Toenail Fungus -- Now What?

[Kris]

I've seen the commercials -- is this really, basically, untreatable?

 

I'm thinking I should be soaking my feet in something -- vinegar? Epsom Salts? Bleach?

 

I don't have a bad problem yet -- and have *no* idea how this thing got started. Is it like athlete's foot, that you can "pick up" from a gym or something like that?

[proudmamma]

I am thinking maybe tea tree oil and coconut oil might do the trick if you do it a few times a day. There's my 2 cents...good luck :D

[LizzyBee]

My oldest sister cured hers with Vicks vapor rub. It took a long time - at least a couple of months.

 

I did the pills, but I forget what they're called. It's a 3 month course and you can't get pregnant until a month (or maybe it was 3 months) after you go off of them. You also have to have monthly bloodwork to monitor your liver function. My 2 big toenails were basically gone - they'd just peel away, so at that point, the medication was well worth it to me.

[LizzyBee]

Is it like athlete's foot, that you can "pick up" from a gym or something like that?

 

You can get it from shoes. My podiatrist back in Baltimore recommended wearing only American-made shoes. They're expensive!

[E_Edgerton]

It is treatable! There are pharmaceuticals that do the trick. Talk to your doctor and he/she can give you a script. You may also want to try an over the counter product, but athlete's foot is more to do with the skin and not so much the nail. As far as natural cures...I don't know...you may want to google it.:)

[sdWTMer]

I've seen the commercials -- is this really, basically, untreatable?

 

I'm thinking I should be soaking my feet in something -- vinegar? Epsom Salts? Bleach?

 

I don't have a bad problem yet -- and have *no* idea how this thing got started. Is it like athlete's foot, that you can "pick up" from a gym or something like that?

 

Definitely tea tree oil. Also, I've heard that Listerine works as well. If you get some be sure to get the yellow/gold colored one, as the other ones might stain.

[Reya]

I've seen the commercials -- is this really, basically, untreatable?

 

I'm thinking I should be soaking my feet in something -- vinegar? Epsom Salts? Bleach?

 

I don't have a bad problem yet -- and have *no* idea how this thing got started. Is it like athlete's foot, that you can "pick up" from a gym or something like that?

 

 

Vinegar will remove the buildup but won't take away the systemic infection. It'll make Lamisil more effective, though, and will shorten your treatment cycle. DH has HORRIBLE fungus--no one else does, and I think it's because of his psoriasis giving it a "home." (I can't get him to take care of himself, *sigh*.)

[SW in IL]

I think I'm in the same boat as you, Kris. Whatever it is, isn't bad, but I'm not sure what it is. The last time I was at the doctor, I was so rushed (both by the doctor and by circumstances), that I totally forgot to ask him about that. A friend said it might be athlete's foot... But I've never heard of it getting into toenails so I'm not sure I really accept that explanation.

 

Maybe I ought to do a bit of research on the Internet. If it is Althlete's Foot, then there are a lot of OTC products. I browsed through them last week but didn't buy any.

 

I'm interested to see what others have to say.

 

Sue

[A.J. at J.A.]

How does one use the tea tree oil or listerine. Speak slowly and act like I know nothing!

 

Thanks,

Angela

[Unicorn.]

Dh uses Blue Goo, Nail Fungus Triple Relief (tea trea oil). He just squirts some on the nail, rubs it on, and tries to get some under the nail. The tea tree oil is the only thing that worked. He tried everything before finding this stuff.

 

hth

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

I read an article once where a lady got rid of hers by soaking her foot a couple of times a day in water that was as hot as she could stand it. I would try that plus the tea trea oil.

[sdWTMer]

How does one use the tea tree oil or listerine. Speak slowly and act like I know nothing!

 

Thanks,

Angela

 

Well, I got tea tree oil with an applicator, kinda like nail polish. With Listerine, you can just apply it with Q tips.

[sdWTMer]

I've seen the commercials -- is this really, basically, untreatable?

 

I'm thinking I should be soaking my feet in something -- vinegar? Epsom Salts? Bleach?

 

I don't have a bad problem yet -- and have *no* idea how this thing got started. Is it like athlete's foot, that you can "pick up" from a gym or something like that?

 

After you get out of the shower or bath make sure you blow dryer to dry your toenails.

[Amy in NY]

Dh uses Blue Goo, Nail Fungus Triple Relief (tea trea oil). He just squirts some on the nail, rubs it on, and tries to get some under the nail. The tea tree oil is the only thing that worked. He tried everything before finding this stuff.

 

hth

 

Did it get rid of it?

[Mom2legomaniacs]

(embarrassing to admit) but I have it quite bad. On 8 toes. Have for about 20 years, I think. Maybe less. I tried tea tree without luck. Lamisil has a large rate of recurrence, especially with harder cases and is very hard on one's liver. I keep mine trimmed as much as I can. I hate them. They are very embarrassing and very sensitive.

[LizzyBee]

Lamisil has a large rate of recurrence, especially with harder cases and is very hard on one's liver.

 

Lamisil is the medicine I took! I took it 13 years ago and still have normal toenails. :001_smile:

[Mom2legomaniacs]

Lamisil is the medicine I took! I took it 13 years ago and still have normal toenails. :001_smile:

 

How bad were yours though? My doctor is not keen on my ever trying that route. (glad yours are normal though!)

[LizzyBee]

How bad were yours though? My doctor is not keen on my ever trying that route. (glad yours are normal though!)

 

The two big toenails had mostly peeled away - there were still remnants there but it was soft and icky. And I could pick little pieces of it off - it wasn't solid like a toenail is supposed to be. It really was gross and disgusting.

[newlifemom]

Boy were you guys lucky. I now have only 9 toenails. Wish I knew all about tea tree oil etc 15 years ago. Oh well, at least it's gone.:tongue_smilie:

[Diana in OR]

I tried tea tree oil for years with no results. Then, last year, I had to take fluconozole for a ringworm rash, and in about 6 weeks, the nail fungus was gone. Fluconozole is not as harsh on your system as some of the other fungal meds. It's cheap, and you don't have to have bloodwork every month. Dh's dermatologist put him on a 6 month course and it did the trick.

 

If there's just a little bit of nail fungus, dh's doctor told him he could put a little bleach on a Q-tip, brush it on the nail, leave it there for 2 minutes, then wipe it off.

[Alyce]

It's got the chemicals in it to treat it. Generic always works for us. It also works well for ringworm. It will cure it in a day or so, it's usually that fast.

[A.J. at J.A.]

It's got the chemicals in it to treat it. Generic always works for us. It also works well for ringworm. It will cure it in a day or so, it's usually that fast.

 

How do you use it? Do you paint it on the nail or try to put it underneath?

 

I have compound W in the cabinet.

 

Angela

[Debbie in OR]

Pure oregano oil. A medi-pedi (medical pedicurist) told me that is the only thing she tells her clients (I'm not a client but we were having this discussion). She says what happens is water gets trapped under the toenail and then gets "germy". The oregano oil gets under the nail and "disinfects" the germs so that the nail can dry out and clear up.

 

I haven't tried it but she says she has a bookful of testimonials about it. I did find it at our local health food store..YIKES! It's spendy. Just my 2 cents!

[hornblower]

It's a topical thing like nail polish with the medicine in it. DD has had a toenail fungus for ages... She did get it pretty much cleared up in one toenail but then she got sloppy & it reappeared in the next nail. Now both nails have it a bit......

 

Penlac is expensive though & even when it does work, it can take almost a year. You apply a layer daily & about twice a week you remove it nail polish remover & then use a file to scrape off any loose nail. Once you've debrided as much as you can, reapply the medicine. The positive thing about it is that it is not systemic & if none of the OTC routes was working, I'd suggest this before doing the systemic antifungals.

 

Someone I know has had great success with using anti dandruff shampoo - the antifungal type. She says to wash the toes twice a day with Nizoral shampoo & try to get it really rubbed into the nail. Use it straight, don't dilute, & rub in very well. Dry very thoroughly - the hair dryer is a good idea. Then apply clotrimazole or tinactin or similar into the skin all over the foot & around the affected nail (these are OTC antifungal creams). Intensive care like this for several weeks will take care of it in her opinion (she's a home care RN with elderly patients so comes across this .....) She says to watch carefully as it might try to make a comeback. If the nail has been badly affected, you'll need to keep it up until the entire nail grows out properly.

 

I'll be starting this with my dd again & hopefully once and for all get rid of it.

 

The other thing is diet. I've heard increasing garlic helps as well as decreasing carbs.

[Unicorn.]

Well, I don't know if it is completely gone, but he went from horribly ugly, yellow nails that looked absolutely disgusting, to almost normal looking. He's been using it for about a year. Of course, if he used it according to the directions (2x a day) then it would probably be cleared up totally by now.

[Kris]

Thank you, everyone, for the great suggestions. My power just came back on, so it will take awhile to get caught up. But these are great posts. Thank you!

[Guest]

I picked it up at a salon, back when I worked and got pedis all the time. I used the Penlac for about a year and a half with no luck. I went to a podiatrist who removed the toenail, but not permanently. It's now grown back (8 mos. later, using Penlac while it grew back) and it still has the fungus. The podiatrist was very against the Lamisil for the liver reasons and he was also against permanently removing the nail, which I didn't ask why. I figured if it gets worse, I'll go to another pod. and get a 2nd opinion. I didn't care for the one I went to.

 

I feel so re-assured that I am not the only one with this icky issue!

[dirty ethel rackham]

This is how we treated my son. It worked great for him.

[Mom2GirlsTX]

I can speak what does work. About 10 years ago a very large steel item fell on my feet, well basically my toes. After being red, swollen I developed toe nail fungus under both big toes, thankfully the others escaped. I had heard about tea tree so I started on both toes, one toe the fungus was near tip the other near the bed nail. I would carefully take a q tip and put the tea tree on there every day. One nail cleared up, the one with the fungus at BASE of nail cleared in aobut 10 months. The other one wouldn't cclear. I went to dr, and went through the medical route but it didn't work for me. About that time stronger fungal medications came out but I was afraid to try more medications. Finally I went back to research and found out for tea tree to work, it must be applied to the base of nail, where the nail and skin meet. This makes since because my one nail that cleared up I was applying everyday to the base. So finally I started it again, every day appplied tea tree along the base of my toe nail and sure enough, one year later my nail was clear. I've been clear of it about 6 years...sooooo wonderful. I finally talked dh into doing his scarry toes and his totally cleared up after about a year also.

 

So my advice is to do it daily, whether you use tea tree or apple cider vinegar, you must apply daily to the new growth which is what is at base. I've read about the Vicks Vapor Rub and it works, but it turns the nail black and that is pretty gross. The tea tree doesn't change the color.

[Wheres Toto]

I have it on my two big toes as a result of a pedicure in the Bahamas. I use the Blue Goo with Tea Tree Oil mentioned in an earlier post. One toe is almost completely gone. The other - not so much. But, I also don't use it everyday. I always forget in the rush of taking care of the kids and the house.

 

Lamisil has some very heavy side effects IMO for something that is really a cosmetic problem. DH and I both work(ed) for pharmaceutical companies and I have no problem taking prescriptions when they are necessary but this one makes me nervous.

[mom31257]

:lurk5: I have some. It seems the worst in my middle toes on both feet. I'm most interested in the tea tree oil solutions. If the toes are already thick, hard to cut, and not growing much in length, will it still work? Would I be better off to start with a podiatrist taking part off so that the medicine could get to it better, or is that even a problem if I put it at the base of the nail?

[Laura Corin]

I ended up taking a drug which cleared it. It's pretty strong though - you have to be monitored for liver function and mustn't get pregnant while taking it.

 

Laura