What Nail Fungus Medicine is Available?

If you have nail fungus on your toe nails or finger nails, you need to get it treated. If it's fairly new fungus growth, and a mild case, it's easier to treat and cure than if you let it go for too long. Left alone, nail fungus can spread to other nails on yourself or other people, and can cause your nail to completely crumble and fall off.

There are several types of nail fungus medicine available on the market. The strongest tend to be available by prescription only, and they come with some unfortunate side effects. Topical fungus medicine can be bought over the counter as well, and many people successfully use home remedies and herbs as nail fungus medicine too.

Lamisil (terbinafine hydrochloride) is quite possibly the best known nail fungus medicine that can be gotten through a prescription. This medicine is taken orally, by mouth, each day for at least two to three months. Then it continues working for another nine to twelve months, to rid your body of the nail fungus problems.

Lamisil is fairly expensive. At best, you can find discount prices online which allow you to get a month's supply for about $250. I've seen reports of some people paying up to $1000 a month for it though. The Lamisil website says that many insurance companies will cover the costs, but talk from regular people around the web has shown mixed results with insurance coverage on nail fungus medicines in general. Some have not been able to get their insurance to cover nail fungus medicine costs, and some have only been able to get the insurance to cover part of the costs.

Lamisil nail fungus medicine has some side effects that make people very nervous. Minor side effects can include upset stomach, nausea, and diarrhea. The part that makes people a bit nervous though, is the potential for liver or kidney damage when taking Lamisil. Reports conflict a bit on this. Some say that liver and kidney damage is only a risk for people who already have liver and kidney problems. Some however, say that your doctor will require regular liver and kidney tests while you're taking the medicine. See below for additional information on potential risks.

There are topical versions of Lamisil which aren't known to have the same side effect risks though.

Sporanox (Itraconazole) is another prescription nail fungus medicine that tends to be used quite often. Dosage apparently varies depending on the severity of your nail fungus infection. Some report having to take Sporanox capsules once or twice a day for three to six months, while others report taking it once a day for a week, then stopping for three weeks, and doing it again for one more week. If your doctor prescribes this for you, they'll explain what the correct dosage is for your particular nail fungus problems.

Risks: In 2001, The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public health warning about the use of Sporanox® (itraconazole) Capsules and Lamisil® (terbinafine hydrochloride) Tablets for the treatment of onychomycosis, or nail fungus. The oral Sporanox nail fungus medicine has been shown to have a "small but real risk of congestive heart failure", and the oral version of both Sporanox and Lamisil nail fungus medicines have been associated with serious liver toxicity, liver failure, and death.