What Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider About Toenail Fungus
If you have toenail fungus, you may find it helpful to ask your provider:
- What type of infection do I have?
- Do you recommend I treat it? Why or why not?
- How long will I need treatment?
- What steps can I take to stop it from coming back?
- Should I be aware of any potentially serious complications or treatment side effects?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Toenail fungus is an incredibly common infection that can be difficult to treat. The condition usually isnt painful, but it may make you feel self-conscious about how your foot looks. If it bothers you, talk to your provider about your treatment options. A trained specialist can provide guidance on whats most likely to address your concerns while protecting your overall health.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 12/17/2020.
References
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What Side Effects And Drug
The possible side effects of itraconazole include headaches, dizziness, stomach and bowel problems, and rashes. Itraconazole can also interact with a number of other drugs. These include cholesterol-reducing and blood-sugar-lowering medications, as well as certain sleeping pills. It is therefore important to let your doctor know about any medication you take. Itraconazole is not an option for people with heart failure . It also isnt suitable for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Terbinafine can cause gastrointestinal problems and a temporary loss of taste and smell. It can also interact with certain antidepressants and heart medications. Overall, terbinafine has far fewer drug-drug interactions than itraconazole. Nevertheless, its still important to tell your doctor if you are taking any other medication. As a precaution, this medication should not be taken during pregnancy or if you are breastfeeding.
The studies only rarely reported on how often the different side effects occurred. But most people tolerate nail fungus medications well. Only a few people in the studies stopped treatment because of side effects.
But there is a very small risk of liver damage from taking itraconazole or terbinafine. For this reason, people with a liver disease are only given these medications if its absolutely necessary.
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How Does Dmso Help With Toenail Fungus
If you are struggling with a persistent toenail fungus, choosing the right treatment can be tricky.
Would something over the counter for ringworm work? What ingredients should I look for in a product for toenail fungus? Is this something that you need to see a doctor about?
Read on to get some treatment options for toenail fungus, and learn why products with DMSO may be a good choice.
How Do Dermatologists Diagnose Nail Fungus
To find out if a patient has nail fungus, a dermatologist examines your nails and nearby skin. Its important to check the skin because the fungus can spread. You may already have a skin infection caused by fungus like athletes foot.
To get rid of the infection, you will need to treat all infected areas.
Before giving you the diagnosis, your dermatologist may also take some samples. Collecting a bit of debris from beneath a nail, trimming off part your nail, or scraping off a bit of skin can be very helpful. In a lab, these samples can be examined under a microscope to find out whats causing the problem.
Are you hiding an infected nail with nail polish?
Be sure to ask your dermatologist if you can wear nail polish while treating nail fungus.
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Staying One Step Ahead Of Toenail Fungus
An established fungal infection is hard to eradicate, but you can stop its spread and improve your toenail’s appearance.
Toenail fungus isn’t a pressing health problem. Yet a fungal infection can ruin the appearance of your nails and cause pain as it lifts the nail away from the nail bed. And fungal infections are notoriously difficult to get rid of. “You may want to consider fungal toenail a condition to be managed rather than cured,” says Dr. James P. Ioli, chief of the podiatry service at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
How Effective Are Topical Treatments
So far, only a few studies have looked into topical nail fungus treatments with nail polishes or creams. Because these studies had weaknesses, the results should be interpreted with caution. Amorolfine has not yet been well studied. Ciclopirox polish and treatment sets with urea and bifonazole cream were tested in a few studies.
Research on the effectiveness of nail polish containing ciclopirox showed that, after one year:
- About 10 out of 100 people who did not use ciclopirox no longer had a detectable fungal nail infection.
- About 32 out of 100 people who used ciclopirox no longer had a detectable fungal nail infection.
In other words, treatment with ciclopirox got rid of the fungal infection in about 22 out of 100 people. But even if the fungus had gone away, the cosmetic result wasnt always satisfying. The nails only looked healthy after treatment in 7 out of 100 people.
Treatment with sets containing urea and bifonazole cream was tested in one study. It was compared with a treatment in which only urea cream was applied and the nail was removed, but without applying bifonazole cream afterwards. Three months after treatment was completed, it was found that:
- No fungus was visible or detectable in about 41 out of 100 people who only used urea cream.
- No fungus was visible or detectable in about 51 out of 100 people who used both urea and bifonazole cream.
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Other Oral Medications That Are Available To Treat Toenail Fungus
Oral fluconazole for toenail fungus treatment
Oral fluconazole is another pill sometimes used to treat toenail fungus. But its not a great alternative to terbinafine and itraconazole. Its not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this use, and it doesnt work as well in head-to-head comparisons. Not only that, it needs to be taken once a week for at least 3 to 6 months.
Noxafil for toenail fungus treatment
A new medication used in the treatment of toenail fungus is posaconazole , a liquid taken by mouth. Noxafil appears to be an effective option, but the cost makes it difficult for anyone to afford.
My Personal Journey In Curing Nail Fungus For Good A Weekly Treatment Diary
This is a guest post series from a follower of the blog. The goal is to chronicle the various ways one person can treat and get rid of nail fungus for good. We hope you enjoy!
Week 1 Hi my name is John and if you are like me one day you looked down at your feet and thought wow my toenails look pretty gross. Could be at a pool party, walking on the beach or just wearing your flip flops out in public. For me I love training in martial arts. In the martial arts gym you are always barefooted. No shoes allowed! It was there one day that it hit me, amongst all these 20 somethings with clear nails my nails looked yellow and crusty. It was really embarrassing and I vowed to clear them up once and for all.
Nail fungus never really appears out of the blue its a gradual thing get a crack in your nail walk around the shower in the gym barefooted wearing your shoes constantly without letting you toes breath and next thing you know your nail start getting little cracks and discolored. My story is that I took a break with martial arts training to have a family and to work on my career and so after 5 years decided to starting training again. I never really cared what my feet looked like, however that changed when I got back into martial arts.
In the gym you are training in close quarters, whether you are grappling, wrestling or sparring so being clean and cleanliness in general is of a high concern. You dont want to be that guy that has terrible body odor or super bad breath
Week 2
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Cure Toenail Fungus In One Week Uae
An other explanation for this nail problems inability to be resolved effortlessly is the undeniable fact that nails increase at a slow rate.
It aids in the fight in opposition t the fungus from the inside out.
Wearing water-resistant sandals in public bathing areas helps to keep the space clean, which helps to evade reinfection.
Nail Fungus And Oral Treatments
Nail fungus infections could last a lifetime if they are just left alone. They can be just an unsightly presence in a persons daily life, but they can also bring pain and a lot of harm if the infection worsens and spreads.
This is where treatment comes in. People who suffer from finger and toenail fungus have different treatment options, the most popular of which is perhaps oral medicine. Oral treatments are medications taken by mouth. As such, the medicines work from the inside of the body to heal the outside, supposedly killing the nail fungus infection. These are usually considered when the nail fungus infection is from moderate to severe because they have systemic effect and are able to reach different parts of the body.
Oral anti-fungal treatments are said to have high effectiveness rate. However, they also have high risks. They may also come with side effects, and therefore they are not recommended for some nail fungus sufferers.
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Toenail Fungus Is Tricky
If you have a toenail fungus, it tends to take much longer to treat than, say, a skin fungus like ringworm. The difficulty with toenail fungus is that the fungus is living inside and underneath the nail itself, so just slathering on an OTC antifungal cream is unlikely to penetrate all the way through. Due to the tricky nature of toenail fungal infections, it is recommended to speak with a doctor to get a pharmaceutical-grade treatment for toenail fungus issues.
New Topical Medications For Fungal Nails Jublia And Kerydin
There are two new medications on the market that are used topically to kill nail fungus. Both of these medications, Kerydin® and Jublia®, work better than Ciclopirox and also work better than OTC medicines. But again, the fact that they work better doesnt mean they work well.
Kerydin® and Jublia® both work about 15% of the time. So again, better, but not great.
The other problem with Kerydin® and Jublia® is that they are very, very expensive. Close to $500 per month and you will need at least a 12 month supply for best results.
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Then Is A Quick Look At How To Check Your Nail Health
Nails are considered healthy when theyre candescent on the outside and free of cracks or chips on the edges. In the event your nails are fading to their original color or showing signs of shelling , you need to be apprehensive that its affecting your nail health.
1.Check the condition of your skin the first step is to determine whether your nail is infected or not. You need to check the skin thats attached to your nail. However, everything is fine, If the skin is in good condition and pink in color. On the other hand, if the skin is resolve or detached, also your nail is infected.
2.The shape of your toenailYou may also want to check the shape of yourtoenail. However, your nail is in good condition, If it stays position andsmooth.However, on the other hand, it appears bulbous or scoops inward,If. However, this is a sign of infection, If your toe appears like a ladle again.
3.Blood and Pain If your toe is infected with fungus, itll begin to deteriorate. Although this is a fairly slow process, pain is the first tell- talesign. However, anticipate bitsy driblets of blood to transude out from the sides of your nail, If effects get worse.
4.The change in natural color If the color of your nail has changed from white to pale unheroic, or indeed blench unheroic, its a sign of a fungal infection. Cracks and cracks on the nail face are also an index of the onset of infection.
What Other Conditions Can Be Mistaken For Fungal Nails
Here are some other conditions you may have instead of fungal nails:
Trichophyton
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What Is Toenail Fungus
Toenail fungus is an infection of the toenails with fungus, also called onychomycosis . There are many different kinds of fungus that can cause this problem, and just about all are susceptible to laser therapy.
Onychomycosis, the growth of fungi onto the toenails. These fungi are often found on your body and usually do not cause any problems. However, in your feet, the fungus can become an huge problem. These fungi use a component of your toenails, called keratin, for its food. It is literally – feasting on your toenail tissue. Did you know, you can contract fungus from someone else too?! Just like at a nail salon or from your spouse, if you are repeatedly exposed over a period of time. This fungus infection is also the same organism that can cause jock itch or athletes foot and even feminine yeast infections. It can be very uncomfortable.
The fungus infection happens when the fungi get in through the cracks in your toenails and start to invade on the toenail tissue that is in, on, or under the nail. Fungi love a warm, dark, moist environment and often finds that in your toenail. Fungi also thrive, particularly when you are active and when you sweat inside your shoes.
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Are There Home Remedies For Toenail Fungus
The Internet is filled with anecdotal information on how to cure toenail fungus using home remedies. Vinegar is a commonly recommended home remedy. Some people apply various oils such as tea tree oil, coconut oil, essential oils, and oil of cedar leaf to their nails as well. The effectiveness of these home remedies is highly doubtful. Application of household bleach and hydrogen peroxide is also not recommended due to lack of evidence that these treatments work. These agents can also cause unwanted skin irritation. Thickened nails that have been affected by fungus can be difficult to trim. Using topical urea cream will soften the nail and make it easier to trim. These creams do not require a prescription.
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What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture . Keep the bottle of ciclopirox topical solution in the package it came in, away from light.
Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medicines website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.
It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location â one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.