Yeast infection prescription medications

Hi, sorry if this is too gross or personal, but I need help with it.

I have had recurrent and persistent yeast infections since coming to Japan. It's happened 3 times since I got to Japan (about 10 months ago), each time lasting 1-3 months.

My doctor said that there is only one medicine available in Japan for yeast infections. It is called Empecid. It's a vaginal suppository (like the Monistat pills in the US), and consists of 5-6 days worth of medication. When I go in, he gives me the meds and tells me to come back if it's not better when they are finished. He just keeps giving me the same thing over and over, even if I come back like 6 times. He doesn't seem concerned.

I am extremely frustrated and would like to go to another doctor, but first I wanted to ask if anyone here has heard of or taken anything available in Japan other than Empecid.

Thanks for any help.

I don't know about yeast infection medication in Japan, but I would recommend you consult another doctor.
Yeast infection can cause serious health problems if not treated and it becomes chronically.

Also try to keep your down-parts dry and wear cotton underwear instead of synthetic materials. You can easily disinfect it by washing in boiling water and cotton allows air circulation which keeps you dry.

Um, I'm not sure if yogurt is readily available in Japan, but a doctor told me that even though it hasn't been proven, eating yogurt can help with yeast infections.

Is there anything that is significantly different than from your home country? For instance, if the area is wet for significantly longer periods of time or if you're considerably more sexually active (sorry, had to go there)?

LOL if guys had the same issues we would hear about this nonstop.
Anyway, i read that long baths can cause it, i had the same problem and avoiding baths actually cleared it up after a few weeks. what you should probably do is try an english speaking doctor and ask for some tests cause there are other things that have the same symptoms. i've heard some japanese doctors can be very condescending towards western women here in regards to this matter.

Go get unsweetened yogurt and dilute it 1/2 with warm water and use it as douche. Do it at least 5-6 days. This will restore the normal flora down there and suppress the yeast population.

If you're sexually active, you'll have to treat your partner too. Otherwise you'll get it over and over.

I would contact your Embassy or ask a U.S. Military Base for doctor recommendations or if they would let you get some better medication from them.

I've never heard of using yogurt as a douche, but if it's straight yogurt (no fruit or sweetener), then it probably would be more effective than ingesting it.

I would also recommend to stop eating sweets for a while if you eat them a lot.

All the suggestions you are getting are really good. If you want an unsweetened yoghurt the Bulgarian on (Blue/white container) is a great natural yoghurt, with acidopholis. If you are in the Tokyo area there are western doctors at the Tokyo Medical Clinic near the Tokyo tower. You need a swab taken to actually see if it is what you think it is, and as another person wrote, check your partner as men don't even know they have it and carry it.
I've always thought yeast infections must be rife in Japan as the women wear pantyhose right through summer in the humid weather. Make sure you get cotton gusset knickers, nylon is a disaster. If you want a different product, that is not available in Japan, maybe you can get a friend or relation overseas to post you some. Most western countries sell it over the counter now. Good Luck.

Hi,

I'm currently having problems with getting this yeast infection completely cured. I've been back to the Women's Clinic a few times now, and the one-day treatment has yet to work completely. However, I have found OTC medications in the drug store. They are a little hard to find, but there is Empecid （エンペシド） and Feminina (フェミニーナ膣カンジダ錠）。They are pill inserts that last for a 6 day treatment and the active ingredient in Feminina is Oxiconazole. Be forewarned though, they are really expensive! One 6-day treatment pack cost me 2940 yen. The pharmacist will ask if you have been to the doctors and that you definitely know what you are treating yourself for.

If the Japanese products don't work so well, there is a great website called 456.com. If you can read Japanese, this website is a huuuge lifesaver for me, and they have a lot of American products. I was able to find Lactaid and American deodorant. The downside is that the website is only in Japanese. Also, even if you choose the fastest shipping, it still takes 7 to 10 days. But, for ladies who are desperate, try the Japanese brands first while you're waiting for the Monistat to come.
The website is here: http://www.456.com/pages/detail.php4?serial=19997&id=5-9-3

What worked for me was changing my washing powder. I had recurrent infections for a period of every 4 weeks, for 6 months. Actually found the cause was my dad had changed the washing powder for our clothes. Went back to the old one and never got it again. Weird but worked.

If you're having trouble and have been using the same powder since arriving, try that and see if it helps.

Vaginal Candidiasis?

I was looking about this some time ago, joust suppository may not be the solution, because, it may come from your stomach, and infect your sex. Then stool exam it is one of the required tests.
An appropriate and good doctor will find out the reason of it.
A basic thing is ''to reduce excess sweets and refined carbohydrates, which feed candida and promote the overproduction of insulin, promoting inflammation and the intervention of the immune system should always check the food intolerance (in the case of candidiasis, often it is intolerance to yeasts) that engage the immune system unnecessarily on the front of food''.
As you said is happening only here, you may have some food intolerance which does not mean make you sick, but give side effects, therefore a doctor specialist will ask you to have at first a ''food intolerance test''.
Then very few cases are coming by the partner since also some men may have it or somehow vehicle it "ping-pong way".
Is not a big issue, but if ones wants it really out, is not something joust look, and a few days of medicine, especially if it is recurrent. If you do understand that it may come from your stomach, vaginal suppository will give joust a rest.
''The Candidiasis is in fact a sign of imbalance in the body and reducing defensive capabilities. Every living being has in its stomach, a large number of this type of yeast. Under certain conditions (stress, antibiotic therapy, drugs, unbalanced diet) the yeasts are transformed into fungus (always type ''Candida'') and become aggressive.''


Why do not you go to a good gynecologist, and then he/she will send you to the right ''Allergist and Immunologist'' this is the field for (Yeast... problems) to work it out.

At the end, as I am having some different health problems, i experienced that few doctors and hospitals are dealing good with foreigners. I already went in five main hospitals and and some clinics, I can tell that some are really not good to foreigners (sorry). The best for its time-organization, tidiness and open to foreigners, was the Shibuya Nisseki biouin (Red Cross Hospital), then Seibo biouin (Seibo Hospital), while Keio hospital, was dramatically opposite.
Then, after you know exactly what you have, if you need some medicine that you cannot have here, ask it at your family with doctor prescription, and send in a R.R. post letter with the prescription and the content list, inside and outside the R.R. letter/box (better to specify with the sender its kinship w you.)
(For personal use you should be allowed to import most of the medicines up to 1 month treatment, as I am doing for my particular ones.)