Dealing with Candida glabrata?

Latest test results are in: the chlamydia and ureaplasma are finally gone. 😁 The catch is that I’ve now tested positive for a high load of Candida glabrata. 🙂 What’s the standard treatment for this? Has anyone dealt with it before? I’m assuming the heavy course of antibiotics I had to take for the chlamydia and ureaplasma completely wiped out my natural flora, leaving the door open for this.

Crashing in here because nobody else is talking 🙂
I’ve been battling this fungus for six months straight now, and honestly? I’ve tried basically everything under the sun with zero luck. There’s barely any info on our local medical sites about this specific strain, either. I was digging through some US medical journals and apparently, this thing is super resistant to the usual stuff used for Candida albicans and all that. I'm currently on my third round of Diflucan, so we'll just have to see if it actually does anything this time...

So, did you manage to get anywhere with it in the meantime?

If you ask me, your best bet would be to reach out to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, specifically their department specializing in systemic and disseminated mycoses.

ruggedmarlin3 said:Nobody else has chimed in 🙂
I've been battling this fungus for six months now. I've tried every treatment under the sun, and nothing works. There’s hardly any info on this specific strain on our local forums. I've read some US medical articles suggesting this particular fungus is resistant to the standard meds used for Candida albicans and similar issues. I'm currently on my third round of Diflucan, so we'll see how it goes...

Did you manage to get anything resolved in the meantime?

I'm not sure if I'm actually clear yet. I asked my doctor if the situation was resolved after she gave me those three heavy-duty vaginal suppositories plus the oral antifungal capsule, and she said it 🤷

I honestly don’t even know what else I haven't tried at this point. 😢 They ran an antibiogram for me in microbiology, and I was just over at the infectious disease ward today where they told me all the treatments I've been through were fine—which makes it super weird that the Candida is still hanging around. They mentioned my last resort would be five days of IV Diflucan at a clinic. But apparently, that's the "last line of defense"... I mean, how stubborn can this thing actually be??
The thing is, I don't even have symptoms, maybe just some slight discharge before my period. If I hadn't gone in for that swab, I wouldn't even know I had it.

I’ve been doing a bit of reading on *Candida glabrata*. I’m certainly no expert, and I personally haven't dealt with that specific strain, but from what I can gather, it's often considered a last resort, typically treated with Amphotericin B or Nystatin. I remember my doctor mentioning that Nystatin isn't really stocked in our local clinics anymore, and honestly, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone being put on Amphotericin B either. I assume those two are reserved for systemic candidiasis cases, so they probably keep them on hand at a major hospital like 🤷
. What does your sensitivity report actually show? To which medications is your strain susceptible? In my experience, my *albicans* was sensitive to both Diflucan and Itraconazole, yet I cycled through them so many times—I can't even count how many—and I just couldn't seem to shake it, even though the lab results clearly marked it as "S" for sensitive.

When my yeast infection was hitting its absolute peak, my gynecologist told me if things didn't calm down, the next step would be an IV drip—specifically Amphotericin B.

Honestly, I was a total wreck when she said that. Between the vaginal issues, gut problems, losing weight, having zero appetite, feeling dizzy with every single step, this constant stabbing pain in my abdomen and groin, ringing in my ears, passing out, and my entire body itching hysterically—especially my anus😁—it was brutal. Even getting a swab felt like being tortured; I was bleeding so much on the clinic floor that my doctor was actually shocked...

Basically, I was right on the edge of developing systemic candidiasis, at least in my opinion, since all those symptoms dragged on for about six months. And yet, she only mentioned the possibility of Amphotericin B at the very end!
I have no idea why they don't just prescribe it sooner in cases like mine. Plus, I heard Nystatin isn't even available here in the States anymore; maybe they still carry it in Canada or somewhere? I have a hunch it might be available over there.

restlessbadger2 said:I’ve been reading up on this *Candida glabrata* thing—I haven’t dealt with it myself, so I’m hardly an expert here... but the literature says Amphotericin B and Nystatin are the heavy hitters used as a last resort. I remember my doctor mentioning that Nystatin isn't even stocked in most US clinics anymore, and I haven't heard of anyone actually being put on Amphotericin B either. I assume those two drugs are reserved for systemic candidiasis and are probably only available in a hospital setting. 🤷
What does your sensitivity report say? What is your specific strain actually susceptible to? My *albicans* was technically sensitive to both Diflucan and Itraconazole, and God knows how many times I cycled through them. I lost count. Even though the lab report marked it as "S" (sensitive), I could never, ever get rid of it.

Amphocil is strictly for immunocompromised patients with a confirmed systemic fungal infection, and you have to get approval from a hospital board because it is incredibly expensive.
Any confirmed case of systemic fungal infection is a legitimate reason for an immunological workup.

Sam Gray78 said:When I was right in the middle of a massive flare-up, my gynecologist told me that if things didn't calm down, the next time I came in, we'd go for the "IV drug"—which is that Amphotericin B.

I was absolutely falling apart when she said that. Everything. From vaginal issues and gut problems to losing weight and having zero appetite. I was dizzy with every single step, dealing with stabbing pains all over my abdomen and groin, constant ringing in my ears, and feeling like I was going to pass out. My whole body was hysterically itchy, especially my anus😁. Getting a swab taken felt like being butchered—there was blood literally dripping onto the clinic floor, and it was so bad the gynecologist was actually shocked...

Basically, I was on the absolute brink of developing systemic candidiasis (in my opinion); all those symptoms dragged on for about six months. And it's not like I care about the possibility of getting Amphotericin B only after the damage is already done.
I have no idea why they don't prescribe it in cases like mine. And as for Nystatin, I know it's not really used here in the States anymore—maybe they still have it in Mexico or somewhere? I have a nagging feeling they might.

So, how do you actually prove systemic candidiasis?
I know there are blood tests and stool samples.🤷 But honestly, everything just seems to be responding to treatment anyway.🤷

restlessbadger2 said:...she mentions that the last resort for treatment would be Amphotericin B and Nystatin. I seem to recall my doctor mentioning that Nystatin isn't really available here in the States anymore, and I haven't heard of anyone being put on Amphotericin B either. I suppose those two drugs are meant for systemic candidiasis, and I guess hospitals probably keep them 🤷

Nystatin vaginal suppositories aren't available here, which is true, but there are creams you can use with an applicator for vaginal insertion. Besides that, you might be able to order the Nystatin suppositories through that specialty pharmacy near downtown since they carry them in Europe, and I think they have them in Canada too.

restlessbadger2 said:I did a little digging on this Candida glabrata thing—not that I’m some kind of expert or anything, and I haven't actually dealt with it myself... but apparently, Amphotericin B and nystatin are the heavy hitters you use when everything else fails. I remember my doctor mentioning that nystatin isn't really used much here in the States anymore, and I honestly can't think of anyone I know who was ever put on Amphotericin B. I'm guessing those two are reserved for systemic issues, so they probably keep them tucked away in a hospital setting 🤷
So, what does your "sensitivity report" actually say? What's your Candida actually responding to? My albicans was sensitive to both Diflucan and Itraconazole, and man, I went through so many pills I lost count. Even though the lab results marked it as "S" (sensitive), I just couldn't shake the damn thing.

That's exactly what mine shows. It's sensitive to 5-fluorocytosine and Amphotericin B, but only moderately sensitive to Miconazole, Ketoconazole, Fluconazole, and Itraconazole. The doctors at the hospital told me the first two are totally off the table because the treatment is way too invasive. So, I'm stuck looking at the ones it's only moderately sensitive to...

Sophia White8 said:It’s true that Nystatin vaginal suppositories aren't typically stocked here, but there are creams available that you can apply internally using an applicator. Besides that, if you really needed those specific Nystatin suppositories, you might be able to order them through that specialty pharmacy downtown—they carry the same ones used over in Germany or Austria, and they're available in places like Canada too.

Does that cream have a specific name? And is it actually Nystatin, or does it have a different chemical composition entirely?

restlessbadger2 said:What’s the name of that cream again? Is it also nystatin, or does it have some different chemical makeup?

The cream is actually just called nystatin cream. It's made by Pfizer. You might want to pick up some vaginal applicators separately, though, because they don't seem to include them in the box.

http://www.centar-zdravlja.net/proiz...liva-mast-184/

And just so you know, they also have some really solid Nystatin vaginal suppositories from Jenapharm available over in Germany and Austria. You can usually get those ordered through a local pharmacy, maybe one near downtown Chicago if you're looking for something similar.

http://www.jameda.de/medikamente/fra...fchen/5700788/

Or perhaps the Nystatin Lederle ovules might work too.

http://www.medipreis.de/preisverglei...o.-KG-03626473

Now I’m actually getting worried. I didn't bother getting a follow-up swab after my diagnosis; I just took an oral capsule for the fungal infection and used three vaginal suppositories. I assumed that would be the end of it with the 🤷. My doctor didn't even mention needing a repeat swab to confirm if the Candida is still there, which is frustrating since I'm constantly at her office anyway dealing with Stage 1 issues and HPV