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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staff
Rest often the only treatment
Most people with acute valley fever don't require treatment. Even when symptoms are severe, the best therapy for otherwise healthy adults is often bed rest and fluids — the same approach used for colds and the flu. Still, doctors carefully monitor people with valley fever.
Antifungal medications
If symptoms don't improve or become worse or if you are at increased risk of complications, your doctor may prescribe an antifungal medication, such as fluconazole. Antifungal medications are also used for high-risk people or for those with chronic or disseminated disease.
In general, the antifungal drugs fluconazole (Diflucan) and itraconazole (Sporanox) are used for all but the most serious forms of coccidioidomycosis disease. All antifungals can have serious side effects. However, these side effects usually go away once the medication is stopped. The most common side effects of fluconazole and itraconazole are nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. More serious infection may be treated initially with an intravenous antifungal medication such as amphotericin.
These medications control the fungus, but sometimes don't destroy it, and relapses may occur. For many people, a single bout of valley fever results in lifelong immunity, but the disease can be reactivated, or you can be reinfected if your immune system is significantly weakened.
- Coccidiodomycosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/coccidioidomycosis_t.htm. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Galgiani JN. Primary coccidioidal infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Galgiani JN, et al. Management of pulmonary sequelae and complications of coccidioidomycosis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Coccidioidomycosis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch180/ch180f.html. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Coccidioidomycosis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/178982054-6/0/2088/150.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00012-5--sc0190. Accessed Jan. 20, 2010.
- Ampel NM. Coccidioidomycosis: A review of recent advances. Clinics in Chest Medicine. 2009;30:241.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. January 26, 2010.
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