I have been trying for over a year to get rid of toenail fungus. I have used tea tree oil, vineger and prescription Penlac Nail Lacquer, but the fungus is still there. Does anyone have an ideas on what to use next?
I'm beginning to think "perseverance" is the only thing that can fix toenail fungus!!!! I've only used cheap white vinegar and soak my feet in it once a day (sometimes twice). When I first started this it was only a few weeks before I could see the base of the toenail growing through clear of the "yellow". It really encouraged me to keep going and not miss a daily soak. Then I would go on a holiday and cover them up with nail varnish and come back to worse looking nails then I'd start the process all over again. I've never had the fungus grow out to the tip of the nail as it takes soooo long!!! While on an overseas trip this year my left big toe was stepped on and that was the start of the nail separating and falling off. I sometimes think that was the best thing to happen, as it's growing back nice and pink, but very slowly. Still soaking and protecting this toenail with bandaids when wearing closed in shoes. Other toenail I'm still trying to grow the fungus out of and will keep cutting it off as it grows out. You did mention you had used vinegar?? How were you using it?? Was the fungus down to the base of the nails??
Hi Victoria43661, I fully agree with you. When applying topical antifungals it needs perseverance. They have to be applied diligently until the whole nail has grown back.
In my experience, tea tree oil and medicated nail lacquer work best for infections where only a small (top) part of the nail is infected. Once the nail bed or the even worse the nail matrix has become infected it is more difficult to treat the fungal infection. In such a case, I had success after applying an occlusive dressing with Lamisil cream over the nail every evening. Terbinafine, the active ingredient in Lamisil penetrates deep into the tissue and has a half life of several weeks. The occlusive dressing with cream causes the affected part of the nail to become soft and it can be easily removed thus speeding up the treatment.
One of my toe nails was completely discoloured and crumbly due to the fungal infection. After more than a month of applying the dressing I noticed pink smooth translucent nail growth at the base. Gradually, the nail grew back and now looks just like the other nails. It is important to keep the treatment going until the whole nail has grown back and looks normal without any trace of the infection.
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Wow, danR, you've really nailed it, so to speak!!!! May be worth a try to speed things up. Thanks for the info.
I was using the vinegar full strength with a paper tower at bedtime and in the morning. The fungus was about halfway the nail. I did this diligently for about nine month. I am starting a new process now with Lamisil cream.
Good luck. Sounds like Lamisil may be a great choice!!
Hello... I was wondering if you ever go rid of your toenail fungus? I can honestly say I had the worst fungus ever that spread to all of the toes on my left foot . The nails we very think and totally discoloured yellow and flaky. I’m so happy to say that finally this year it’s all gone and I don’t have to be embarrassed anymore or always think ahead of what type of footwear I need to wear in the summer !
Hi
The fungus on my right foot is almost gone, but the one on my left foot is about the same. What treatments are you using?
I ended up getting the Lamisil tablets... it was a 3 mth course that I took. I know people are worried about liver damage , but I had zero complications and there is warnings about most meds these days anyway! The fungus does not go away after you finish the course , very slowly you start to see new nail growth . At first I thought I would need another prescription but my doctor explained the fungus is now dead and you need to wait for the nail to grow. Took about a year all in for every last bit to be gone . Over the counter meds did not work at all for me. I guess it depends how bad your fungus is, but if it hasn’t spread to your other nails I’m sorry to say it will eventually . I wish I had done this sooner when it was only my big toe. I suffered with this for about 10 years before I eventually did something about it.
I thought about a treatment with the pills, but I have kidney disease and taking lots of other meds for different problems I have. I am seeing some improvements with my nails, so I will wait and see.
Hi sharrabelle, so great you got rid of the nail fungus. For me it was not just a cosmetic problem, the thickened nails would hurt at times, and I was always afraid the infection might spread.
I remember it was such a relief to finally see the nails recover.
Hi Dan
Yes me too, I was always worried what could be going on inside my body if the fungus did such damage to my nails . I’m glad your nails have recovered!
Hi there, yes your situation is totally different due to your current meds. I hope it clears up soon... I just know this was the only thing that worked for me .
Increase your probiotics intake and keep doing the home remedies you normally find on online forums. Apple cider vinegar, olive leaf extract, tea tree oil normally helps in toenail fungus. One thing to consider most is, a fungus a caused primarily by bad hygiene and you need to take care of your feet/toenail health. Keep it dry all the times. Sanitize your footwear regularly. You can find electronic shoe disinfectant easily these days.
In short there is no magic pill for it, you need to fight the toenail fungus by proper lifestyle changes.
Have you completely gotten rid of your toenail fungus? I know Fugacil might work best for this infection. I got a severe case of toenail fungus several months ago. I tried a lot of natural remedies, including tea tree, garlic, vinegar, and coconut oil, but none of them worked. Some even made fungus spread to my other toes. I used Fugacil some times a day and it finally eliminated the fungus out of my toes. The intense pain and itching were gone in some first applications. The nail started growing back after 2 weeks of treatment. I hope that this cream can be helpful for you.
I had fungus on sole of foot tried vinegar, tea tree oil, oregano oil and two lots of prescription medicines. eventually got rid of it, with twice daily soaks of warm water, bleach, salt and antiseptic . Also rubbed in some anti fungal cream before going to bed. Took 5 months trial of everything before the bleach baths worked,? this was the only thing that cleared it up
I've always been told to use apple cider vinegar instead of just white vinegar. This does work but can take along, long time. The doctor who told me this method to also shock the nail with baking soda powder as its highly alkaline ( high PH). The vinegar is high acidic and baking soda high PH. My case, i had one nail, a big toe that was 25 to 30 years infected. It was yellow, thick, wavey and distorted. No other toes. I had a hard, hard time sticking to the apple cider vinegar method. I then tried emuaidMax sav and it did turn the nail darker but wouldn't finish it off. It possibly helped. I moved on and then went to Kerisol . That seemed to be helping. My nail grew longer and i finally caught it on something while going to the bathroom in the middle of tje night. I bent it back and it bled al over. I started to bend it back and forth and by god it finally fell off. Over 30 years fighting that nail. Ive had lower back pain for 25 years and the pain started moving into my buttocks. When that nail and old infection in my body died I noticed my back pain was considerably better !!!! I couldn't believe it...moral of the story is mine would not go away till my nail was removed...
Hi, Soak your feet in warm water & a splash of mouth wash, it kills the bacteria & you'll see an improvement in a few days! Happy out!
I have had a ToeNail fungus (onychomycosis) for over 10 years. I have been prescribed a bunch of prescription cremes and have tried EVERY natural remedy you can think of. Additionally I have been told by most foot doctors that I will not get rid of it without the help of the oral medication which I never wanted to try.
I have finally started to see my toenail fungus completely gone after 11 months. My toenail was 70% yellow and discolored. Now there is a tiny amount left at the tip of nail as the new nail has been pushing the old nail out..... but the results are amazing.
What did I do differently this time around?? I wore no socks or shoes for the majority of my working day. The pandemic forced me to work from home which allowed me the luxury of letting my feet breath all day after applying the cream which I believe led to my success. I also added a twice week daily epsom salt with warm water foot soak for 15 minutes. I was also using a prescribed solution of Ciclopirox,Fluconazole,Terbinafine until it ran out and then started using a econazole cream I had left over from a few years earlier. I hope this finds someone who is need of help.
To all toenail fungus patients. This is precious info.
I suffered from toenail fungus for 10 years. I didn't even get treatment for a long time because I tried a few oils and creams and none of them worked. It spread from my pinky toe on my left foot to all the other toes on that foot. Strangely, it didn't spread to my other foot.
Anyways, I finally went to the doctor because my toes were getting uncomfortable in my shoes because of the toenails which grew larger and were difficult to cut. He prescribed Lamisil pills (two tablets once daily, forgot dosage). Also gave me Jublia toe fungus solution, which you apply once daily. I'm not lying, this combination took care of my fungus in 9 months. You use both at the same time.
You have to try it, and don't wait like I did because mine probably took longer than a case which hasn't been around for 10 years!!
Good luck y'all!!