Fungal Nail Infections - Medications

SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS

Antifungal medicine is standard treatment for a fungal nail infection. The goals of treatment are to have few or no side effects, provide a long-term cure, and reduce treatment time.

  • Antifungal pills (oral medicine) offer the best chance of a cure. But they also require close monitoring for dangerous side effects and are typically reserved for moderate-to-severe or hard-to-treat fungal nail infections. Pills include terbinafine (Lamisil), itraconazole (Sporanox), and fluconazole (Diflucan).
  • Antifungal topical medicine (creams, lotions, gels, and lacquers) are applied to the infected nail and surrounding areas of the skin. But they may not be as effective as oral medicines. They may be used for mild-to-moderate infections and to help prevent an infection from returning or to prevent athlete's foot from spreading to the nails. Topical medicines include terbinafine (Lamisil) and ciclopirox (Penlac).

Things to think about when choosing a fungal nail infection treatment include:

  • The type and location of infection. Fingernail and toenail infections are usually treated with different medicines, and the treatment time for fingernails is usually shorter. If you have a mild fungal infection or are concerned about the risks of oral antifungal medicine, consider using a topical treatment, such as Lamisil or Penlac.
  • Your susceptibility to fungal nail infection. If you develop fungal nail infections often, you may need longer-term treatment.
  • The medicine. Griseofulvin (Grifulvin V) was one of the first oral antifungal medicines. But it did not provide a long-term cure, had serious side effects, and required a long treatment time (12 to 18 months). The newer oral antifungals are more effective, relatively safe for healthy individuals, and don't take as long to work.
  • Your risk factors for dangerous side effects from oral antifungal medicines. If you have a history of blood or liver disease or plan to drink alcohol during antifungal treatment, oral medicine is not a safe treatment option for you.
  • Drug interactions. Commonly prescribed medicines can affect the levels of antifungal medicine in your body. Also, other medicines can build up in the bloodstream when taken with antifungal pills. Before you take oral antifungal medicine, let your doctor know what other medicines you are taking.
  • The dosing method, if you are taking oral medicine. Depending on the medicine and the severity of the infection, you may be able to choose between pulse therapy (taking medicine daily for 1 week a month for 2, 3, or 4 months) or continuous therapy (taking medicine each day).
  • The cost for the entire course of medicine treatment. Some oral antifungals cost more than others. Pulse dosing is often less expensive than continuous therapy.

For more information on deciding whether to use oral antifungal medicines, see:

Click here to view a Decision Point.Nail Infection: Should I Take Antifungal Pills?
By: Healthwise StaffLast Revised: July 20, 2010
Medical Review: Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine
Alexander H. Murray, MD, FRCPC - Dermatology

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

Advertisement
Care Circle

It Seems That You Are Not Logged In...

OR

Join Now

Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:

  1. Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
  2. Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
  3. Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.

The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.

How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?

Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.

How do I save content to my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.

How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.

How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?

Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.

See All News

Advertisement