evidence: Candidiasis is a fungal infection caused by an overgrowth of yeast in your body. Healthy bacteria help balance the amount of yeast and disruption of this balance leads to an infection. Antifungal medications treat candidiasis and clear the infection between two days to two weeks, depending on severity. [...] Yes, you can take over-the-counter antifungal medicines to treat yeast infections, but the success of over-the-counter medicine is dependent on knowing which type of yeast you are trying to treat. This can be difficult to identify without visiting your healthcare provider who will perform a culture test of the infection and give you a specific plan catered to treat your infection. [...] Treatment for candidiasis is extremely effective. Symptoms are bothersome but will start to fade after treatment begins and infections will clear up completely between two to three days or up to two weeks, depending on the type and severity of infection. If left untreated, symptoms of candidiasis will cause irritation and discomfort and could increase in severity over time. Sometimes candidiasis will return after treatment, so it's best to work with your healthcare provider on a treatment plan to target the specific type of yeast that caused the overgrowth on your body and follow through on treatment as directed.