How is nail fungus treated?
Oral antifungal therapy works about 50%-75% of the time. It can take nine to 12 months to see if it has worked or not, because that is how long it takes for the nail to grow out. Even when therapy works, the fungus may come back about 20%-50% of the time. Creams and other topical medications are usually not effective against nail fungus. This is because nails are too hard for external applications to penetrate. However, a new medicated nail lacquer ciclopirox (Penlac) topical solution 8% has been approved to treat finger or toenail fungus that does not involve the white portion of the nail (lunula) in people with normal immune systems. It only works about 7% of the time. Oral medications that are effective against nail fungus include: • Griseofulvin (Fulvicin, Gifulvin, Gris-Peg): This drug has been the mainstay of oral antifungal therapy for many years. Although this drug is safe, it is not very effective against toenail fungus. Newer agents have largely supplanted it. • Terbinafine (
