Any way to get rid of an advanced toe nail fungus?
Question:
Answers:
This is a difficult one. You have onychomycosis, and it is very difficult to treat.
Topical antifungals (creams, ointments, lotions) are not very effective at getting rid of the infection...
There ARE some medications that can be used to treat it, though - like terbinafine, itraconazole, fluconazole, and griseofulvin.
You have to take the medication for 3 months, it can be very expensive, if you are on other medications there can be a lot of interaction problems, and even if you aren't on any other medications these medications can cause liver problems.
HOWEVER, you can obtain blood labs before and during treatment to monitor your liver, and the medications could be stopped if there was any sign of liver problems.
But the last bit of bad news is this:
Even if you convince a physician to prescribe it and you monitor your liver with blood lab draws and you find a way to pay for it and you take it for 3 months:
There is still a fairly high failure rate and you might have to repeat the treatment with one of the other medications...
AND...even if you "cure" it...and get rid of the infection completely, you will have around a 20-50% chance of having a recurrence in the future...
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I don't want to discourage you, but am only providing you with the facts.
And if you are really determined to get rid of it, then talk to your doctor again armed with this information. Ask to get the lab draws to monitor your you liver and tell your doctor you are willing to accept the possibility of failure and recurrence. At this point, your doctor should agree...
If not, see another doctor or ask your doctor for a referral to a dermatologist, who will certainly help you.
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I hope this helped some!
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