a full course.
4. Cream: apply thinly to the vulva and surrounding area 2 to 3 times a day, and continue until the itching and soreness have gone.
5. If you are pregnant, insert the pessary with your finger rather than the applicator, and only after speaking to your doctor.
6. If symptoms have not improved within 7 days, see your doctor.

Ingredients

Pessary: clotrimazole 500mg; lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, lactic acid, maize starch, crospovidone, calcium lactate pentahydrate, magnesium stearate, colloidal anhydrous silica and hypromellose.

External cream: clotrimazole 2% w/w (200mg per 10g tube); benzyl alcohol, polysorbate 60, sorbitan stearate, cetyl palmitate, cetostearyl alcohol, octyldodecanol and purified water.

Frequently asked questions

Safety and storage

• Do not use during your period; finish the treatment before menstruation starts. Do not use tampons, vaginal douches, spermicides or other vaginal products during treatment. Avoid vaginal intercourse while you have thrush and while using this medicine.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist about other medicines, especially tacrolimus or sirolimus.
• The cream contains cetostearyl alcohol, which can cause contact dermatitis, and benzyl alcohol (20mg per gram), which may cause allergy or mild local irritation.
• If breastfeeding or trying for a baby, speak to your doctor or midwife before use and follow their advice.
• Stop using the product and seek medical advice promptly if redness, burning, pain, itching or swelling worsens. Breathing or swallowing difficulty, swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, or faintness may indicate an allergic reaction and require urgent medical help.
• For vaginal and external genital use only. Do not swallow.
• Do not store above 25°C.
• Keep out of the sight and reach of children.
• Read the PIL. Report suspected side effects through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.

Read the official patient leaflet for Canesten Thrush Combi Pessary & External Cream.

This is a medicine. Always read the label and the Patient Information Leaflet before use. If symptoms persist, speak to a pharmacist or doctor.