A mysterious white patch has appeared on my right big toenail. I don't know where it came from, because I have never had a pedicure in a nail salon (a lot of women I know have caught nasty fungi or infections from those places), and I haven't shared my clippers with anyone.

My doctor prescribed the generic of Lamisil (in pill form; I've used the lotion form of it when my feet got icky from getting wet all the time working at a nursery and watering with a hose that always dripped on my shoes).

The pharmacist told me to take one a day after a meal, so I took one yesterday after lunch. At first I didn't notice any side effects, but last night, I did have stomach pains. I felt kind of yucky today. So far, I have not taken one today. I find the pills kind of scary, because my doctor had to take some blood, and I'm supposed to come back in 6 weeks and check it again to make sure it isn't doing anything nasty to my liver.

I'm tempted to take them just for the wonderful diet aid they would be. But it's something you're supposed to take for a few MONTHS, and no alcohol.

I already feel like one of those old ladies on lots of pills, as I already take a blood pressure medication, a thyroid med, and earlier this year, I finally weaned myself off of an antidepressant that I had been on for a decade. Surely, there must be something that can be applied topically rather than ingested? I hope!

--J--

My son once got a fungal infection on his finger. With him though, the nail looked fine, it was the skin at the base of the nail that got all red and puffy.

Point being, I am not sure how helpful this will be for you.

But we used Tea Tree oil, and it was great. It is a bit oily. You don't need much, you can soak it onto the pad of a band-aid, then place the band-aid over the spot. Replace the band-aid as needed (probably twice a day), and if it is going to work, there should be lots of improvement in just 4 days (but use it for a full week).

Good luck!

I've heard good things about soaking the affected toenail in vinegar, followed by an application of vick's vaporub.
Google "natural toenail fungus cures" and you'll find lots about this.

Thanks! Both of those sound a lot better than taking some toxic pill for weeks or months!

--J--

Out of curiosity, tell us what you try and what does or doesn't seem to help.

Again, good luck!

Hi J
I second the Tea Tree Oil, also oregano oil is a natural anti-fungal.

I'd also be wary of Lamisil.

How's it going?

ellen

I have thickened toenails from a fungal infection. They don't hurt, are not sore, but if not trimmed and thinned properly, they look worse than they really are. The thing about some toenail problems is they are systemic and cannot be treated successfully topically. I need to ingest the antifungal preparation, but have not because of the potential liver toxicity, which is my choice. You can soak and scrub all you want, but if it is systemic, it won't be beneficial whatsoever. You might get lucky and find a preparation that works for you, but good luck if it is systemic. Just remember there is a BIG difference in the type of fungus that it is. If it is systemic, it can only be successfully treated systemically; otherwise a topical infection can be (obviously) treated topically. You can try the vinegar, Listerine, Vicks Salve, neem oil, tea tree oil, Lamisil topical, or whatever preparation you can find, but if your toenail fungus is systemic, nothing, and absolutely nothing will work, other than the ingestion of a systemic fungal preparation. There are products on the market that swear by their own "prepartion" of oral herbal and topical agents. These MIGHT work, but I have not tried them. This from my own experience and what I have been told by my dermatologist. Other opinons may vary and certainly each individual is different.

I only took one pill. I had stomach pains that night, and felt mildly crappy the next day. I could take it if I had to, but the liver toxicity worries me, and I don't want to do that unless it's absolutely necessary. I plan to get some tea tree oil tonight, then I'll see what happens.

It doesn't really look too bad, not compared to what some people have had. My mom had a nasty toenail, and I think it was an infected ingrown toenail. Her doctor prescribed antibiotics for it, and they upset her stomach too much, so she just lived with the icky toenail. It seems like everybody gets less than pretty toenails in their old age; Mom told me how her dad had to clip his elderly mother's toenails with some heavy-duty clippers, like you would use on livestock. I don't think I am anywhere near old enough to have ugly toenails, though. --J--

I don't know if this would be helpful-but it's worth a try,eh? http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=116. sounds comforting anyway!

quote:

Originally posted by drtdgr:
I don't know if this would be helpful-but it's worth a try,eh? http://www.dirtdoctor.com/view_question.php?id=116. sounds comforting anyway!

I just saved that site to favorites. I had no idea cornmeal was good for so many things, including plants. And somebody used it for a deodorant--I have heard of using baking soda for that. It sounds like a very useful thing, and I can't wait to read more.

--J--

I put some tea tree oil on my toenail today, and some of the white disappeared already. There's still some of whatever it is, but I have great hopes that it will keep improving.

--J--

BPM, I have this problem, too, because I have to wear rubber boots all day outside, and they get damp and can be a spot for fungus to survive.

It's something you have to really stay on, but mine does go away as long as I don't slip up and not do this three times a day. Yeah, it's annoying, but it's not good to have it get worse.

1. Never wear the same close-toed shoes or boots two days in a row. Remove all insoles and make sure they are dry before using.

2. Always put a heaping teaspoon of baking soda in each shoe, tipping it so it gets into the toe zone before use. This is good in all shoes, and freshens them up right away.

3. If your socks get damp inside shoes, change them 2-3 times a day. yeah, this is a drag! But helpful. Moisture and heat is what allows this fungus to grow.

4. Gently clean out under the nail where the white spot is every few days. It's not connected so it doesn't hurt, but moisture and dead skin are under there and they are holding bacteria in place.

5. Three times a day soak a cotton ball with hydrogen peroxide and soak that toenail with it. It might fizz up a bit. Let it dry before putting on socks. Also do this to the corresponding toe (big toes and little toes seem to be the most vulnerable) on the other foot.

Pull out all insoles and allow to dry thoroughly before using. There are shoe/boot dryers that can be used. Keeping them in the sun for a day helps too, but don't leave them out where night moisture can get into them.

This can take a year to get it to subside if it's summer and you are wearing hot, sweaty boots for a long time. It can come back if you aren't careful.

My nails haven't gotten thick from this, so I don't know if this is a different kind of fungus, but the white spot, usually starting at the margin, is what shows up.

Also, I've heard that using Vapo-Rub makes the nail an ugly dark color, whereas the peroxide keeps it clean and normal looking.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, Sweetpea! I think the baking soda is good for a lot of things, so it's nice to have one more use for it.

I think Mom used hydrogen peroxide on her bad toe. I remember her saying it did bubble a bit. I think she had been prescribed antibiotics, rather than the lamisil, for it, but they really messed with her stomach, so she couldn't take them.

It's really strange how the white spot comes back after several hours, although it does look smaller than it did before I started using the tea tree oil on it. Also, my nail has a line down the middle of it, not quite all the way to the cuticle, and on the other side of the line, I don't get the white on it. Maybe I did damage it somehow. I don't know.

--J--

You got lots of help with that toe. Why would you mess up a perfectly good liver to save a toe.Just cut it off and you'll be fine...just kidding ya. Leave the pills alone and stick with Mother nature,she won't steer you wrong. It takes a long time to get rid of that fungus but if you stick with it you'll cure it for good. Just keep at it.
Mavis

Tea tree oil worked for me, too, on 2 toenails. It took several months of using it every couple of days. Take care to keep it off your skin because it can irritate the skin. I think this is preferable to taking the systemic prescription the Dr. suggested I use for a year or two!!