Does Nystatin work for Candida? That is the question we explore today. A site visitor asks the following question…

Hi Cynthia, I am a 51 yr old female with Candida very bad, I think. I want to know if Nystatin gets rid of Candida? I have been on a low dose of Diflucan for 4 weeks now, started at 5mg, then 10mg, and now at 15mg. The Doctor I got it from started me low so my die-off would not be so bad. I am treating with a new Doctor who wants to start me on Nystatin. I have been talking to people that sell Threelac and they claim that the antifungal drugs like Diflucan and Nystatin do not get rid on the yeast, that once you stop taking them the yeast will come back, is this true? I have been reading Dr. William Crook’s book and he states that the drugs work. I am wondering your view on this since you seem very knowledgeable in this area. I took one packet of Threelac and had a lot of dizziness, they said this is die off. Can you please help? Thank you so much for your time. Jana

Hi Jana,

Unfortunately, as is the case with many issues related to Candida, there’s not a clear-cut answer to the question of “does Nystatin work,” but here’s my opinion. Although Dr. Crook’s book is an excellent resource and packed with helpful information, it’s important to keep in mind that it was written some time ago. This applies to all the primary books out there written by the three pioneers in this field, Dr.s Truss, Crook and Trowbridge. These books should be read by everyone with Candida, but we need to be aware of their limits.

Over the years our understanding of Candida has grown and expanded. We now know that Candida mutates and becomes resistant to antifungals. In my own personal experience and the experiences I hear quite frequently from others, most people with severe Candida overgrowth do not overcome it easily like they describe in those books.

Candida mutates and gets resistant to all antifungals. That applies to Diflucan, Nystatin, Nizoral etc., and all the natural antifungals as well like garlic, caprylic acid, grapefruit seed, Threelac, etc. This means, that after a period of time, the yeast changes form and the antifungal is no longer effective.

How fast it mutates varies from person to person. Some people can take a product for years before it mutates, while for others it mutates in a couple weeks. Diflucan worked fantastic for me for about a month and then my Candida got resistant. Most people who take Diflucan don’t have die off. If so, it’s usually pretty mild because of the manner in which it kills yeast.

Additionally, for many people, once the antifungal is discontinued, then Candida returns usually in full force. Although the Candida diet is not going to cure Candida alone, it will keep it under control. However, typically once you stray and eat too many carbohydrates, symptoms will flare once again.

We also know at this time that there are many other factors that must be addressed besides taking antifungals and following the Candida diet like, the pH of the body, heavy metals, leaky gut, food sensitivities, nutritional deficiencies etc., I provide a comprehensive blueprint of all the secondary issues that need addressed in my book Candida Secrets.

I had a bad experience with Threelac and so have many other people. I don’t recommend it to anyone, especially those with severe systemic overgrowth. Candida can get resistant to Threelac as well, and many people report that once they stop taking it, then Candida returns. It is no different than any other antifungal, except that a lot of people report that they get extremely ill from Threelac. I suggest you read my post where many other people have shared their experiences and my review on this product:

Is Threelac Safe & Effective

Threelac Review

I encourage you to read other posts I’ve made on this blog about Candida. There have been many questions I’ve answered that will likely be helpful for you. You can find them on this page, and be sure to click the link that says “previous entires” at the bottom of this page to see the rest of the posts related to this topic:

http://www.holistichelp.net/blog/category/candidiasis/

Nystatin is helpful for many while taking it and before your Candida gets resistant to it. It does effectively kill Candida in the gut, until mutation occurs. It works great for vaginal yeast. You can put the powder in a capsule and insert it vaginally as a suppository. As far as prescription drugs go, Nystatin is the safest one. Nystatin doesn’t leave the gut, so it never enters the blood stream and doesn’t put the liver at risk of damage. Diflucan, Nizoral and all the other prescription antifungals can harm the liver and liver enzymes should be monitored while taking any of them.

Something you want to be aware of is that Nystatin works by literally blowing up the Candida organism. This results in severe die off as toxins are distributed greatly throughout the body. Die off with Nystatin can be very, very severe. So severe that it is impossible for some people to endure. At the very least, you can expect to be pretty miserable. Some people are allergic or sensitive to Nystatin and unable to take it.

So to answer the question, does Nystatin work, that depends on your definition of “work” and who you’re talking to. Unless you’re one of the lucky few, once Nystatin is discontinued Candida will typically flourish. However, again this depends on many factors and varies greatly from individual to individual. Someone who has a mild case of Candida that hasn’t left the gut and not too many other secondary issues, may be able to eliminate it with Nystatin and the Candida diet, but people with many secondary issues and a high level of systemic Candida have a longer more difficult road ahead.

Best Regards,

Cynthia