Itraconazole Oral: Dosing, Duration, and Precautions
Itraconazole guidance for histoplasmosis, penicilliosis, prophylaxis, and scalp dermatophytosis, with interaction and heart failure precautions.
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source date listed on the source page
Guide category
Oral drugs
Safety boundary
Prescription medicine information for clinician-guided use.
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Therapeutic action
Antifungal.
Indications
- Histoplasmosis and penicilliosis: treatment and secondary prophylaxis.
- Dermatophytosis of the scalp (tinea capitis).
Forms and strengths
- 100 mg capsule.
- Also comes in 50 mg/5 ml oral solution.
Dose and duration
Histoplasmosis (moderate symptoms)
- Child: 5 mg/kg once daily for 6 to 12 weeks.
- Adult: 200 mg 3 times daily for 3 days then 200 mg 1 to 2 times daily for 6 to 12 weeks.
Histoplasmosis (severe symptoms, disseminated form)
- Same treatment for 12 weeks, preceded by 1 to 2 weeks of treatment with amphotericin B.
Penicilliosis (moderate symptoms)
- Adult: 200 mg 2 times daily for 8 weeks.
Penicilliosis (severe symptoms)
- Same treatment for 10 weeks, preceded by 2 weeks of treatment with amphotericin B.
Secondary prophylaxis of histoplasmosis and penicilliosis
- Adult: 200 mg once daily as long as required.
Dermatophytosis of the scalp
- Child: 3 to 5 mg/kg once daily for 4 weeks.
- Adult: 200 mg once daily for 2 to 4 weeks.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
- Administer with caution and monitor use in patients over 60 years or with hepatic or renal impairment or congestive heart failure.
- May cause gastrointestinal disturbances, headache, severe skin reactions, anaphylactic reaction, hepatic disorders, paraesthesia, oedema, and cardiac failure. Stop treatment for anaphylactic reaction, hepatic disorders, or severe skin reaction.
- In prolonged treatment, monitor liver function.
- Do not combine with quinidine.
- Avoid or monitor combination with amiodarone, calcium-channel blockers, benzodiazepines, certain antiretrovirals, corticosteroids, warfarin, carbamazepine, and digoxin.
- Itraconazole efficacy may be reduced when combined with rifampicin, rifabutin, isoniazid, efavirenz, phenytoin, or phenobarbital.
- Do not administer simultaneously with aluminium or magnesium hydroxide; administer 2 hours apart.
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: avoid.
Source
MSF Essential drugs practical guidelines (January 2026)
This page combines source-derived medicine reference sections with Kenza editorial context, while leaving out the Storage and Remarks sections from the source batch.
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