Itraconazole - Benefits, dosage, side effects

Itraconazole is a drug to treat fungal infections in various parts and areas of the body. This drug can also be used to prevent fungal infections in someone with a weakened immune system, for example due to HIV/AIDS or chemotherapy.

Itraconazole works by inhibiting the formation of fungal cell wall membranes and slowing their growth. This way of working makes this drug can be used to treat various diseases caused by fungal infections, including blastomycosis, histoplasmosis, or aspergillosis.

Itraconazole trademark: Fungitrazole, Forcanox, Itzol, Itraconazole, Sporacid, Spyrocon, Trachon

What is Itraconazole

Precautions Before Taking Itraconazole

Itraconazole should only be used under a doctor's prescription. There are several things that must be considered before taking this drug, including:

• Do not take itraconazole if you are allergic to this drug and to other azole antifungal drugs, such as fluconazole or ketoconazole.
• Do not consume alcoholic beverages while using this medicine.
• Tell your doctor if you have or are currently experiencing liver disease, kidney disease, cystic fibrosis, lung disease, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, or gastric acid production disorders.
• Tell your doctor if you are taking certain medications, supplements, or herbal products.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning a pregnancy.
• Do not drive or do activities that require alertness after taking itraconazole, as this drug can cause dizziness.
• Tell your doctor that you are taking itraconazole before having any dental treatment or surgery.
• Immediately see a doctor if you have an allergic reaction to the drug or an overdose after taking itraconazole.

Dosage and Instructions for Use of Itraconazole

The following is a general dose of itraconazole in adults grouped by fungal infection suffered by the patient:

• Condition: Generalized (systemic) fungal infection

  Dosage 100–200 mg, once daily. The dose may be increased to 200 mg, 2-3 times daily for severe to life-threatening fungal infections.

• Condition: Histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, or aspergillosis

  Initial dose 200 mg, 3 times daily for the first 3 days of treatment. The maintenance dose is 200 mg 1-2 times a day. Minimum duration of treatment is 3 months.

• Condition: Oropharyngeal candidiasis

  Dosage 100 mg per day, for 15 days. In AIDS and neutropenic patients, the dose given is 200 mg once daily, for 15 days.

• Condition: Vaginal candidiasis or vaginal yeast infection

  Dosage 200 mg, 2 times a day. Only consumed for one day.

• Condition: Panu

  The dose is 200 mg per day, for 7 days.

• Condition: Ringworm (tinea corporis) or ringworm of the groin (tinea cruris)

  The dose is 100 mg per day, for 15 days, or 200 mg per day, for 7 days.

• Condition: Nail fungal infection

  Dosage 200 mg per day, for 3 months.

• Condition: Fungal infection of the hands (tinea manum) or feet (tinea pedis)

  The dose is 100 mg once daily, for 30 days, or 200 mg, 2 times daily, for 7 days.

• Condition: Prevention of fungal infections in HIV/AIDS patients or patients with low white blood cells (neutropenia)

  Dosage 200 mg per day. If needed, the dose can be increased to 200 mg, 2 times a day.

How to Take Itraconazole Correctly

Follow the doctor's recommendations and read the instructions for use on the drug packaging before taking itraconazole.

Take itraconazole after meals and swallow the capsule whole. Take this medicine regularly, at the same time every day.

If you forget to take itraconazole, it is advisable to do it as soon as you remember if the break with the next consumption schedule is not too close. If it is close, ignore it and do not double the dose.

Continue taking itraconazole even if the symptoms have disappeared. Stopping taking this drug before treatment is finished may cause the infection to recur.

If you are taking antacids, take itraconazole 2 hours before or 1 hour after taking antacids

Store itraconazole at room temperature. Do not store it in a humid place or in direct sunlight. Keep out of reach of children.

Interactions of Itraconazole with Other Drugs

The use of itraconazole together with other drugs can cause drug interactions, including:

• Increased risk of arrhythmias if taken with cisapride, felodipine, halofantrine, mizolastine, pimozide, or terfenadine
• Increases risk of ergotamine toxicity (ergotismus) if used with drugs containing ergot alkaloids, such as ergotamine
• Increased risk of myopathy if used with statin cholesterol drugs, eg simvastatin or atorvastatin
• Enhances the sedative effect of triazolam or midazolam
• Lowering itraconazole levels if used with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, isoniazid, nevapirene, or rifampicin
• Decreased absorption of itraconazole in the blood when taken with antacids, PPI drugs, or other drugs histamine H2 receptor antagonist, such as ranitidine
• Increases the negative inotropic effect, i.e., relaxes the heart muscle, of the drug verapamil
• Increase blood levels of itraconazole when combined with ritonavir, erythromycin, ciprofloxacin, or clarithromycin
• Increases risk of serious respiratory distress if taken with fentanyl

Side Effects and Dangers of Itraconazole

Side effects that may arise after taking itraconazole are:

• Stomach pain, bloating, or heartburn
• Headache
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Muscle pain or joint pain
• Bleeding gums
• Weak
• Dizzy
• Runny nose and other cold symptoms
• Decreased sex drive

Check with your doctor if the side effects above don't go away or get worse. Stop using itraconazole and see a doctor immediately if you have an allergic reaction to the drug or a more serious side effect, such as:

• Fever
• Blurred vision
• Ears ringing
• Sudden deafness
• Fatigue is getting worse
• No appetite
• Dark urine
• Tingling, numbness, or burning
• Pale stools
• Yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)