Amphotericin Health Dictionary

A highly toxic, polygenic antifungal drug that must be given only under close medical supervision and for severe systemic fungal infections (see FUNGAL AND YEAST INFECTIONS). It is not absorbed from the gut so is normally given parenterally (see PARENTERAL). Oral and intestinal candidiasis (see CANDIDA) can, however, be treated with amphotericin tablets.

n. an *antifungal drug that is used to treat deep-seated fungal infections. Common side-effects include headache, fever, muscle pains, and diarrhoea; more severe side-effects, such as kidney damage, can be reduced if the drug is administered in a lipid preparation (see liposome).