For toe fungal infection, whats the next step>

Skin, nail and hair health
1

Hello,

My mother has tried several options for her toe fungus that she has on both feet. She has done the laser option, had her toe nails removed several times and treated, used tree oil, apple cider vinegar, bio fungusin oil and cream.

The next option is Lamisil but we are hesitant to take the option as the side effects are quite exteme and she is almost 60.

In terms of details, she mentions that the arch of her foot on both feet sometimes gets itchy, so not sure if the fungus plays a role on that. Also on both toes its the upper half of her toe nails that has fungus.

2

Hi,

Lamisil in what form? What side effects are you worried about in particular?

DS.

3

Dorothy,

Lamisil is the drug that you take from 3-4 months in order to kill it but has very strong side effects including serious liver damage. So looking for other options for her. She keeps using apple cider vinegar but not doing anything as far as we can see.

4

Hi,

Sounds familiar as an ex sufferer of Fungal Nail on several toes. There is a UK website which I'm unable to write the address of here. It details exactly how to get rid of the fungus simply and methodically. I used it and am now infection free.

Applying a little logic and patience is the key e.g. there's no point treating Fungal Nail if you still have athletes foot etc (it is the same fungus). The download from the website explains it all in simple terms. Don't however expect results overnight, even once the infection has cleared it can take months (even a year) for healthy nails to grow back completely. This aspect seems to put people off but as you've discovered there is no 'quick fix' without these nasty side effects.

You might wish to start by purchasing a one-time application gel (available from supermarkets) to kill the athletes foot which would give you mother some immediate relief before you begin clearing the Fungal Nail.

Every journey begins with a single step as they say. I was clear in a few months but each case is different so good luck.

DS.

5

Dear Flash008,

My name is Mr Stash Gebski, I am a 49 year old man who has worked in the Banking and Insurance business all my life. I have NEVER had a day off sick and have always been financial independent. I was a successful Independent Financial Adviser. I was extremely Healthy and at age 43 years old still played Local Premier League Soccer in Bournemouth and Poole, Dorset, England. Until I became unwell, then my life was instantly destroyed. I barely had the Energy to get out of Bed and didn't most days, and I got ZERO help from my GP who continued to say I was imagining feeling ill, and that I was suffering from Somatization. I have copied an explanation of the meaning of Somatization below from a Medical Dictionary called MediLexicon.

Somatization Disorder

Type: Term

Definitions:

1. a mental disorder characterized by presentation of a complicated medical history and of physical symptoms referring to a variety of organ systems, but without a detectable or known organic basis.

2. a DSM diagnosis that is established when the specified criteria are met.

I have just Registered today because I was so shocked to see the Picture at the the bottom of this Page with what looks like a poor lady suffering from such terribly deformed Toe Nails, my Eyes literally welled up with grief for this unfortunate lady, although I had to consider that this must be THE most EXTREME example of a Fungal Nail Infection (FNI) in the Western World, either way, I new I had to do my best to try to HELP fellow sufferers in some way, and in doing so, share my Life/style Experiences, so I Googled Fungal Nail Infection Forums and was introduced to your Forum.

My own FNI not only coincided with being Prescribed Antidepressant Medication, but also with being Diagnosed with severe Vitamin B12 Deficiency, which while on the Medication for FIVE years was as low as 78ng/L in Dec 2010, when it should have been over 400ng/L because my 71 year old Mother kindly agreed to ask her GP to conduct a Blood Test which produced a result of 425ng/L, and prompted me to take the decision to STOP taking the Medication I now know I was wrongly Prescribed in the first place, because it was making me feel MUCH worse NOT better, and amazingly my GP would have just carried on Poisoning me regardless of the fact that I was experiencing Terribly Painful Symptoms and Terrible Psychological Symptoms which ONLY arrived after me taking the Medication, and it came as no surprise to me that as soon as I stopped taking the Medication, I noticed that I started to feel much better, although I suspect that the Medication has caused severe repairable Damage to ALL my Organs which is where the Pain is coming from, and that the initial underlying problem, whether it be an Illness, Disease or Infection is still within my Body as yet still waiting to be CORRECTLY Diagnosed and CORRECTLY Treated, and as I said, I suspect it is likely to be a Bacterial, Viral, Fungal, Parasitic Infection or a combination of some or all of these infections.

I have been suffering from what looks like, so I can only assume, is a Fungal Nail Infection in both of my Big Toe's, I can only describe as Yellow/Brown, Dry, Brittle Nail's with Ridged Lines running down them, although I suspect there will actually be a Logical Underlying Biological Explanation for this condition which I suspect is simply a SYMPTOM of a much more severe Biological condition, but as yet nobody has made the Medical Connection or Discovery and as such has not as yet found the actual underlying cause. My FNI started in 2008, just over 12 months after I was Prescribed the Medication towards the end of 2006, and by 2009 I was left with no alternative, but to ask my GP to make me an URGENT Appointment to see a Podiatrist, and although I have not as yet cured my own Nail Problem, I have conducted Five years worth of Research and Analysis. I wondered if other sufferers were feeling the immense Psychological Stress, Sadness, some level of Depression, Torment and Frustration at seeing our once Lovely Healthy Pink, Smooth, Soft, Easy to Cut, Non-Ridged or Lined Toe Nail's start to look like those you might imagine on a Homeless Person???

My own infection started ONLY after my GP Prescribed me some Medication, which I stopped taking about three years ago, it seems that there is a LINK between Medication and Fungal Nail Infections. I also suspect that there is a LINK between Fungal Nail Infection and Pet's, such as Cat's and Dog's, and Holidays to Exotic Counties, indicating that the Patient may have become Infected with some form of Bacterial, Viral, Fungal, Parasite Infection, or any combination of all four, and even several different strains, i.e. you could have several different Types of Parasites etc... From such things as Sand Fly Mosquito Bites.

Please let me know.

Yours Sincerely

Kind Regards

Mr Stash Gebski

6

I have also had Fungal Nail infection, and a prolonged course of Terbinafine 250mg - for skin infections, the course is for between 2 to 6 weeks, for nail infections between 6 to 12 weeks, but for toenail infections, "you may need to take the tablets for 26 weeks or longer"(it says on the information leaflet) - in my case, I had the tablets for about 8 months, as after 26 weeks, I could see a vast improvement, and that extra couple of months completely did the trick; I have carried on being prescribed (but haven't taken) the tablets for a further 6 months, just in case it flares up again, but as a diabetic, I do treat such medicines with the utmost respect

Hope that helps

7

Hi Norman,

Terbinafine is in fact Lamisil but it seems to consistantly helping people, though there are big risks with taking it. Can you please tell me, how long did you have the toe fungus for and did it spread through all the toe nails? Also did you experience any side effects that are worth mentioning. It seems that she may indeed need to take the pills.

8

Hi Flash,

I've just looked at the leaflet that comes with Terbinafine, and I haven't found anything that says that this is Lamisil, so excuse the ignorance.

I had the fungus for quite a while before I went to my GP; I was concerned with the hardening (and later discolouration) of the skin immediately below and at the front of, mainly, my big toenail (on my left foot only), which was causing the nail to rise up and made it very difficult to cut; this later spread, gradually, through the rest of my toes on that foot, which was when I first saw my GP; he gave me some stuff to paint on my nails (can't remember what that was called, but it came in a box with a number of emery boards, and spatulas on a frame similar to an airfix kit) - after using that for about 3 months, with no visible improvement, I went back to the GP, who much to my surprise said that that stuff wasn't usually much good anyway (my "Why bother prescribing it then?" went unspoken, as you do) He then put me on this terbinafine. Although I was warned by my GP of serious risks in taking this stuff, and that at most (and I thought was because I am diabetic) I should only be prescibed this for six months, as I say, he carried on prescribing it for much longer - I used it only for a further 2 or 3 months, as after the first 6 months were up, I could see the improvement, which was greater by the day, and I still have a fairly large supply - at least 4 or 5 months worth - of the stuff at home in case this flares up again. It was also a tremendous cure for the cracks in the skin between my toes, which I had suffered from for years and years, and had the added bonus of making my fingernails so much better too.

As far as any side effects are concerned, I can't say I noticed any - that may be because of all the other medication that I have been on through being diabetic, with high BP, high cholestorol, COPD etc

I am male, in my sixties, by the way, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2004. I hope that my input helps, and that your mother recovers well from this condition

9

Hopefully you do not this anymore and everything is solved.

Try with argan oil or yoffee clear which is proved with  elderly people.

 

10

I managed to drastically improve my toenail fungus (actually thought I'd completely cured it) using apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil. I started with apple cider vinegar for 3 consecutive days, soaking the nail for several hours. I had to stop because the acid was damaging the skin around my toe. No... I didn't dilute! I was desperate, so probably went overboard. The next thing I did was remove as much of my nail as I could, after each shower, while the nail was soft. I then used the hair dryer on the nail to dry away any moisture left behind from bathing. Finally, and this took a full year... I applied tea tree oil to the nail twice a day. I didn't know at the time that this type of essential oil shouldn't be used without mixing with another oil (a carrier oil I think is what they call it, like olive oil for example) so I was adding it to my nail full strength. For weeks I continued drying my toe after each shower with a hair dryer and trimming away anything I could, followed by drops of tea tree oil. Finally I had my nail back! It was a beautiful summer! No signs of fungus whatsoever, so I stopped using the oil. Much to my dismay, about 3 months without treatment I have a lump forming onder my nail bed... really under the skin of my big toe proximal to the nail bad.. I can only assume the fungs wasn't entirely gone. So as I type this, I am once again soaking my toe in apple cider vinegar! lol

Hopefully this helps someone. One thing about tea tree oil, be sure your pet doesn't try to lick it off your skin like they do lotion. It is toxic to animals if injested from what I understand. I have a dog who is interested in anything I put on my skin, so I have to sock up as soon as the oil starts to absorb into the nail. I'll update everyone on this second round of treatment. I'm so bummed that it wasn't a permanent fix, but the results I had were remarkable and I didn't have to take any harmful medications... so that's something to celebrate!

11

Laser therapy...cured both my fungal nails on my foot. It's a bit painful but works.