Brief Answer:
Each of the infections you mentioned above have a specific cure

Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.

The reason why certain medications treat only certain infections or problems is that they are specifically designed to kill either yeast or bacteria, not both. I'm going to review some basic pharmacology with you to help answer your question.

Yeast infections are caused by a fungus called Candida albicans which normally lives in the vagina in small amounts but can take over the probiotics (good bacteria) in the vagina and produce symptoms like itching, burning, and thick white discharge. Miconazole nitrate is one of many antifungal medications that will work against yeast. Other examples of antifungal medications include: miconazole, terconazole, and clotrimazole.

Bacterial vaginosis is caused by a bacteria called Gardnerella Vaginalis. It is also present in the vagina in small amounts in normal women, however if the specific type of bacteria predominates, it can cause discharge and odor as a symptom. Because bacterial vaginosis is caused by bacteria, which is a different kind of organism than yeast, it requires an actual antibiotic for treatment. The most common antibiotic used to treat bacterial vaginosis is Flagyl, or or metronidazole either in a vaginal gel or pill form. Metronidazole also kills certain types of parasites, but it is not effective against yeast.

Hydrocortisone is an anti-inflammatory medication that does not contain any type of antibiotic or antifungal. It makes itching from inflamed tissue feel better, and will reduce inflammation. Hydrocortisone is used mostly to treat itching from rashes, bites, allergic reactions, and other types of tissue irritation. It does not kill bacteria or yeast and therefore will not cure a vaginal infection. However, it can be applied externally to treat the itching from a vaginal infection.

So in summary, different drugs are designed specifically to kill different types of organisms or treat different diseases. Because all these medications are in different classes- yeast is a fungus, and BV is caused by bacteria – different medications need to be used to treat them as individual problems.

I hope that I was able to adequately answer your question today, and that this information was helpful. If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Best wishes,

Dr. Brown

---