How to overcome candidiasis during pregnancy? Features of using Zalain

Composition, release form

Zalain is produced in the form of cream and suppositories.

The active ingredient of the drug is sertaconazole. This is a synthetic derivative resulting from the combination of two antifungal components - imidazole and benzothiophene. Thanks to them, Zalain has pronounced activity against mycosis pathogens.

The cream contains:

• sertaconazole 20 mg;
• ethylene glycol;
• palmitostearate;
• paraffin;
• sorbic acid;
• water.

Suppositories are based on:

• sertaconazole 300 mg;
• suppositir;
• vitepsol;
• silicon.

Indications

The cream is used to combat fungal infections, the pathogens of which are sensitive to the active component of Zalain in the following diseases:

• dermatomycosis of the skin;
• athlete's foot;
• trichophytosis;
• pityriasis versicolor.

Zalain suppositories are used for local treatment of infections localized on the vaginal mucosa, the pathogens of which are sensitive to sertaconazole, including thrush.

Instructions for use

The duration of treatment with Zalain directly depends on the diagnosis, the severity of the pathological process and the type of pathogen. Therapeutic treatment is recommended to begin with the first symptoms of the disease and continue for at least 14 days after the signs of fungal infection disappear, to eliminate the risk of relapse of the pathology.

Cream. Zalain is applied in a thin layer to the foci of onychomycosis 2 times a day. When processing, it is necessary to capture up to 1 cm of healthy skin areas. In most cases, the symptoms of the disease disappear within 2-4 weeks after starting treatment. The average duration of use of the cream is 1 month.

Suppositories. Zalain is administered into the vagina once a day. The recommended course of treatment is 10-14 days. If after this period the clinical manifestations of the pathology persist, you can repeat the regimen in a week.

Use in children, pregnant and lactating women

The annotation for Zalain cream does not contain data on its use in pediatric practice. This means that it is not advisable to prescribe the medication to children due to the unknown risk of side effects.

Safety studies have not been conducted in pregnant women. The use of Zalain is possible with the permission of the attending physician. According to numerous reviews, treatment of nail fungus and skin mycoses did not affect the process of gestation and future births.

During lactation, the use of the cream is theoretically possible, since the drug has low absorption and is practically not absorbed into the general bloodstream, so the likelihood of its components entering breast milk is reduced to a minimum. But before using the medication, you should consult a specialist.

Contraindications

The drug should not be used if you are hypersensitive to the active and auxiliary components.

There is no information about how the main component affects the development of the child in the womb. But it should be taken into account that the drug is used once, it is not absorbed when a suppository is inserted, then it is possible to allow the use of both forms of the drug by a pregnant woman, provided that the expected benefit exceeds the possible harm to the child.

Among the side effects, patients noted burning and itching in the vagina, which gradually goes away on its own. These side effects are observed with all topical medications. Symptoms will subside in about two days.

Possible allergy to the composition. If new side effects appear that are not listed in the official instructions, you should consult a doctor. There are few side effects, since the drug does not enter the bloodstream. The drug can reduce the effect of contraceptives.

Additional recommendations

• The drug does not affect the quality of psychomotor reactions, therefore, during treatment with it, restrictions on driving vehicles and working with dangerous mechanisms do not apply.
• The cream should not come into contact with the mucous membrane of the eyes. In case of emergency, it is recommended to rinse them with sufficient water.
• If fingernail or toenail fungus is caused by candidiasis, you should not use highly acidic detergents to treat them. They neutralize the effect of Zalain and contribute to the spread of infection.
• Areas of the nail and skin affected by mycoses must be kept dry to ensure proper tissue care and speed recovery.
• The product is well tolerated when treating damaged areas of onychomycosis; the drug does not cause irritation or burning.

When is Zalain prescribed during pregnancy?

The main indication for the use of Zalain is thrush during pregnancy. This includes acute vulvovaginitis or colpitis, and exacerbation during their chronic course.

Gynecologists prescribe sertoconazole suppositories not only for the treatment of thrush, but also to prevent it after surgical procedures (for example, suturing the cervix) or against the background of antibacterial therapy for other diseases and complications of pregnancy.

Side effects

According to the instructions, undesirable reactions to Zalain cream include contact dermatitis, peeling and hyperpigmentation of the skin.

If such conditions develop, it is recommended to discontinue further use of the medication. The symptoms that arise will go away on their own in the near future without any consequences.

Interaction with drugs and alcohol

“Zalain” is incompatible with alcoholic beverages

It is not advisable to take the drug together with local contraceptives, as they cause a decrease in spermicidal effect. As for the interaction of Zalain with drugs, doctors have not identified any special indications in this regard.

The medication, like other drugs, is incompatible with alcoholic beverages. When an antifungal drug and ethanol are combined, a negative reaction may occur, which will negatively affect the patient’s well-being.

According to experts, the combination of alcohol and antifungal composition will lead to overdose, liver damage and poisoning.

Analogs

Zalain has no structural substitutes. But on the shelves of pharmacies you can find a sufficient range of medicines that have the same active ingredient or its synthetic derivatives. Let's look at them in the table.

Whether it is necessary to replace Zalain and which drug to choose to treat the fungus should be decided by the doctor based on the diagnostic examination performed and the patient’s health characteristics.

Zalain for thrush

Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of thrush in women are of great importance in obstetric and gynecological practice, since this disease is often combined with other microbiocenosis disorders and is associated with the threat of miscarriage, premature birth, and intrauterine infection of the fetus. Issues of treatment of genital tract candidiasis are relevant for pregnant women, since not all drugs against thrush are safe for the unborn child.

Most often, the fight against vulvovaginal candidiasis in pregnant women is carried out with suppositories and cream - local remedies that have a low level of absorption from the vagina into the systemic bloodstream. Among the safest and most effective medications are Pimafucin and sertaconazole preparations, for example, Zalain.

Zalain cream against thrush is used to treat pregnant women, as well as during breastfeeding, and is a safe remedy.

The consequences of inadequate treatment of thrush can lead to a decrease in a woman’s quality of life due to the persistent course of the disease, the impossibility of sexual intercourse, and complications in the form of the spread of the fungus to the overlying parts of the reproductive tract.

Frequent relapses worsen the pharmacoeconomic indicators of treatment: the course lengthens and becomes costly. Therefore, when fighting thrush, it is important to start treatment with high-quality and effective products. These include modern drugs based on itraconazole, fluconazole, sertaconazole, for example, Zalain cream.

The choice of treatment method for thrush, the determination of the drug, dosage, and course duration are completely determined by the clinical type of the disease:

• candidacy;
• acute candidiasis;
• chronic relapsing process;
• persistent form (continuous symptoms).

Carriage – the presence of yeast cells in the genital tract and the absence of clinical infection does not require medical intervention. If carriage is diagnosed in a pregnant woman, the genital tract is sanitized with local means, for example, Zalain cream.

Considering the difficulties in the fight against urogenital candidiasis, experts have developed a number of requirements for medications:

• high activity against all types of fungus;
• the presence of not only antifungal, but also antimicrobial action, since thrush is often accompanied by bacterial infections;
• minimal inhibitory effect on normal microflora;
• maximum safety and effectiveness;
• comfort in use.

One of the modern medicines, Zalain, which is available in the form of suppositories and anti-thrush cream, meets these requirements.

Causes and symptoms

The cause of such a common genital tract disease as thrush is a special fungus from the genus Candida. They belong to the normal vaginal flora and in their properties are opportunistic, which means the manifestation of pathogenic properties only under certain conditions.

1. A decrease in immunity, both general and local, is of decisive importance in the development of thrush symptoms. The general resistance of a woman’s body is suppressed by infectious diseases, hypothermia and overheating. Local vaginal immunity is significantly reduced with promiscuity and frequent STIs.
2. Endocrine diseases - diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hyperestrogenism (PCOS, endometrial hyperplasia) - are often accompanied by thrush.
3. Pregnancy is considered one of the periods of a woman’s life when thrush manifests itself most often.
4. Treatment with antibiotics, glucocorticoids, cytostatics.
5. Taking oral contraceptives with an increased dose of estradiol.

The most important species in the development of thrush is the yeast-like fungus Candida albicans. It is responsible for 85-95% of cases of candidiasis in women.

But in recent years, the prevalence of other types of fungus of the genus Candida as a cause of thrush has been increasing, which creates some difficulties in treating the infection.

The change in the structure of morbidity has led to the need to select various antifungal agents, since the therapeutic effect of traditional substances often becomes low.

The modern antifungal agent sertaconazole, which is part of the Zalain cream, meets the necessary requirements: it destroys all types of candida and prevents the formation of chronic thrush.

The main symptoms of the disease include:

• discomfort, burning in the area of ​​the external genitalia, inguinal folds;
• itching, intensifying after sexual intercourse, water procedures;
• profuse leucorrhoea, which has a cheesy character and a sour smell;
• the appearance of blisters, followed by the formation of fungal dermatitis in the skin folds, with the lesions looking like shiny bright red or crimson areas of skin, with exfoliated epidermis. Their surface is covered with a white coating.

The frequency of registration of vulvovaginal candidiasis among pregnant women ranges from 30 to 40%, and immediately before childbirth it is diagnosed in half of women.

A pregnant woman who has thrush causes the fetus or baby to become infected during birth.

In recent years, obstetricians have noted an increase in cases of candidiasis among full-term newborns, which indicates the need for a more thorough approach to the diagnosis and treatment of thrush in pregnant women.

Treating thrush during pregnancy with suppositories and creams is often a difficult task, due to the high level of estrogen in the blood, which affects the functioning of the vaginal epithelium and, accordingly, leads to a change in the biocenosis.

In pregnant women with anemia, obesity, and infectious diseases of the urinary tract, thrush is recorded much more often. In addition, in such women, thrush is more difficult to treat.

Diagnostics

When diagnosing thrush, the following studies are mandatory:

• bacterioscopy (microscopy) of a vaginal smear;
• inoculation of secretions on nutrient media to determine the species diversity of the vaginal biocenosis, testing for sensitivity and resistance to antibiotics and antifungals;
• PCR for all types of sexually transmitted infections: bacterial and viral;
• colposcopy;
• cytology of scrapings from the cervical canal.

Thrush is often accompanied by bacterial vaginosis, chlamydia, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus infection. Often, against the background of candidiasis and other infections, ectopia, cervicitis, colpitis, and cervical dysplasia are diagnosed. Rarely, thrush in women occurs as an independent disease.

The development of this disease of the genital tract is possible only against the background of hormonal and bacterial imbalance. Therefore, treatment requires an integrated approach, including not only local creams and suppositories, but also antiviral, antibacterial, and immunocorrective therapy.

Restoring the normal flora of the vagina to prevent chronicity of the process is considered important in the fight against vulvovaginal candidiasis.

As a rule, when examining the patient, leukocytosis, grade 3 or 4 vaginal cleanliness is detected. In addition to Candida, the growth of staphylococci, E. coli, enterococci, Klebsiella and Proteus is recorded, which requires combined treatment. Not only creams and suppositories are prescribed against thrush, but also antiseptic and antibacterial local agents.

Action of Zalain for thrush

Zalain, which is based on the antifungal component sertaconazole, is considered one of the new agents for local treatment of thrush. Sertaconazole is a derivative of imidazole and benzothiophene. Zalain cream and suppositories have both a static and fungicidal effect against fungi.

The dual mechanism of action on fungal cells is due to the complex structure of the medicinal substance: the presence of traditional imidazole and a fundamentally new compound - benzothiophene.

This component is soluble in fat, which enhances the penetration of Zalain cream into the vaginal mucosa, since cell membranes consist of fatty structures. Zalain cream is active against staphylococci and streptococci, which actively multiply during urogenital candidiasis and lead to vaginal dysbiosis.

This allows for uncomplicated cases of thrush in a patient to use the cream as monotherapy without including other medications in the regimen.

Zalain cream inhibits the growth of all varieties of yeast-like fungus of the genus Candida, therefore it is used to treat complex cases of chronic recurrent thrush.

Patients note that already on the 3rd day of using Zalain suppositories vaginally and cream for external use, itching, cheesy leucorrhoea and swelling of the mucous membrane are significantly reduced.

If symptoms persist, doctors prescribe a second course of treatment.

During therapy with Zalain, sertaconazole is not detected in the blood or urine, which proves its safety when applied topically. This determines the frequent use of the cream during pregnancy.

Indications, contraindications and side effects

Zalain cream is used not only in gynecological practice for the treatment of thrush. Considering the activity of the drug against dermatophyte fungi, Zalain in the form of a cream is prescribed for the following infections, in addition to candidiasis of the genital tract:

• fungal infection of the skin of the legs, hands and feet;
• mycoses of the skin of the body;
• fungus of the scalp and beard;
• lichen versicolor.

Occasionally, when using Zalain cream, contact dermatitis of an allergic nature is observed. In rare cases, temporary redness of the skin is observed, which does not require discontinuation of the cream.

If there are allergic reactions to imidazole derivatives, Zalain cream is prescribed with caution.

Reviews

Natalya, 28 years old. “I caught a nail fungus after a manicure at a beauty salon. Zalain cream helped cope with the disease. I used the drug at the early stage of the infection, and was very pleased with it. I recommend".

Zarina, 26 years old. “I went to the doctor about weak and dull nails, I thought it was a lack of vitamins, but it turned out to be a real fungus. Treatment was prescribed in the form of Zalain. It showed itself on the positive side; after 2 weeks there were no traces of the infection left.”

Miroslava, 35 years old. “While removing the polish, I discovered nail fungus. I tried to treat with celandine and tea tree oil, but to no avail. I had to go to the doctor. The specialist prescribed Zalain, saying that the product effectively helps against nail fungus. I soon became convinced of this in practice. I advise you to use my experience."

The problem of mycotic infections is acute in modern society. Difficulties in eliminating it are usually associated with self-medication of patients. To successfully cope with the infectious process, you need to see a doctor, get tested and undergo therapy with drugs with a proven antifungal effect, for example, Zalain cream.

Reviews about the treatment of fungus with Zalain

Reviews from many patients confirm the effectiveness of Zalain cream in the fight against onychomycosis. With its help, it is possible not only to cope with the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, but also to improve the condition of the skin on the legs.

Elena, 34 years old. Moscow: “I had never had onychomycosis before and didn’t even know what kind of disease it was. After visiting a water park with my child, my toenail became very inflamed, the skin around it turned red and peeling began. At first I tried to cope with the problem with the help of folk remedies, but there was no result. I had to seek help from a doctor, who advised me to use Zalain cream with an antifungal effect. I treated my legs with this remedy for 10-12 days several times a day and after a while the disease subsided.”

Anton, 22 years old. Saratov: “In the summer, after visiting a public bathhouse, I encountered a problem such as fungus. First, my toenail turned red, and then it started to hurt a lot. At first I didn’t pay attention to it, but gradually the disease began to spread to the second leg. My wife bought Zalain cream at the pharmacy because she had previously been cured of onychomycosis with its help. I applied the product to my nail several times a day and after a week my condition noticeably improved. I also lubricated my skin with the cream for a week as a preventive measure and the unpleasant symptoms completely disappeared.”

Watch a video about the drug Zalain for nail fungus: