Fungal nail treatment recomendation

[returnvisit]

I have disgusting toenails.

Can anyone please recommend any of the off prescription treatments out there and tell me how quickly they work? Thanks

[Mumzy]

Wash feet nightly and dry lavish Vicks vapour rub onto toenails wear socks over them at bedtime. Takes about a week to clear

[yesbutnobut]

None of the over the counter treatments work in my experience. I spent a fortune on them before getting a prescription from my GP and it was sorted.

[Mumzy]

Also works well for athletes feet

[Kundry]

They don't work (10 years bitter experience). Prescription does.

[sinisterfish]

i used curanail when i had weird white tips on my nail that travelled down the side. worked quickly and well, cost lots though!

[SocksRock]

Over the counter stuff didn't work for me. Terbenafine from the GP is kicking it's ass right now. And pretty quickly as well, but mine were horrendous - GP said might take up to a year.

[ZaraW]

Lamisil worked for me, but you need a prescription. Took over 6 months for it to grow out.

[ActingBusy]

Both me and DS have fungal toenails, I have just one but DS has two and it's started spreading to a third toenail.

We've tried every over the counter and old wives tail solution we can get and nothing has worked.

The GP won't give DS tablets (he's only 10 and they won't give them to kids) so we are both having laser treatment here at an eye watering £500 each. They've pretty much guaranteed it will work.

[ActingBusy]

*tale. But if someone told me tail would work I'd try that too

[Defenbaker]

IME you need a multi pronged attack to cure this problem.

1. Keep feet clean and dry, expose them to the air as much as possible - ideally by wearing sandals/open toed shoes all the time. The fungus needs dark, damp conditions to thrive so make life difficult for it.
   
   
2. Apply neat tee tree oil on the affected nails, two or three times a week. Leave the oil to sink into the affected nails. (This was recommended by my mother's chiropodist.) You can also spread the oil onto any flaky looking skin around the nails to stop the infection travelling that route.
   
   
3. Regularly trim the nails, keeping the affected nails as short as possible - the less infected nail you have remaining, the smaller the colony of fungi will be. My father had one particular nail that resembled a mini rhino horn when I first tackled it, it was horribly misshapen, but I persisted in snipping parts off and filing it down, as I was determined to sort the problem (I used disposable gloves, to prevent any nasties getting into my nails). It took a few months using this combination of things, but Dad's nails are fine now.

[splodgeness]

None of the over the counter remedies or old wives tales things seem to work. The vicks trick makes it look better for a bit but it comes back as soon as you stop. The only cure is the tablets from the doctor, but they need to be taken with caution. It is an utter PITA.

[Cereal0ffender]

I got the paint in stuff from the doctor, it took months but it worked.

[ProfessorDent]

I also try Vicks Vapour Rub but agree that it makes it look better, doesn't quite cure it. It is also good with chalky looking nails.

Have a change of shoes, and alternate daily, let one pair dry out by radiator overnight. Maybe junk old shoes, over a year or so, as think of all the sweat that must have soaked into them over the months.

But I have no real solution - Yesbutnobut, do you remember the prescription you got that worked?

I asked the GP about it once, and she said 'Best to let nature take its course...' like, gee, thanks lady.

[magichandles]

None of the over the counter remedies worked for me either - 2 years later I went to the GP and got a prescription for terbinafine and it worked in the time it took my big toe nails to grown through, so I guess 6 months or so?

[Legionofboom]

I thought the problem with putting things on the nail was that the infection is actually under the nail.

DH is also on terbinafine from the GP and it seems to be working. Agree that it needs to be taken with caution though. He had to have blood tests 2 weeks into course of treatment to check his liver was not adversely affected and he's supposed to avoid direct sunlight.

[wanttosinglikemarycoughlan]

I used the paint on stuff for over a year
I filed the nails down x2 a week but it made no difference
One is really bad and painful as the nail is pushed up
2 are just on the edge of the nail
I am using vicks twice a day. They do look better so I am sad to read it doesn't work.I am trimming them down regularly
May try tea tree

[Whereisegg]

Vaporub worked for me.

[MeeWhoo]

Garlick, I used it after reading a thread here anf


d it worked. I rubbed it on the nails at night and slept with socks on, the rinsed it in the morning with apple cider vinegar (which is also antifungal). Within days you could see the affected area becoming smaller-less noticeable, although you still have to wait for the nail to grow out.

I had a pedicure with permanent varnish that lasts 3 weeks so I stopped the treatment during that time, but to my surprise when I took the varnish off this morning, the infection is basically gone, except for one tiny corner that needs to grow out.

Original thread here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1587745-to-want-to-shout-from-the-rooftops-USE-GARLIC

[MeeWhoo]

Sorry about all the typos, trying to type whilst bfeeding a hefty 5 mo, not a good idea!

[Frontier]

Yes Vicks is by far the best thing I've tried, not perfect but more effective (and cheaper) than anything else that's readily available.

Apparently in Aus where high humidity makes fungal problems very common it's treated with tablets but UK GPs don't seem to approve...

[nemno]

My DH and I each have one nail affected, have done for years. We have given each non prescription option mentioned above (and more) a good long go, to no avail. Doctor recommends tablets as the solution but honestly we don't think that a possible side effect of liver damage is worth it. Currently using the Canestan urea treatment, at least most of the infected nail is now gone, it will now grow through pink and healthy is the theory.

[Eelseelseels]

Tea tree oil. File the nail down thin and apply a couple of times a week. Be careful not to get it on your skin though, as it's very strong stuff. I was far too liberal with it and my toes blistered and were very sore.

[Legionofboom]

How bad is the infection?

I think some of these over the counter type things might work if it is relatively mild/new.

If it's set in over years you need to go the GP and get some tablets.

[RedNosedClone]

Be careful with tea tree oil, some people are allergic to it. I tried it on my big toenail and started feeling funny a few minutes later, with palpitations and dizziness, but was ok after scrubbing it off. Wouldn't dare try it again.

I have a similar reaction to pure aloe vera gel.

[wanttosinglikemarycoughlan]

mine does look a lot better after using vicks twice a day and it looks like there is healthy nail growing
Has vicks really worked for anybody?