Your Guide to Treating Nail Fungus by an RN

Which Treatments Work For Nail Fungus Infections?

Learn why some treatments work and why others don't to cure nail fungus

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With the right treatment, you should be able to get rid of a nail infection caused by fungus, even if you’ve had it for years or it’s very bad. But you may have to be patient. It could take months to clear up.

nail_fungus

Diagram of Toenail Fungus

Key points about treating fungal nail infections

  • To get rid of a fungal nail infection, you will probably have to take a treatment, sometimes for up to six months.
  • Fingernail infections tend to clear up quicker than toenail infections. You may need to take medication for only six weeks for a fingernail infection.
  • Some Prespcription Medication can sometimes damage your liver (though this is rare) and you may have a test to check if your liver is healthy before starting a nail fungus treatment.
  • Normally doctors recommend pills for this condition, but there are also treatments you can put on an infected nail. If the problem is mild, you might be given a nail varnish or use tea tree oil that kills the fungal infection.
  • If your infection is severe or keeps coming back, your doctor might recommend removing part or all of your nail. But this treatment is rarely used.
  • If your nail infection doesn’t bother you, you may wish to leave it alone.
The top 3 natural nail fungus treatments ranked as per effectiveness: (Click each link to read full reviews and product details)

No.1 Rated: Zetaclear – Learn More Here

No.2 Rated: Funginix – Learn More Here

No.3 Rated: Nail Rx – Learn More Here

There are lots of things you can do to avoid getting a nail infection again. To find out more, see How to keep from getting a fungal nail infection.

Treatments for fungal nail infections

Which treatments work best? We’ve carefully weighed the research and divided treatments for fungal nail infections into three categories.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see How to use medical research to support your treatment decisions.

Benefits very likely outweigh harms

Itraconazole pills (brand name Sporanox): These are antifungal pills. They treat nail infections caused by a fungus.

Terbinafine pills (brand name Lamisil): These are antifungal pills. They treat nail infections caused by a fungus.

lamisil-treatment

Benefits likely outweigh harms

Fluconazole pills (brand name Diflucan): These are antifungal pills. They treat infections caused by a fungus. But fluconazole isn’t usually given to people with nail infections.

Ciclopirox lacquer: You might want to use this antifungal nail polish if you don’t want to take pills and your infection is mild. The brand name of ciclopirox used for fungal nail infection is Penlac Nail Lacquer.

Needs further study

Griseofulvin pills (brand name Grifulvin V): Griseofulvin is an antibiotic. It doesn’t seem to work as well as some other pills against fungal infections. More…

grifulvin_v

Ketoconazole pills (brand name Nizoral): Ketoconazole is an antifungal drug that isn’t used very often because it can cause liver damage. More…

Terbinafine cream or spray: You can use an antifungal drug called terbinafine as a cream or a spray. The brand name is Lamisil. More…

Removing part or all of your nail: If your infection is severe or keeps coming back, your doctor may suggest removing some or all of your nail. But this isn’t done very often. More…

Click Here For Highest Rated Nail Fungus Treatments

1. Zetaclear - www.Zetaclear.com

2. Funginix - www.Funginix.com

21 Comments on “Which Treatments Work For Nail Fungus Infections?

  1. This product is all natural and works when others don’t. The reason is penetration. This product penetrates the nail and nail bed for a cure. It is guaranteed 100% money back. The secret is the lipid channels in the nail. This has a patent pending carrier system that carries the antifungals through the keratin by means of the lipid channels. I have seen 100s of cure, and the doctors and patients who use it, have seen cures when nothing else works. It should be available in most drug stores within a year.. Right now you can purchase it on the website, or through doctors. Thanks Marc Selner D.P.M.

  2. I was diagnosed with toenail fungus by my doctor, but the treatment he prescribed, along with regular blood tests for possible liver damage, really scared me off a drug solution. I recommend you try a home remedy solution first. Many of them cost under $50 total (using natural ingredients like vinegar or tea tree oil), without the potential damage of drugs. These remedies completely cleared up my condition within just a few months much to my Dr.’s surprise! (But always see your doctor first!)

  3. I always kind of cringe when I see Lamisil because it can be a bit dangerous even when used properly. There seems to be a lot of talk about the new laser toenail fungus treatments because they are painless and only take about 45 minutes. The drawback is the cost of about $1000. Some people will just deal with their nail fungus versus paying a grand for the treatment. Despite the costs, it seems to work pretty good.

    Neo

  4. Lamisil is a very bad choice for getting rid of toenail fungus especially when there are other options available that have no side effects and can be acquired for virtually nothing.

  5. I found that biting on my toenails got rid of the fungus. Maybe its
    something in the saliva that did it. It worked but you have to do it
    a lot, hmmm maybe I inadvertently chewed them off and new ones grew on?
    Well either way it works.

  6. Here is a cure that I found really works and is cheap. Go out and buy
    yourself a 6″ diameter magnifying glass and use it to zap
    the affected areas of your nails with sunlight! Do a 5 min
    session every other day for two weeks, as you feel is needed
    thereafter. Use topical antifungals to prevent reinfection

  7. P.S. This treatment worked for me! It took about 10 mo. for the nail
    to grow out and it looks fine!

  8. selrach is bang on with the magnifying glass suggestion. I carefully filed my infected toenail down as far as I could with an engraving tool, then zapped it until it hurt with a magnifying glass. I zoomed in and held it until it was unbearable, then waited few seconds and repeated about 10 times. I only did this once and followed up with daily lamisil application and I can see the new healhty nail growing out

  9. I’m looking at the post by Marc Seiner from Jan 2009. Can anyone tell me
    what product he is talking about?

  10. I’ve been treating my toenails with several over-the-counter medicine. None of them seems to cure the fungi but they softened the nails so that I could cut and file them real thin. Actually 90% of the infected nails are gone and the nail bed looks good. However, I had infection as I often cut too deep and the toes bleed. I’m considering buying ZetaClear and lazer treatment in case the former does not work.

  11. Determined I was wondering if the ZetaClear has worked for you? I am considering buying it but I’m not sure what product to buy.

  12. see i have this friend who has a nasty toenail fungus. so nasty i can’t
    bear the sight o fit.oh man thinking about it just makes me feel the same.
    anyway, he wants to purchase these products online: Zetaclear, an anti-fungal
    cream, then Fungusil, an anti-fungal liquid ointment. i’m wondering if
    these products really work or not. he’s very confident with them, and i do
    hope his confidence rewards him. in the official sites of Zetaclear and Fungusil,
    they both claim being made from all-natural ingredients, and claim to be
    safe and effective.they also offer a full money back guarantee. you can google
    their respective sites, they’re easy to find. i hope anyone can help me here, or
    does anyone here have a better suggestion than Zetaclear or Fungusil.Thanks.

  13. Thanks for this informative post. I know how hard it is to find the right remedy for
    nail fungus as I suffered from this condition before. Instead of settling for prescribed
    medications I used home remedies like tea tree oil, apple cider vinegar soak and dilute
    clorox soak. I combined these remedies with an over the counter anti-fungal treatment
    called Fungusil.

  14. best choice! ::
    If your nail infection doesn’t bother you, you may wish to leave it alone.
    …yeah right-that’s exactly why i’m here!
    .
    .ok the file thing kinda worked4 1of my toenails…but i’ve got my big toes
    and2others….it’s disgusting i know&i’ve had it4over 10 years n i’m only 21
    …but i wanna get married soon [if God so wills] and i’m mad about feet…
    this girls feet are so perfect damn it makes me so much more self-concious
    about mine even though i don’t think girls are that mad over feet…
    but i need this gone last year! cos we’re both in our 2nd last year of study
    i really really really really need this gone

  15. I have been reading all of the comments and have no clue what to do first? Does anyone have pain associated with their fungus? Mine is very painful, only in my big toes, but the smaller toenails seem to be disfiguring..I thought it was from being on my feet so much and wearing too tight of shoes. Any adivice would be greatly appreciated..

  16. Concur with the Magnifying glass. I actually tried it before searching on the internet. Over 15+ years I’ve tried the pills (twice), a multitude of topical treatments, debridement until almost all the nail was gone – It came back every time.

    On impulse, figuring that lasers are just light, I took my son’s magnifying glass and used it on my toenail. Didn’t take it to a point as that would burn, but got it as small as tolerable and went over the whole nail and could feel it heating up. Did this only twice (the nail was debrided at the time). It has been months now and the nail is alomst fully grown back in with no sign of re-infection.

    Try it, but be carefull you don’t burn yourself.

  17. After having this problem for over 40 years &trying every natural remedy, icluding creams & even having all my nails cut off. I was going to the doc’s to get a precripition for pills, after reading through the replys I’m gonna try the magnifying glass, hadn’t heard of it before, thanks all.

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ToenailFungusTreatments.com is written by Medical Professionals including Nurse Practitioners & Doctors to help educate the public to the various treatments options for Onychomycosis. Past Contributors/Authors: Brandy Widner MS RN / Susan Miller MS BSN RN / Michael Todd Sapko MD