Terbafine anti-fungal oral drug for fungal toe-nails

[TooManyMiles]

The GP said that the treatment which is like a lacquer applied externally does not work, and only recommended terbafine taken internally.

Has anyone tried this?
Did it work?
Did you have side-effects?

Does anyone know of any alternative/non-Western Medicine effective treatment?

I got a lot of improvement with one toe only by using tea tree oil twice a day - rubbed in well all over the nail and skin. It took months and months. Cut the nail as close to the skin as you can. Smear tea tree oil under it a s much as you can. Leaving nail varnish off, though I did and do use it when toes are on show. Going barefoot when possible to allow skin and nails to breathe. I don't wear tights often- usually wool socks or cotton socks.

Toomanymiles 😮 how many pairs shall we purchase lol!

I don't know, Sprinkle, they're tempting!

I took a six month course of the tablets years ago (never had any blood tests), and it cleared up my two infected nails, although one of them never looked quite like my other nails. I started getting athletes foot again probably about ten years later, and then about a year later new nail infections. I hate them, and really wanted the tablets but the doctor would only give me the lacquer to try for 4 months. I used this religiously, with literally no improvement, but have since been pregnant or breastfeeding so haven’t been back to the doctors about it. I would so love a solution, but my athletes foot is chronic now and I really struggle to get rid of it with topical treatments, so I kind of feel there is no point taking the tablets as it will just come back eventually. I might give the tea tree a go though!

Thank you very much for telling of your experience Busy. It is frustrating that it still came back for you, and interesting that the next doctor did not want you to have another dose.

Have you tried getting shoes which don't pinch? I think my toes got crushed by a dropped instep causing my foot to roll inwards. This created pressure on the toes which damaged the nail and let the infection in. I am not going to risk any tight shoes and am going to get a good orthotic to put in them.

Maybe try changing to natural fibre tights or socks, and always wearing clean, disinfected ones? One poster mentioned the importance of scrupulous cleaning of all implements and clothes, and someone mentioned tights being culprits.

(I read that non cotton gussets in tights are bad for thrush and candida too, so the tight nylon around the toes must make the fungus more likely to grow.)

I've got Eucalyptus oil too, as I read some people had found improvement with Vicks Vapour Rub.

I am also going to order a UV c light intended for curing nail varnish, as some have suggested.

Another step is to try daily soaking (30mins) in vinegar when I can find the right foot-sized container (I think a normal washing up bucket would use too much vinegar over 6 months/1 year as I read "Add a cup of vinegar" to the water".)

I never expected so many replies. This thread is very helpful for me, not only for practical reasons, but because it is comforting to know how horrible other people find this condition to be.

Iodine is good too and fragonia oil. Wouldn't touch the pills. My wee one has awful ringworm all last Summer and we were worried we would have to use them...but perseverance paid off in the end.

Thank you for that tip shewolf. I had not heard of fragonia oil before.
Now since you said it I looked it up.

In doing so I saw another oil called "Thieves Oil" (called Fighting Five on a selling website). It is made from the essential oils of cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, lemon, and clove. Apparently grave robbers used to use it for protection during the Great Plague!

I have seen oregano essential oil mentioned too.

Warning: I was reading about using UV C light intended for setting gel nails after seeing suggestions to use it for a treatment for the fungal nails. Some advice regarding UV C is that it is unknown to what extent there might be a risk of skin cancer using it routinely. For this purpose it would need to be used everyday, so it might be a bad idea.

I was also nervous about the medicine and I tried this www.amazon.co.uk/ongles-fongique-Traitement-orteils-traitement/dp/B00KZDWL7W/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?keywords=oregano+oil+nail+fungus&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1520288108&sr=8-1 it's oregano oil, stinks like hell, very strong. The only thing is I didn't use the brush that comes with it I used cotton buds (not the plastic type!).

It worked for me. I cut the nail as short as I possibly could, getting rid of as much of the sick nail as possible. Then I put the oil on two or three times a day and it really worked for me. I used two bottles and it went over a period of around 6 months.

That is such encouraging information Twofish, thank you.

I admit I had no idea about the properties of these essential oils before reading posts on this thread. They brings a new world of possibilities.
Thank you everyone.

All my toe nails were infected (it spreads if not treated). The tablets were the only thing that worked. No ill effects, no recurrence several years down the line.

That is good to know they were cured and you had no ill effects ItsaSair. Out of interest had you tried any of the essential oils for 6 months first?

Also, looking back what do you think caused it with you for all your nails to get infected, was it just leaving it too long? That must have been upsetting. I saw somewhere for instance that immunosuppressants can lead to it happening, and bad fitting shoes can too.

I use oregano oil on mine and it is improving. Tea tree oil did nothing for months before i tried oregano oil. Now it's almost grown out.
I'm not sure i would chance stopping the oregano oil for a long time after it has appeared to grow out though

Yes, when it is cured I am going to be super careful for ever.

The paints are useless and a pisstaking waste of money. I had one which spread to 5. I was seen as a timewaster by the receptionists but literally was in agony in one foot. I had to file and cut them and they would bleed.
Terbinafine for 6 months sorted out 4 of them and the original one is still thick but not discoloured. I could go back on it but they can cause deranged liver function hence the tests and also it made me quite nauseous. Wish I'd done it sooner.

I am too scared for acrylic nails on my hands now though after seeing how nail fungus can spread like wildfire. I never wear socks at home, always let my feet breathe and if I go swimming I dry my feet and powder them.
I had a chronic infection with mine, I had no immunity at all. I am stronger now so maybe that's helped.

DH has bought a home laser treatment. You clip it on to your toe, leave for the allotted time, move it to the next one. You do this twice a day for about a month I think, then once a day.

Apparently it can take up to a year to work. He's only been using it about 3 weeks, so can't say if it's helping yet.