Nizoral (Ketoconazole)

Nizoral is a medicine used to treat certain serious fungal infections in your blood and body. These infections are called candidiasis, candiduria, blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, chromomycosis, and paracoccidioidomycosis.

Nizoral can cause serious or even fatal liver damage. Your doctor will monitor your liver function before and after you start taking Nizoral. Tell your doctor right away if you experience unusual tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, yellowing of your skin or whites of your eyes, dark urine, or pale stools. Nizoral can cause serious irregular heartbeat when it is taken with astemizole, cisapride, or terfenadine. Nizoral can cause serious allergic reactions. Tell your doctor or seek emergency help right away if you develop difficulty breathing, tightness in your chest, swelling of your eyelids, face, or lips, or rash. Nizoral requires acidity to be dissolved. Tell your doctor if you have a condition of absent or no gastric acid production in the stomach (achlorhydria). Take antacids or other medications that lower the acid in your stomach at least 2 hours after taking Nizoral. You can dissolve Nizoral in an acidic solution (hydrochloric acid) as directed by your doctor. Nizoral can lower your testosterone or corticosteroid (natural substances found in the body that help fight inflammation) levels. Your doctor will monitor you for this. Do not take more Nizoral than prescribed by your doctor. Take Nizoral as prescribed by your doctor for the full course of treatment, even if symptoms improve earlier. Do not skip doses. Complete the full course of Nizoral. Skipping doses or not completing the full course of Nizoral can decrease its effectiveness and can make the infection harder to treat in the future.