Miconazole
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Miconazole is an antifungal drug, a type of pharmaceutical used for skin infections, including athlete's foot, jock itch, and vaginal yeast infections.[1] It is also used for ringworm[2] Miconazole is available over the counter. It is sold under the brand names Desenex, Femizol, Fungold, Lotrimin, Micatin, Monistat, Ting, and Zeasorb.
Contents
Form, Route, and Dosage
"Miconazole comes as a cream, lotion, powder, spray liquid, and spray powder to be applied to the skin. It also comes as a cream and suppository to be inserted into the vagina. Miconazole is usually used once or twice a day for 1 month for athlete's foot or 2 weeks for other skin infections. For vaginal infections, it is used once a day at bedtime for 3 (Monistat-3) or 7 (Monistat-7) days."[3]
Risks
Side Effects
Some patients taking this medication might experience side effects, including:[4]
- increased burning, itching, or irritation of the skin or vagina
- stomach pain
- fever
- foul-smelling vaginal discharge
As a Pollutant
Because humans and animals often do not fully metabolize pharmaceuticals in their body, they can excrete drugs or their breakdown products, which may the enter the environment.[5]
In Sewage Sludge
Miconazole has been found in sewage sludge. In the Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey, a 2009 test of 84 samples of sewage sludge from around the U.S., the EPA found miconazole in 80 samples (95%) in concentrations ranging from 14.2 to 9,210 parts per billion.[6] There are no federal regulations governing how much of this drug may be present in sewage sludge applied to land as fertilizer.
Articles and resources
Related SourceWatch articles
References
- ↑ Miconazole: MedlinePlus Drug Information, Accessed August 31, 2010.
- ↑ Antifungal (Miconazole) Top: Dosage, Uses, and Warnings, Accessed September 3, 2010.
- ↑ Miconazole: MedlinePlus Drug Information, Accessed August 31, 2010.
- ↑ Miconazole: MedlinePlus Drug Information, Accessed August 31, 2010.
- ↑ O.A.H. Jones, N. Voulvoulis, and J.N. Lester, Human Pharmaceuticals in Wastewater Treatment Processes, Environmental Science and Technology, 2005.
- ↑ Targeted National Sewage Sludge Survey Report, US EPA website, Accessed August 28, 2010.
