Oral thrush - adults - Treatment 

Treating oral thrush 

Oral thrush can be successfully treated with a course of antifungal medicines taken over seven to 14 days.

Antifungal treatments are available in the following forms:

  • gels
  • tablets
  • lozenges
  • powders
  • creams
  • rinses

Rinses are useful for people with a dry mouth who are unable to swallow antifungal tablets.

If you wear dentures, an antifungal cream can be applied to the affected area of the roof of the mouth and to the bottom of the dentures. Antifungal lozenges are also effective. 

Antifungal medicines used to treat oral thrush include:

  • miconazole
  • nystatin
  • fluconazole
  • clotrimazole
  • econazole

If antibiotics or corticosteroids are thought to be causing your oral thrush, the medicine, or the way it is delivered, may need to be changed or the dosage reduced.

Good dental hygiene and not smoking are also recommended.

Some antifungal medications should not be used if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking other medications. Always seek advice from your GP or pharmacist before taking antifungal medicines.

Side effects

Possible side effects of antifungal medicines include:

  • nausea (feeling sick)
  • tummy pain
  • diarrhoea 
  • headache
  • indigestion

See the topic about Antifungal medicines for more information about this type of treatment.

Last reviewed: 01/08/2012

Next review due: 01/08/2014

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5 Comments

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Comments are personal views. Any information they give has not been checked and may not be accurate.

squirrell said on 15 April 2013

Hi just had thrush for the last 3 weeks now had stuff to coat my tongue,but keeps coming back again going to drs again to get some thing else never had this before its horrid

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Black Kat said on 07 April 2013

I've a raft of autoimmune/rheumatic conditions incl lupus & Sjogren's Syndrome & had my 1st ever bout of purely oral thrush 2-1/2 years ago. For whatever reason, I've ended up having to stay on antifungal meds chronically ever since & at this point in time it would appear it's getting resistant to the last line of treatment my GP has to throw at it, & I'm concerned as to how I'm ever going to be rid of it!!! I'm also chronically and badly underweight so, am also concerned what will happen if this kicks off enough to once again stop me eating :(.

If's a miserable condition & it would appear that it's great if you have a one-off episode which responds quickly to treatment, but tough if you end up wtih it chronically as I have, as there then doesn't appear to be very many other avenues of treatment available. I've tried 3 systemic meds & 2 localised and apparently there's nothing else left to try :(.

Would love to hear if anyone else has a similar story & has managed to beat it eventually!!

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Ytterbia said on 05 July 2011

My attack of thrush was caused by taking a new antibiotic. I needed some help to decide whether to treat it or just suffer it till the antibiotics are finished. So, since you have advised seeking medical advice before taking anti-fungal medicines, I have decided to wait a few days then see my GP if it doesn't clear up. Thank you.

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Jenny Dobson said on 27 September 2010

This page has recently been reviewed and updated following user feedback and now includes information for non-denture wearers.

NHS Choices content team

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donrem49 said on 16 August 2010

What about people who do not have dentures! What treatment are they supposed to have?

The advice here is useless. I don't wear dentures yet have my first and a bad attck of oral thrush. I came here looking for some information and got advice on how to keep my dentures clean - rubbish.

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Oral thrush and HIV or AIDS

If you have HIV or AIDS and you develop oral thrush, this may be treated slightly differently. See the links below for more information.

  • Link to gov.uk – The new place to find government services and information
  • The Information Standard - Certified member