Diflucan Dosages: Your GoodRx Guide
Key takeaways:
Diflucan (fluconazole) is an antifungal medication that prevents and treats fungal infections in adults and children ages 6 months and older.
The recommended Diflucan dosage depends on the type of infection being treated. For vaginal yeast infections, it’s recommended to take one 150 mg tablet for a single dose.
Diflucan is available as a lower-cost generic. GoodRx can help you save over 70% off the average retail price at certain pharmacies.
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Table of contents
Diflucan (fluconazole) is a go-to medication for treating a variety of fungal infections. Diflucan slows the growth of infections caused by Cryptococcus and Candida, which are both part of the “yeast” family.
This popular medication is FDA approved to prevent and treat fungal infections in adults and children ages 6 months and older. This includes common infections such as vaginal yeast infections (vaginal candidiasis), urinary tract infections (UTIs), and thrush in your mouth or esophagus. Diflucan is also effective at combating more serious infections, such as peritonitis (swelling of the abdomen) and meningitis.
Alongside its many uses, Diflucan is available in several forms. Diflucan comes as a tablet, oral suspension (liquid), and injection. Tablet doses range from 50 mg to 200 mg and the oral suspension comes in 10 mg/mL and 40 mg/mL strengths. The infection you’re fighting helps determine the Diflucan dosage you need.
What’s the typical Diflucan dosage for adults?
The typical Diflucan dosage for adults ranges from 50 mg to 400 mg daily. The oral tablet is most common, but if you have difficulty swallowing medications, the oral suspension is another option. The Diflucan injection can treat oral or esophageal thrush as well as meningitis.
Candidiasis treatment
Candida infections can pop up in different parts of your body, and this can affect your dose. Your healthcare provider will tell you what dose and duration of Diflucan is best for you.
The manufacturer’s recommendations are detailed in the table below.
| Type of candidiasis | Diflucan dosage | Treatment duration |
|---|---|---|
| Vaginal yeast infections | 150 mg | One dose |
| Oral thrush | 200 mg the first day; 100 mg once daily thereafter | At least 2 weeks |
| Esophageal thrush | 200 mg the first day; 100 mg once daily thereafter | At least 3 weeks; at least 2 weeks after symptoms resolved |
| UTIs | Between 50 mg–200 mg daily | Variable |
| Peritonitis | Between 50 mg–200 mg daily | Variable |
| Body-wide infections | Up to 400 mg daily | Variable |
Candidiasis prevention
While Diflucan is mostly used to treat Candida infections, it’s sometimes prescribed to prevent them. The recommended Diflucan prevention dosage in people receiving a bone marrow transplant is 400 mg once daily. Diflucan for candidiasis prevention is usually reserved for people with certain conditions that affect the immune system, such as undergoing a bone marrow transplant.
Meningitis
If you or a loved one have fungal meningitis, you’ll likely receive 400 mg of Diflucan on your first day of treatment, followed by 200 mg once daily for several weeks. Based on your response to the medication, your healthcare provider may raise your dose to 400 mg once daily.
Meningitis is a serious infection. To keep the infection at bay, you may keep taking Diflucan for 10 to 12 weeks after your infection has gone away.
What’s the typical Diflucan dosage for children?
Diflucan dosages for kids are based on body weight. The Diflucan oral suspension is a good option for kids who can’t swallow pills, but the tablets and injection are also available. No matter the form, kids taking Diflucan shouldn’t receive more than 600 mg in a given day.
Candidiasis
The recommended Diflucan dosage for treating oral thrush in kids is 6 mg per kilogram body weight on the first day of treatment. This is followed by a dosage of 3 mg per kilogram body weight once daily thereafter.
In other words, if your child weighs 50 lbs (23 kg), they’d take 140 mg on the first day then 70 mg once daily. They should take Diflucan for at least 2 weeks to prevent their infection from coming back.
For thrush in the esophagus, initial dosing is the same as oral thrush. But based on your child’s response to the medication, their dose may be bumped up to 12 mg per kilogram body weight once daily. It’s recommended to take Diflucan for at least 3 weeks to treat esophageal candidiasis, and for at least 2 weeks after symptoms have resolved.
For the treatment of systemic (body-wide) Candida infections, daily doses of 6 mg to 12 mg per kilogram body weight have been used in studies.
Meningitis
For the treatment of meningitis in children, higher and longer-lasting Diflucan doses are recommended. They’ll likely receive 12 mg per kilogram body weight on the first day followed by 6 mg per kilogram body weight once daily. Based on their response, their dose may be raised back up to 12 mg per kilogram body weight daily.
Like adults, kids taking Diflucan for meningitis should keep taking the medication for 10 to 12 weeks after their infection has cleared. This is done as a safety precaution.
Are there any dosage adjustments for medical conditions?
Yes. People who have kidney problems, and those with a larger body weight, tend to take an adjusted Diflucan dosage.
Dosage for people with kidney problems
If you have kidney problems, you’ll likely take a lower dose of Diflucan.
The recommended dose of Diflucan is determined by your “creatinine clearance.” This is a standard lab measurement that assesses kidney health. Your healthcare provider will determine an appropriate Diflucan dosage for you based on this reading.
If you’re prescribed a single dose of Diflucan for a vaginal yeast infection, no dose adjustment is necessary. But if your creatinine clearance is 50 mL/minute or lower and you’re on deck to take multiple doses, your daily dose will likely be cut in half.
If you’re receiving hemodialysis, your kidney specialist can tell you how to time your Diflucan doses with your dialysis sessions.
Dosage for people with larger body weight
According to one study, people with larger body weights that also have difficult-to-treat infections should receive a higher Diflucan dosage. In this study, a larger body weight was defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2.
In this group, it’s recommended to initially take a dosage of 12 mg per kilogram body weight. This is followed by a daily maintenance dose of 6 mg to 12 mg per kilogram body weight. The number of days or weeks you’ll take it depends on the type of infection you have.
What happens if you miss a dose of Diflucan?
If you forget to take your dose of Diflucan, take the missed dose as soon as possible. But if you’re prescribed multiple doses and it’s almost time for your next dose, you should skip the missed dose altogether. You should continue taking the following doses as they were originally scheduled.
What should you do if you take too much Diflucan?
Diflucan is generally well-tolerated. But if you take too much, Diflucan side effects are more likely to happen. Limited reports of Diflucan overdoses have been linked to side effects like hallucinations and paranoid behavior.
If you take too much Diflucan, contact your healthcare provider right away. To treat a Diflucan overdose, they’ll likely recommend supportive care measures to address your symptoms. In some cases, they could recommend gastric lavage (gastric suction) or hemodialysis. You can also contact Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for advice on what to do.
However, if any side effects feel severe, it’s better to go to your nearest emergency room as soon as you can.
How to save on Diflucan
There are many ways to save on Diflucan, which is available as both a brand-name and generic medication.
Save with GoodRx. GoodRx can help you save over 70% off the average retail price of the generic version. Generic fluconazole’s price at certain pharmacies is as low as $6.96 with a free GoodRx discount.
Save with patient assistance programs. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Diflucan’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
The bottom line
Diflucan is a medication used to treat fungal infections in kids and adults. The recommended Diflucan dosage in adults varies between 50 mg and 400 mg daily depending on the type of infection being treated. In children, Diflucan dosages are based on body weight. People with kidney problems may need a smaller Diflucan dose, and people with a larger body weight may need a higher dose. Your healthcare provider will make the final call on how much Diflucan you should take.
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References
Alobaid, A. S. et al. (2016). Effect of Obesity on the Population Pharmacokinetics of Fluconazole in Critically Ill Patients. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.
DailyMed. (2022). Fluconazole injection.
MedlinePlus. (2018). Fluconazole.
MedlinePlus. (2022). Peritonitis.
Pfizer Inc. (2022). Diflucan [package insert].
Shahbaz, H., et al. (2022). Creatinine clearance. StatPearls.
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