Nail Rot, Rotting Nails, Nail Fungus, Natural Treatments for Nail Rot

Options for Treating Nail Rot in 2008

Before you read any further, if you haven't done so already, please read our article entitled, "Toenail Rot: Nail Fungus and How to Treat It." That article is a good, clear introduction to the topic of "nail rot" and will make it much easier to make practical use of the information contained in this article.

Treatments for toenail rot (nail rot, rotting nails, nail fungus or onychomycosis) include both natural products and pharmaceutical products. Recent studies show that certain natural nail fungus treatments can be highly effective . Here is the latest information as of 2008:

Natural Products

There are many natural products and home remedies promoted for treating nail rot. Some of these work for some people, especially in early stages of the disease. It may be worthwhile to spend a little time and money on natural remedies for nail rot before you seek expensive medical and pharmaceutical options. If you do not see results after a few months, consider talking to a doctor about a prescription for stronger medicine.

Pharmaceutical Treatment - Systemic

The primary products available by prescription for oral administration are Lamisil and Sporanox. Lamisil (chemical name, terbinafine; chemical class, allylamine) is made by Novartis. Sporanox (chemical name, itraconazole; chemical class, triazole) is made by the Janssen-Ortho Inc. subsidiary Johnson & Johnson. These two products are direct competitors, and the medical literature is not clear on which one is superior. Neither of them works all the time, and for many people they will not work at all, so it is good to be aware that you have choices.

Both prescription medications can cause serious side effects. The FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on Lamisil and Sporanox on May 9, 2001. That document is available here: http://www.fda.gov/CDER/drug/advisory/sporanox-lamisil/advisory.htm. If you have heart problems or liver problems you should be especially careful with these drugs and make sure both you and your doctor fully understand the risks of using them.

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You might save a bundle using one of the following resources before you risk expensive prescription treatments:

NAIL-Rx for NAIL FUNGUS

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You may find it interesting to read the position statement of the insurance company, CIGNA HealthCare, updated near the end of 2007 and available here: http://www.cigna.com/customer_care/healthcare_professional/coverage_positions/pharmacy/ph_4007_ pharmacycoverageposition_onychomycosis_antifungals.pdf. Notice the requirements they have for insurance coverage--more than merely a confirmed diagnosis of a fungal nail infection, but also a requirement that you experience pain associated with the infection. Perhaps this is not surprising since they are in this business for the money, and the more restrictive their requirements are the less money they will pay out for treatment. But, you should clearly understand that if you have nail rot, it makes no sense to wait to start treatment until you are in pain. The infection is there whether it hurts or not, and it won't go away by itself. In general, the earlier you can begin treatment of an infectious disease, the better your chances of a cure.

Pharmaceutical Treatment - Topical

The primary prescription treatment for nail rot that is used topically is Penlac (chemical name, ciclopirox) made by Sanofi-Aventis. This is a nail lacquer that is applied directly to the affected nail daily. The main advantage of this treatment over the oral medication is that there are very few side effects and the product is safer for anyone who has heart or liver problems. However, the cure rate is lower. Some reports suggest that only about 10 percent of people can be cured of nail rot with topical products, whereas the oral medication has a cure rate of 30 percent and higher.

Nail-Rx for Nail Fungus

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Peruse our site and look through our articles to see if we can help you with your health questions. Remember, though, that only your healthcare professional can diagnose and recommend specific treatments for your health issues. We are here to give you a knowledge base that you can use to better understand your doctor's orders and to help you know what questions to ask.