Toenail Fungus- sorry

[ameliagrey]

Anyone found a product that works?
I tried Clearanail for ages and it didn't.

Anyone?
Don't want to take systemic meds.

why don't you want systemic meds?

You need to get that paint on stuff from the GP; I think it can take 6 months or more to clear

you can buy the paint on stuff at the chemists- I have tried one sort and need to have recommendations for others!

I don't want to take anti fungals for 6 months for various reasons- one of which is they can cause liver damage and I have other medical issues that would make it risky.

oh, sorry

bumping for you

You need to get tablets from GP, works in a couple of weeks. Otherwise you will have it for months and months if not years. Trust me

I was 4 weeks with the tablets not 6 months

I'm three months into a 6 month course, but I had to have my liver function tested a couple of weeks ago. I'd left mine for a couple of years while, and it spread a bit, so it's taking a bit longer to clear. The Curanail stuff didn't work at all.

Dh's GP wouldn't treat his fungal nail infection - apparently it is now a cosmetic condition and as such can only be treated privately.

You can get free treatment for toenail fungus, the gp is fobbing you off because the paint on lacquers take up to two years to work (depends how long it takes your nail to grow from root to tip) and the tablets cost £45ish a month to prescribe.

A lot of doctors (am podiatrist) will try and scare patients with tales of liver failure or as in one case mutant children (patient was over 70 and told me he and his wife considered themselves to be safe from pg now) but then grudgingly prescribe a 6month course with no follow up liver function test, which shows how worried they really are. And if you get a tummy upset off them and dont take the whole course they cant be re-prescribed to someone else so it's a lot of money wasted.

I had some patients have success with krystal klear, I think it will come up on google.

The paint on stuff is rubbish and a PITA. I was when my big toe nail fell off but then a nice new uninfected one grew underneath and its all gone now. I wouldnt suggest pulling your toenails off tho!

Fluffy - does it really take 6 months for the tablets to work? I think I may have an infection of my toenail but assumed I would need to see a chiropodist rather than GP?

I have suffered with this for years on several toe nails. Started after a long hot summer where I spent a lot of time in riding boots. I find it very embarrassing as it looks grim, it is painful too as the nails are thickened.

None if the topical treatments have worked at all. My GP wouldn't give me antibiotics as she said they had nasty side effects and were (her words) "like using a sledge hammer to crack a nut".

I would dearly like to get rid of it but my GP would need some persuading and I'm not sure I like the idea of taking antibiotics for 6 months .

my DH has this problem: out of interest what kind of tablets are they?

Can't you go to a chiropodist and get your toenail removed?

Chiropodist my cuts nails right back. It's horrible because (TMI alert) the thickest ones seem to have developed a blood supply within the thick bit so they bleed and it is painful when she cuts them- so she uses a sort of whizzing file thing but it still hurts a bit.

She tried removing my big tie nail. It made things worse as when the nail grew back it was still infected but didn't reattach to the bed very well as it grew up so it was ok at the bottom and loose at the top. It has reattached a little better over time thank goodness.

They really are a mess, I keep them scrupulously clean but they make me feel dirty. I would dearly love to fix them.

There are at least 2 different systemic drugs that will get rid of it. Sporanox and Lamisil. See a GP to discuss your options.

I read on the internet, unsure where now, about rubbing some vicks vapour rub on the infected nail every night can work. I'm on a tablet from the dr but also trying the vick and they do look better. May be the perscription drugs are working but I did the Vicks thing first and it did seem to make a difference on just the vicks.

There is meant to be a similar ingredient in fungal treatments and the vicks. My toenails went greyish first but seemed to grow back better within a month or two. I thought it was worth a try because I was pg and unable to take most things.

TeaTree Oil is a good natural antifungal (and anti-bacterial) but has to be applied daily.
Loceryl Laquer applied weekly but alot of GPs want a nail scraping and culture done which can take weeks.Unfortunately alot of GPs view a fungal nail as cosmetic and in these days of cutbacks and costcutting...

There's a new Laser treatment available.No idea how much it costs and I'd imagine it's only private clinics that would offer this service.

Cider Vinegar is also thought to be a great anti-fungal, lots of google hits for vinegar treating toenail fungal infection.

There is no way I am taking meds for 6 months for my toe nail- as I said upthread I have other issues which mean I have to be careful.

I have tried Tea tree oil before. The nail is not severely affected- only about half of it- and again, no way would I have it removed- ouch and double ouch!

I think I will have another go with both tea tree oil and some OTC paint on stuff- I know it takes ages to work but the nail has been like this for years so no difference!

I cured mine with Vicks Vaporub, no joke. It was only at the top 1/4 of the nail though. I did loads of research online and at the library and found out that some essential oils are extremely anti-fungal (and are dangerous to use therefore not generally available to buy). I can't remember which oil it is without going over my research but it is one of the ingredients in Vicks Vaporub. You do have to use it until the nail is grown out though. I also tried tea tree oil which has some effect but is not as effective as the vicks.

I have an infected big toe nail, which luckily seems to be responding to Curanail, which I bought off Amazon for several pounds less than in the chemist.

I read that the infection is often (but not always) by the same fungus that causes Athletes' Foot, so I treated both feet with Lamisil Once, and spray my feet and trainers regularly with Mycil powder, to prevent reinfection.

I tried tea tree oil, the paint on stuff, vicks etc and none of them did anything. The tablets are the only thing that works, sorry.

You could try aloe Vera gel, which is very natural. I would also recommend going to a homeopath. I know a very good one based in Wimbledon.

Hope this is helpful.

What you have to remember is that the tablets are anti fungal not antibiotics which are anti bacteria.

The side effects are not much different from an antibiotic such as fluoxacillin.

If they were that nasty they wouldnt be produced in the first place would they? Sporanex pulse is taken for, iirc, 3 weeks then one week off then another 3 weeks on cycle.

I have noticed that patients who are retired GP's seem to find it quite easy to get prescribed anti fungal tablets whereas retired people their age dont. Strange that.

If you have a nail removed and destroyed at the root using phenol (carbolic acid) then it will not grow back, if you dont destroy them they grow back deformed due to the trauma of the op. It's not a rough operation but the action of surgically removing it damages the cells that grow the nail forever.

You have to remember the GP's have a budget and see lamisil and the like as expensive.

Always question what health professionals tell you (even podiatrists) as patients do get lied to, usually to deflect them away from the cold hard truth that they cannot have xyz due to cost.

Tea tree is useless for fungal nails ime but some patients tell me it worked for them, it works in the petri dish if you drop it on the fungas neat but when it's growing in the nail keratin it seems to offer some natural protection to the turpinols in the oil. And it stinks when your treating the feet. That and Dettoll (wtaf?) are the two most common things I smell on patients feet.