Curing toenail fungus with prescription and natural remedies

Of all the ads one sees on television, few are as disturbing as Lamisil’s yellow mascot, Digger, lifting up a toenail and joining a horde of his pals in merry, nail bed digging mayhem. I cringe just thinking of it. But the success of an ad is measured by its ability to stick a brand name firmly into your mind and the creators of Digger have certainly accomplished that. I wager most of you who are anxiously looking for a toenail fungus treatment have heard of the product. So let’s talk about this prescription for treating toenail fungus. 

As mentioned in previous posts, the fungus responsible for toenail discoloration and cracking lives under your toenail, not on its surface. As such, topical treatments have a particular challenge in curing toenail fungus infections as they must actually penetrate the nail in order to work. Many over the counter topical solutions simply take a long time and a dedicated regimen to successfully defeat the fungus. Success rates aren’t generally as high as those reported with Lamisil but failures are often the result of the patient, who simply struggles to maintain a dedicated effort to clean the infected toe regularly and apply a topical solution twice a day, giving up. In our typical effort to find a pill for every problem, we cheered when Novartis offered us Lamisil, a once-a-day little pill to cure our ills. But don’t get too excited yet, folks. 

How does Lamisil work? As you’ll learn in a future post, there are conditions in your body that facilitate the life of toenail fungus beyond just the warm, wet environment your smelly sneakers provide. The toenail fungus living under your nail feeds on keratin. Lamisil bypasses the complication of penetrating your nail by traveling to the source of infection through your blood stream. The active ingredient in Lamisil is Terbinafine which is also attracted to keratin. In effect, you are lacing the food source the fungus depends on with the very thing that will kill it. 

Does Lamisil work? Yes. In our research,  we haven’t found many people claiming Lamisil didn’t work after following the prescribed dosage for the required amount of time. That’s not to say that it can claim 100% effectiveness, just that we haven’t found many claims advising of failure (other than those attributable to improper use). 

How fast does Lamisil work? Individual results vary. Some have reported complete success in 48 weeks. In an independent study, 70% were completely fungus free within 48 weeks. The down side is only some of those could also report a nice healthy nail. Getting there took longer. Nice as that statistic may be, most of us want to know how long until the fungus is gone AND a healthy nail is in place. Almost 40% could report a complete cure with no fungus and a new and healthy nail within 48 weeks. Lamisil reports an average of 10 months for complete results. Your mileage may vary. 

Are there risks associated with taking Lamisil? Potentially, yes. In an age where no medicine seems to come without warnings, that shouldn’t surprise you. What should concern you, however, is the severity of the potential side effect.  Lamisil warns of the potential for severe liver damage. In fairness, it should be noted that most reported cases in which liver damage was associated with Lamisil, the patient had preexisting problems. Still, it’s a pretty important risk to note as liver damage could leave you on the list for an organ transplant or dead. This isn’t your average or comparatively trivial headache or nausea risk, here. 

Due to the risk of liver damage, patients who have liver or kidney disease or an autoimmune disorder should make certain they discuss their condition with their doctor prior to accepting a prescription for Lamisil. Even should you have no preexisting conditions, your doctor may still want to test your blood or liver function while you are taking Lamisil. 

My personal recommendation, should you elect to try Lamisil as a toenail fungus treatment, is that you work very closely with your doctor and ensure you have a good and trusting relationship with her. This is not the time for flying solo. Stick to any testing schedules she may require and contact her should you experience any symptoms she may warn you of. 

What are the other reported side effects associated with Lamisil? In addition to the risk for severe liver damage, Lamisil also cites headache, diarrhea, rash, indigestion, itching, taste disturbance, nausea, abdominal pain, gas, hives and visual disturbances as potential side effects. 

Can Lamisil prevent recurrence? Somewhat. When you stop taking Lamisil, the active ingredient, Terbinifine, lives on under your nail bed for months, preventing or treating any recurrence of a toenail fungus infection. Once it is out of your system, however, you’re as vulnerable as you were before becoming infected.   

Does the Toenail Fungus Remedy guide recommend Lamisil? We neither recommend it nor recommend against it. What we do recommend is that you consult with your physician and very carefully weigh the risks before making a decision under their professional guidance. We will tell you that Lamisil has been prescribed to over 17 million people and that our research has dug up a great many happy and relieved customers. However, given the frightening risk associated with this drug, it is exclusively your decision to make after an informed consultation with your doctor.

This being the first toenail fungus treatment we’ve profiled in detail, we’d like to recommend that you hold off on any decision until you’ve had a chance to read upcoming posts featuring other options including over the counter toenail fungus treatments and home remedies for toenail fungus. The more information you have, the better a decision you’ll be able to make.