Fungal treatment is a long and not always successful process. Medicines on the shelves of pharmacies are presented in huge numbers, but not all of them cope with the task quickly and effectively. To choose an effective antifungal drug for nails, you need to pay attention to the instructions for use and read customer reviews.
About the disease and treatment
Onychomycosis is not always an independent disease, very often it is a consequence of fungal skin lesions. And if it is easier to cope with skin pathologies, then the treatment of nails is difficult due to poor penetration of the drug into the plate. The list of antifungal preparations for nails is quite extensive and consists of external and internal agents. They differ in the form of release, the main active ingredient, side effects, contraindications and, of course, price.
Based on customer feedback, you can make a list of the most effective drugs that can be purchased at the pharmacy:
- Creams and ointments - “Candide”, “Canizon”, “Nizoral”, “Exoderil”, “Mikospor”, salicylic ointment, “Clotrimazole”.
- Lucky - Oflomelid, Oflomil, Lotseril, Mikozan, Batrafen, Lamisil, Demikten, Belvedere.
- Tablets - Orungal, Lamisil, Fluconazole, Itraconazole, Terbinafine, Ketoconazole, Griseofulvin, Irunin.
Exoderil
This is an antifungal drug for nails, the main active ingredient of which is naphthyne hydrochloride. In addition to him, the medicine contains:
- polysorbate;
- purified water;
- stearyl alcohol;
- isopropyl myristate;
- sorbitan stearate;
- sodium hydroxide.
This antifungal nail cream is available in metal tubes of 15 and 30 grams, the cost is 350 and 600 rubles, respectively. Antimycotic agent has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects, stops the formation of fungal cells. Effective against yeast, dermatophytes, the genus Malassezia, aspergillus.
Apply this antifungal nail preparation twice a day for 5 months or until the healthy plate regrowth. It is recommended to continue treatment after recovery for another 2 weeks to prevent the risk of relapse.
Almost no contraindications, except for individual intolerance to the active substance. Used with caution for the treatment of children, pregnant and lactating women.
Judging by the reviews of patients who used the ointment for the treatment of onychomycosis, the drug is effective only if it is used in complex treatment. Applying only Exoderil cream, it will not work to achieve the desired result. Consumers also noted the high price of the course, one tube is enough for literally a week of treatment.
"Clotrimazole"
Among antifungal ointments for nails, consumers distinguish Clotrimazole as one of the most effective means. The active substance of the drug is clotrimazole. He fights against pathogens such as actinomycetes, trichophytone, candida and aspergillus.
After application to the affected areas, it quickly removes redness and inflammation, and is also effective in treating skin fungus. In addition to clotrimazole, the composition of the drug includes:
- sorbitan stearate;
- polysorbate 60;
- ilyldodecanol;
- benzyl alcohol;
- cetostearyl alcohol;
- purified water.
The active substance inhibits the synthesis of ergosterol, which ultimately leads to damage to the cytoplasmic membrane.
The drug has a minimal list of contraindications - this is the individual sensitivity of the active component. Use "Clotrimazole" is allowed even for the treatment of children from 1 year old, pregnant and lactating women. Rare side effects in the form of redness of the skin and rashes can occur only in case of intolerance to the drug by a specific patient.
This inexpensive but effective antifungal drug for nails is available at the pharmacy without a prescription and costs about 60 rubles per tube. The course of treatment is 2-3-fold application per day until the growth of a healthy nail and the disappearance of all symptoms of onychomycosis. Doctors recommend processing the plates for another 2 weeks after recovery for prevention.
Patient reviews about the treatment of nail fungus with this medication are mostly positive. They noted a rather small price of the drug and high efficiency. Consumers also pay attention to the fact that the medicine does not lead to the development of allergic reactions and is well tolerated even by young children.
Salicylic ointment
This inexpensive but effective antifungal drug for nails has a wide spectrum of action and fights with almost all types of fungal microorganisms. It is especially effective when the disease is at an initial stage. The only drawback that patients note in their reviews is that salicylic ointment should be used as part of complex therapy, and not as an independent tool for the treatment of onychomycosis.
35% ointment will help literally get rid of an unpleasant disease in a week. After a soda bath, it is applied to the affected plate under a compress and left overnight. After using this antifungal ointment for nails, the plate will quickly peel off, and in its place grow healthy.
The cost of the drug is low, which leads to its popularity among consumers. For a tube of medicine weighing 25 grams, you will have to pay about 30 rubles. The cost may vary slightly depending on the pricing policy of a particular pharmacy chain.
Loceryl
For the treatment of onychomycosis, special varnishes are also used. One of the most effective, according to patients and doctors, is Lotseril. It can not be called a budget option, but it has proved highly effective in the fight against various pathogens. The cost of this antifungal nail polish is in the region of 1500-2000 rubles per bottle. One is enough for 75 applications, at least as the manufacturer claims.
The main active ingredient of the drug is amorolfin. It has a powerful antimycotic effect and is effective against most known types of fungal pathogens: mold, yeast, dermatophytes.
Dermatologists prescribe this antifungal drug for nails in the case when no more than 2/3 of the surface of the plate is affected. Otherwise, one application of varnish will not be enough, complex therapy, including taking pills, is needed.
The product is applied to clean nails once a day. The course of treatment is until the complete restoration of the nail plate.
Due to the fact that amorolfine does not enter the systemic circulation, varnish has a very narrow range of contraindications. They are mainly associated with the fact that studies have not been conducted on the effect of the drug on the following categories of patients:
- breastfeeding women;
- pregnant patients;
- children under 8 years old.
As for the opinion of those treated with this tool, it is ambiguous. Loceryl helped someone quickly solve the problem of onychomycosis, while someone considers the money spent on the drug wasted and assures the drug is completely useless. In order not to make a mistake with the choice, before purchasing this or that remedy, you need to take tests, identify the pathogen and only after that proceed with treatment.
"Batrafen"
Another good antifungal nail polish patients consider Batrafen. Before you buy this tool on the advice of friends or pharmacists, it is worth making a scraping from the nail and find out the cause of onychomycosis. Since varnish is expensive, about 2500 rubles, it will be a shame when it turns out that it is ineffective in your case. Negative reviews about this antifungal agent for toenails are left by those patients who self-medicated and did not receive specialist advice.
The main active ingredient of the drug is cyclopirox. He successfully fights with many of the known pathogens of onychomycosis and is effective in the initial stage of the disease and as a prophylactic. During the first month, it is applied to the nail plates every other day, in the second month - 2-3 times a week.
It is not recommended to use the drug during pregnancy and lactation, as well as with individual intolerance to the active substance.
As for the reviews, those who used “Batrafen” as prescribed by the doctor, note the effectiveness of the drug, ease of application and the absence of side effects.
"Terbinafine"
In especially advanced cases, antifungal agents for toenails for oral administration may be prescribed. Terbinafine tablets are considered one of the most popular and effective patient reviews.
Terbinafine hydrochloride acts as an active substance, which is active against many pathogens of onychomycosis. Since the drug can cause adverse reactions with self-administration, you can buy it only by prescription. The average cost of packaging is about 100 rubles.
Dosage of the drug - for adults, 1 tablet per day, for children, the dosage is calculated by a specialist individually and depends on body weight. For a complete cure, a 3-month course is usually sufficient.
In the reviews, patients indicate a high effectiveness of the drug and a quick result after taking the medication. Negative opinions usually relate to those cases when a person uncontrollably used the medicine and did not follow the instructions for use.
"Fluconazole"
As part of complex therapy, fluconazole tablets may be prescribed. The active substance is fluconazole, which has proven effectiveness in the treatment of various fungal diseases. Patients note in the reviews the convenience of using the drug - it is enough to drink 1 tablet once a week. The minimum course of therapy is at least 3 months. The average cost of one is about 30 rubles.
To summarize
Studying reviews of antifungal preparations for nails, we can conclude that not always a high price guarantees a 100 percent result. It is quite possible to choose an effective drug for the treatment of onychomycosis with a budget cost.
Another point that experts recommend paying attention to is the correct diagnosis. Many of the drugs receive negative feedback, not because they are ineffective, but because the patient neglected the advice of a doctor and was self-medicating.