Itraconazole: Uses, How It Works, Medicines
Itraconazole is a prescription antifungal taken by mouth for some fungal infections of the nails, skin and body. It must be taken only on a doctor's advice. It can worsen heart failure and can interact with many medicines, so tell your doctor about all your medicines and any heart problems.
Also known as: Itraconazole capsule, Itraconazole 100 mg, Itraconazole 200 mg, Sporanox, Itrasys
Pharmacist review in progress. This page is based on the sources listed below and is being checked by our registered pharmacist.
How does Itraconazole work?
Itraconazole blocks the fungus from making ergosterol, a substance its outer membrane needs. The fungal cells then cannot grow properly, so the infection can clear.
How to take Itraconazole
Follow the label or your doctor's advice. Itraconazole capsules are usually taken straight after a full meal and swallowed whole, because food helps the body absorb them. Your doctor decides the dose and how long.
Side effects of Itraconazole
Many people take itraconazole without serious problems. Some side effects are common and mild, but some need urgent medical help.
Uncommon or mild
- Nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or diarrhoea
- Headache
- Rash or itching
- Swelling of the ankles or feet (oedema)
- Dizziness
Rare but serious: get medical help
- Shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, a fast or irregular heartbeat or sudden tiredness (possible heart failure). Get medical help and tell your doctor immediately
- Yellow skin or eyes, dark urine, pale stools, severe tiredness or loss of appetite (possible liver problems)
- Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
- Hearing loss or changes in hearing
- Severe skin reaction, blistering or hives, or swelling of the face or throat. Get medical help immediately
Who should be careful
Itraconazole needs special care in some people.
When the label says not to use it
- Heart failure or a history of heart failure, when it is used for a nail infection
- Allergy to itraconazole or any ingredient of the capsule
- Taking certain medicines that are contraindicated with it (your doctor and pharmacist will check)
- Heart failure: the label has a boxed warning that it can reduce the heart's pumping strength and should not be used for nail infection in people with heart failure or a history of it; stop and seek help if heart failure signs appear
- Liver disease: serious liver problems have occurred, even in the first week; a doctor may check liver tests
- Low stomach acid or taking acid-reducing medicines: absorption of the capsule can fall, so a doctor may change the plan
- Capsules and oral solution are not interchangeable
- Pregnancy: can harm an unborn baby; women who can become pregnant need effective contraception during and after treatment as the doctor advises
- Breastfeeding: it passes into breast milk; ask your doctor
- Children: safety and benefit have not been established
- Tell any doctor or dentist who treats you that you are taking it
Medicines and things that interact with Itraconazole
Itraconazole interacts with a very large number of medicines. Tell your doctor and pharmacist about everything you take, including herbal remedies.
- Medicines that must not be taken with it include some heart rhythm medicines (for example quinidine, dofetilide), methadone, pimozide, ergot medicines for migraine, and cholesterol medicines such as simvastatin and lovastatin; this is only a partial list
- Antacids, H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors: they lower itraconazole absorption from the capsule
- Some blood thinners, immune-suppressing medicines and cancer medicines: levels can change
- Other heart medicines such as felodipine: the risk of side effects rises
- Alcohol: ask your doctor, because both can stress the liver
If someone takes too much
Taking more than prescribed can cause serious heart and liver effects. Call 112 or go to the nearest hospital and take the pack with you.
Regulatory status in India
Approved for sale in India as a prescription antifungal capsule. Single-ingredient itraconazole does not appear in the CDSCO list of medicines banned under section 26A of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act. Fixed-dose combinations that contain itraconazole with other ingredients are treated differently, so check the ingredient list on the pack.
Type of medicine
Itraconazole belongs to this type of medicine.
Medicines that contain Itraconazole
These medicines sold in India contain Itraconazole. They are listed A to Z, not ranked.
- Itrasys 100 · 100 mg capsule
What is Itraconazole used for?
Medicines that contain Itraconazole are used for these conditions.
Other medicines of the same type
These active ingredients are of the same type as Itraconazole.
Common questions
Is itraconazole a prescription medicine?
Yes. It should be taken only if a doctor has prescribed it and should not be started, stopped or changed without the doctor's advice, because of its effects on the heart and liver and its many interactions.
Why must itraconazole capsules be taken after a meal?
The body absorbs the capsule best straight after a full meal, and less when taken on an empty stomach or with acid-reducing medicines. Swallow the capsule whole and follow the pack or your doctor's instructions.
Can people with heart problems take itraconazole?
Itraconazole can weaken the heart's pumping action. The label warns against use for nail infections in people with heart failure or a history of it. Tell your doctor about any heart problem or swollen ankles, breathlessness or heart medicine.
Sources
- Sporanox (itraconazole) capsules: prescribing information (Janssen). DailyMed, US National Library of Medicine
- ATC/DDD Index: J02AC02 itraconazole. WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology
- List of drugs prohibited for manufacture and sale through gazette notifications under section 26A of the Drugs & Cosmetics Act 1940. Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO)