Limit Dose, Time On Boric Acid

OB/GYN News,  Jan 15, 2000  by Barbara Baker

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SANTA FE, N.M. -- Boric acid can be a useful treatment for vaginal candidiasis, but its potential toxicity needs to be kept in mind, Dr. Benson J. Horowitz said at the International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease World Congress.

When giving boric acid for vaginal candidiasis, whether by intravaginal gel, capsule, or suppository, the absolute maximum dose is 600 mg twice a day for 14 days "and no more," stressed Dr. Horowitz, head of the society's vaginitis committee.

"There is a skull and cross bones on the box of boric acid. Never forget that," he warned.

Boric acid is a poisonous heavy metal. A 5-to 6-g oral dose is enough to cause death in an infant. The chemical is easily absorbed when the skin is broken, but even intact skin can absorb it. Powdering an infant with boric acid can be fatal, noted Dr. Horowitz of the University of Connecticut, Farmington.

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