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Miconazole vs. Tioconazole – Unveiling the Differences

Miconazole vs. Tioconazole – Unveiling the Differences

Fungi are found throughout the world, although most fungi don’t infect humans some species can infect humans and cause disease.

There are many types of fungal infections that can infect a person. The fungus infects when you are in contact with the fungal spores or fungus that are present in our environment.

Some of the most common fungal infections are those of nails, skin, and mucous membranes. Antifungal drugs are medications, that are used to treat or counter anti-fungal infections.

Generally, anti-fungal drugs or medications work mostly in two ways; killing fungal cells or protecting fungal cells from growing.

There are many anti-fungal medications present on the market. Miconazole and Tioconzaole are two of the few antifungal medications you can use for those fungal infections available.

Both antifungal medications carry a few distinctions, and you must know them before purchasing anyone of them.

Miconazole is an imidazole antifungal drug that is available over-prescription. Unlike Miconazole, the Tioconazole is a triazole antifungal drug.

This is just one difference between the Miconazole and Tioconazole, to know more about its distinction and facts was till the as I’ll be covering it below.

What’s miconazole?

Miconazole, sold under the brand name, Monistat is an anti-fungal medication that is used to treat yeast infections, ringworm,  pityriasis Versicolor.

Metronidazole and miconazole are drugs from separate classes. Miconazole is an antifungal while metronidazole is an antibiotic.

It is a broad-spectrum azole antifungal used to treat fungal infections of the vagina, mouth, and skin, including candidiasis.

Medical Uses

a person putting cream on their hand
It is often applied as a cream or ointment.

It is an imidazole that has been successfully used for over 30 years for the treatment of cutaneous and superficial diseases. The medicine may be used for other purposes as well, so must consult your health care provider or pharmacist.

It is used for ringworm of the body, feet (athlete’s foot), and groin (jock itch). It’s also applied to the skin as a cream or ointment.

Miconazole possesses two mechanisms: first, it involves inhibition of ergosterol synthesis. Secondly, it involves inhibition of peroxidases that result in the accumulation of peroxide within the cell which eventually results in cell death.

Side Effects

Miconazole is generally well tolerated, the oral gel can cause nausea, dry mouth, and a pleasant smell in about one to ten percent of people.

However, Anaphylactic reactions are rare and the drug prolongs the QT interval.

If you want to know, have a look at this video.

A video on the side effects of miconazole.

Chemical Specification

The miconazole has man chemical specifications that are presented in the table below.

FormulaC18H14Cl4N2O
Molar mass416.127 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)Interactive image
ChiralityRacemic mixture
Key specifications of miconazole

Brands & their Formulations

There are various miconazole brands, you can find. However, their formula varies depending on the brand and manufacturing laws.

These can be used for oral treatments. Remember to always consult a physician before taking any dosage for your treatment.

  • Daktarin in the UK
  • Fungimin Oral Gel in Bangladesh

For external skin treatment, brands namely; Zeasorb and Desenex are present in USA and Canada, Daktarin, Micatin, and Monistat-Derm in the Decocort in Malaysia, Daktarin Norway, Fungidal in Bangladesh, as well as in the UK, Australia, and Philippine and Belgium with the general formulation of.

  • Pessaries: 200 or 100 mg
  • Dusting powder: 2% powder with chlorhexidine hydrochloride
  • Topical cream: 2-5%

Miconazole Nitrate: How to use it?

Use it on the skin only, firstly thoroughly dry the area to be treated.

Apply this medication twice a day or as directed by the doctor, however, if you’re using its spray make sure to shake the bottle well before applying.

The period of treatment depends on the type of infection being treated and don’t use it more often than the prescribed condition will not be faster however the side effects may increase.

Apply this medication to cover the affected area and some surrounding skin as well.

Wash your hands after applying and don’t wrap or cover the affected skin unless directed to do so by your doctor.

Do not apply it to four eyes, nose, or mouth.

Use this medication regularly n order to get gain benefits.

Use the medication until the full prescribed amount is finished even if symptoms disappear.

Stopping too early may allow the fungus to grow and result in a relapse of the infection.

a doctor holding a stethoscope
The doctor’s consultation is very important before the use of miconazole

Is clotrimazole more effective than miconazole ?

Both of these anti-fungal medicines can be used to treat many types of fungal infections, however, they have varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the cause.

In dermatophytosis, the clotrimazole is more effective in recovery than clotrimazole as it recovers seventy-five percent in six weeks while clotrimazole recovers 56%.

However, in the candidiasis, both were effective however cure through clotrimazole showed more effectiveness, and the earlier response was noticed, with 40% cure in 6 weeks against the miconazole which gave 30% cure.

What’s a Tioconazole?

Tioconazole is an antifungal medication, used to treat infections caused by yeast or fungus

Other than treating infections, Tioconazole is used for another purpose, so do consult your pharmacist or doctor before use.

Tioconazole was patented in 1975 and was approved for use in 1982.

spilled pills
Tioconazole is an antifungal medication.

Side Effects

The side effect of the vaginal tioconazole may include irritation, burning to itching.

Other than that, abdominal pain, upper respiratory tract infection, difficulty or burning during urination, headache, and Vaginal swelling or redness.

a person scratching their legs
One of the common side effects of using this drug is itching.

Other uses

These may only be temporary and normally don’t interfere with patients.

Tioconazole preparations are also available for sun fungus, jock itch, ringworm, athlete foot, and tinea versicolor.

Tioconazole: How to use it?

The medicine is for use in the vagina, follow the following steps.

You must wash your hands before and after using this medicine.

Read the direction package carefully before using it. Use it at bedtime, unless directed by your doctor.

You must follow the product instructions of the application.

Consult your pediatrician about the use of medicine for children.

However, this medicine may be useful for girls as young as twelve years for some selected and specific conditions.

In case, if you have taken too much of the medicine, do contact an emergency room or poison control center at once.

Tioconazole VS Miconazole: Are they same?

Although both medications are antifungal and for the treatment of infections, both have a few differences between them.

Both Miconazole and Tioconazole are in the azole class of antifungals. The primary difference is the presence of a thiophene ring.

Generally, Miconazole is licensed more in antifungal applications than Tioconazole.

Miconazole is usually used for the treatment of filamentous fungi while tioconazole has good activity against yeast/single-cell fungi Candida.

Tioconazole Vs Miconazole: Which is better?

Both Tioconazole and Miconazole are antifungal medications and provide great results along with some side effects.

When it comes to their effectiveness, both have pretty similar effectiveness against vaginal yeast infection however tioconazole was slightly more effective than miconazole. Both drugs had some kind of side effects.

You must follow the direction of doctors before choosing any one of these.

Conclusion

Both miconazole and tioconazole are antifungal drugs used for the treatment of infections.

Despite the fact that both are similar, they have a few differences between them.

You must consult a doctor before any one of these medications and must read the directions carefully while applying.

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