Antifungal medicines - Names of antifungal medicines

Antifungal medicines have many brand names, as they are made by different pharmaceutical manufacturers.

There are also many different types of antifungal medicines, including:

• clotrimazole
• econazole nitrate 
• miconazole 
• terbinafine
• fluconazole
• ketoconazole
• amphotericin

The packaging should state what antifungal medicine the product contains and how much. This may be shown as a percentage – for example, cream containing 1% clotrimazole – or in milligrams (mg) – for example, capsules containing 50mg of fluconazole.

Types of antifungal medicines

Antifungal medicines are available as:

• topical antifungals – a cream, gel, ointment or spray applied directly to the body
• oral antifungals – a capsule, tablet or liquid medicine that is swallowed
• intravenous antifungals – an injection into a vein in your arm, usually in hospital through an intravenous infusion (a continuous drip of medicine through a narrow tube)

Antifungal intravaginal pessaries are also available. Pessaries are small suppositories inserted into the vagina to treat conditions such as vaginal thrush.