Yeast infections grow because of a fungus. The most common fungus that causes yeast infection is Candida Albicans. You normally find this fungus in your body and on your skin in small amounts. Occasionally, something happens to upset the balance of microorganisms in your body and yeast overgrowth will occur, causing a yeast infection. Yeast infections do not always breed in the vagina. They can develop on the skin, mucus membranes, heart valves and esophagus. The good news is you can now buy yeast infection medication at your local drugstore or discount store. Long gone are the days of prescription only yeast infection medication.

If you have ever had a yeast infection you now how miserable it can be. The burning, itching and pain can become unbearable if left untreated. Luckily, yeast infections are easy to cure with an antifugal agent. The antifungal drugs inhibit the ability of fungus to multiply and form new cell membranes. If this is your first yeast infection, visit your doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and his recommendation for a yeast infection medication. This is a lot better than trying to cure your infection using creams you are not familiar with.

Your doctor may prescribe an oral antifungal agent to cure your yeast infection. The two main oral antifungals are Diflucan and Nizoral. The oral yeast infection medications have the advantage of being able to cure a yeast infection in one or two doses and you don't have to deal with messy creams. The disadvantage to oral yeast infection medications is they may have side effects or interact with other medication you may be taking. Diflucan has a higher incidence of side effects such as, headaches, nausea, abdominal pain and dizziness. Nizoral has a lower incidence of side effects, but you cannot take it with many other medicines. Always tell you doctor or gynecologist what medicines you are taking. You should not take either of these oral antifungals while pregnant or breast-feeding.

Another class of antifungal drugs are the vaginal agents. These are creams that you can insert directly into the vagina. There are no known drug interactions with any of the antifungal creams. The side effects can be burning or itching at the application site. There have been few studies on the effects of the antifungal creams and pregnancy. It is up to your doctor to weigh the risks against the benefits of the treatment. The good thing about the antifungal creams is that this yeast infection medication is available without a prescription at your local pharmacy.

The choice of oral antifungal or vaginal antifungal agents can depend on a few things. It can depend on the severity of the infection, if the infection is recurrent and your personal history. Sometimes your doctor will prescribe an oral antifungal in combination with a vaginal cream. For people that are immunocompromised, your doctor can prescribe a maintenance dose to prevent yeast infections from recurring. The right yeast infection medication can get you back to normal within a short period of time.