Toenail Fungus

[Flybye]

I have been told by a pharmacist (my hubby) and a PA (our buddy) that toenail fungus lies within the bed of the toenail and that treating it with Vicks or Teatree oil won't work because it does not get to the root of the problem. They suggest oral Lamasil or other orals.

Anyone out there with long term success treating this? What did you use? Was it successful? Do you still use it? Has the problem returned?

I don't have it bad, just a smidge on my big toes.

Thanks -

[Grog]

I thankfully don't have personal experience, but I have friends who have had this and my father-in-law is a dermatologist (although that doesn't make me any more knowledgeable).

I'm afraid your pharmacist is right, and it does take a long time to get rid of it completely. Whatever treatment is prescribed to you, you have to take completely, even if you think you don't need it anymore, because if you don't the risk of recurrence is much higher.

It can be months (or more.....) before you get rid of it.

I can't think of how Vicks or oil would have any effect on this, sorry...

[Tokie]

I took a phamacology class in my master's program with the Nurse Practitioner students. The NP teaching the class told us of a story of a young (50's) man living in a nursing home with severe liver disease - turns out, it was from the (much advertised to the public) presciption oral medication used to treat nailbed fungus. (read the precautions, it is one of the risks) And after you finish the treatment (hopefully without liver damage) the fungal infection can still come back. In my book, that's not a risk worth taking! My motto is, even if there is only a slight risk of a complication, if you're the one it happens to, it's 100% for you. Tokie

[alpinerabbit]

I think oral tretament is going too far.

I've had excellent success (had it once, never came back) with a topical antifungal called Loceryl (active principle Amorolfin) here in Switzerland. It's in the form of a nail polish, and comes as a pack with dedicated antiseptic wipes and emery boards.

You file off as much as you can of the affected nail (do this in a place that you can clean, such as the bathtub, then flush the debris down), toss the emery board, then wipe (including fingers), then apply the polish (every 2-3 days) and rinse and repeat (the filing, you do less often, maybe every 2-3 weeks) until the lesion has grown out.

Tea tree oil has anti-bacterial properties, possibly antifungal I guess, but likely not strong enough to get rid of those nasty buggers.

[michelem]

My dermatologist advised against the oral (Lamasil?). She said if I opted to try it I'd have to be routinely tested for liver function and that it takes up to a year to know if it works or not (in her experience, it's not very effective). Also, it is rarely covered by insurance and is very expensive. I've just learned to live with it, meaning I never wear open-toe shoes! :rolleyes:

[ClockworkOrange]

A couple of years ago, my partner had fungus on his big toes.

My friend recommended Gehwol med. Protective Nail and Skin Oil

It really did work, what I remember it took a couple of weeks but it never returned.

http://www.thinknatural.com/products/115498/Gehwol-med-Protective-Nail-and-Skin-Oil-15ml.htm

http://e-collagen.eu/product_info.php?products_id=86&osCsid=0e96ab981f18c63d951259d0b5197ae0

I bought mine on eBay and it was not too expensive.

Good luck :)

Clock

[alpinerabbit]

ps. is your affected area really the nail bed?
I was lucky mine was under the front edge - accessible to DIY filing - you might have to go to a medical pedicure to do this.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Try wearing more open-toed shoes during the summer. Eliminate as much 'hot sweaty enclosed toe' situations as possible.

[michelem]

P.S. Be careful with the Tea Tree oil. Turns out I am allergic and got a nasty, oozy rash when I tried it for something else. It looked and felt like a poison oak reaction -- OWCH! :eek:

[Biciclista]

I second what Bleekerst Giril says. be barefoot as much as you can.
I have a son with hot feet, and he used to have problems with fungus.
Now he wears shoes as infrequently as possible, and sandals too.
He now has nice toenails and he's not been on medication since he was a kid (and he's 27)

[Tuckervill]

DH struggles with toenail fungus. He took Lamisil (insurance did not cover it). It did go away, but only with a strict regimen of spraying every single pair of his shoes every single night with Tinactin. It recurs because your shoes contain the fungus, and it gets under your nails again. He tried putting vinegar on them all the time, and lots of other things over the years. He had a biopsy of his nail at the podiatrist, so she could narrow down the infection and treat it specifically. It came back negative for anything but fungus, and therefore, Lamisil. The only thing that has made a difference is killing the fungus in the shoes.

He has his liver enzymes monitored regularly for another medication he is on. There was no change while he was on the Lamisil. It is something to be aware of, though.

Karen

[Pax]

Too many years of lifeguarding, teaching swimming, and and spending forever competing in the pool have left me with wicked toenail fungus, the doc says the only thing that might work is lamisil...not worth it to me, I refuse to risk damaging my liver just to have pretty toes. When I'm at the pool people can just not look if they don't like it.

[Dazeepetals]

As a pharmacist myself, I'm going to agree with your Hubby and Friend that the only cure for fungal nail infections is oral antifungals. Another option besides Lamasil, and potentially less toxic, is Sporanox. You have to take it for a minimum of 3 months and be followed carefully by your MD. We use it alot in my cancer patients to prevent and treat bad fungal infections they can get from being immunosuppressed. Another non-systemic treatment option for mild to moderate fungus infection is a paint-on medication called Penlac. You basically paint it on the daily, but you need to follow up with your doctor frequently to have the unattached nail (infected parts) removed. It can take almost a year to really cure the fungus. Just another option for those who don't want to take medications orally.

Hope that helps some!!

Starla

[ClockworkOrange]

Nobody responded to Gehwol med. Protective Nail and Skin Oil.

Is it because you have not heard of it before, or it is not adviseable?

I only ask because my partner found it to be so successful, likewise my friend did, who recommended it to us.

Clock

[Dazeepetals]

Nobody responded to Gehwol med. Protective Nail and Skin Oil.


I've never heard of it. It may not be available over here in the US. I mean, you can buy Tylenol with codeine (paracetamol plus codeine) over the counter over in England, so we likely don't have many of the same products over here.

[OakLeaf]

I've never heard of the Gehwol product, but it's available on drugstore.com.

The ingredient list is: Isopropyl Myristate, Isopropyl Palmitate, Cocamide DEA, Alcohol Denat., Wheat Germ Oil (Triticum Vulgare), Laureth 2, Clotrimazol, Propylene Glycol, Panthenol, Bisabolol, Parfum (Fragrance), Undecylenamide MEA, Linalool

Clotrimazole is a common OTC pharmaceutical antifungal in the US.

But Clock, your message suggests that your partner had the fungus on the skin of his toes? Or was it under his toenails? It's the nail fungus that's so stubborn....

[Flybye]

I have been reading all of your post and hope that this is all helpful for others- I am still checking everything out - thanks and carry on :cool:

[ClockworkOrange]

But Clock, your message suggests that your partner had the fungus on the skin of his toes? Or was it under his toenails? It's the nail fungus that's so stubborn....

Yes, see what you mean!

The toenails where very discoloured and just not nice to look at!

He had tried other creams etc but this was the only one to get rid of it. This was about two years ago and it never came back.

I found several pics on the net of 'fungussy toes' but I just could not face posting them! :rolleyes: Think it's me, I really do not like looking at feet, especially toes. :D

Clock

[badger]

I've never heard of it. It may not be available over here in the US. I mean, you can buy Tylenol with codeine (paracetamol plus codeine) over the counter over in England, so we likely don't have many of the same products over here.

actually, we can get Tylenol 1 here in Canada without prescription. Same with some cough syrup with codeine. You have to get it at the pharmacy counter, but no Dr. visit required.