Severe Toenail Fungus Cures

by Contributing Writer

Overview

Toenail fungus, also know as onychomycosis, can be a very difficult condition to treat, especially severe cases. All treatments require that new toenail grows out to replace the infected nail. This can be a up to a year or longer. The most effective way to treat toenail fungus is a prescription medication called terbinafine. Terbinafine is a tablet that is taken by mouth to destroy the fungus from inside the body. This is the most effective way to treat this condition because the nail prevents topical medications from penetrating down to the infected tissue.
Normal Dosing

Normal dosing requires you to take 250 mg per day of terbinafine for 16 weeks. This will kill the fungus and let the new nail grow out normally. The downside to this method is that a continuous dose of this medication can adversely effect liver function. Before starting the medication, a liver function test (LFT) is performed and your doctor will tell you if you are able to take the medication. During treatment your doctor will usually perform at least one more LFT looking for any signs of adverse effects.

Pulse Dosing

Pulse dosing requires you to take 500 mg per day of terbinafine for seven days every four weeks, also over a span of 16 weeks. This method is used by a growing number of doctors because adverse effects on the liver are much less likely and more than one LFT is not always warranted. The decreased number of doses also helps compliance taking the medication. It is just as effective as normal dosing and takes the same amount of time.
Alternative Treatments

Unfortunately, taking a prescription oral anti-fungal is the only effective way to treat toenail fungus. Terbinafine is available in a topical cream but topical medications will not penetrate the nail. Other oral anti-fungal medications can be used to treat toenail fungus but they are much less effective. These medications may be an option if terbinafine cannot be taken for some reason. You can find many home remedies and natural cures like tea trea oil, grapefruit seed extract and thyme oil but, while some of them may have anti-fungal properties, none of them has been proven effective because they are all topical.