Posts Tagged ‘Oral Medications’

Different Treatment Approaches For Nail Fungus

According to statistics, 12% of the whole American population has nail fungus. This condition results in thickened, discolored, brittle and malformed nails.
The toenails are more commonly affected than the fingernails. The dermatophytes or the kind of fungi that causes the nail abnormalities breed ideally in warm and moist places. The foot is subjected to such environment when one wears shoes everyday.
Nail fungus is contagious. That is why, extra precaution must be taken. It doesn’t instantaneously affect other persons upon contact, but may do so if the other persons have weak immune systems or have other conditions that make them prone to infections.
If you have acquired nail fungus, it may be best to avoid sharing towels, nail clippers, shoes, slippers and other things which are considered for personal hygiene purposes. There are reported cases of all members of one household getting nail fungus because of sharing of a nail clipper.Treatment for Nail Fungus
Topical ointments are not very effective when it comes to treating nail fungus. They cannot penetrate the thickened nails and cannot eliminate the fungi underneath the nails. Experts have experimented on nail lacquers that are designed to effectively combat nail fungus.
Oral medications are more ideal for the treatment nail fungus. The common medications used are Fluconazole, Itraconazole and Terbinafine.Fluconazole- This drug is marketed as Diflucan. Individuals infected by nail fungus may take this once a week for several months. There have been reports of side effects involving the kidney. Said side affects can be resolved by lowering the dosage of the drug.Itraconazole – This medicine can be taken in conjunction with other drugs including antibiotics and antihistamines. Itraconazole is taken once a week for two to three months. The drug is branded in the market as Sporanox.Terbinafine – This drug is taken daily for eight weeks to treat fingernail fungus and 12 weeks to treat toenail fungus. There are only few documented side effects of this pill, compared to the other drugs. Lamisil is the brand name of Terbinafine in the market.
Patients are reminded to avoid alcohol intake while under using antifungal drugs. Intake of alcohol may increase the amount of toxins in the body and may affect the functions of the liver.
The ultimate treatment for nail fungus infection that is in its chronic stage, is permanent removal of the toenail. Podiatrists or doctors who specialize in the treatment of foot diseases, should be consulted for this procedure.
Unlike oral or topical treatment, which doesn’t prevent recurrence of the nail fungus, matrixectomy or the removal of the infected nail will ensure permanent remedy for your problem.
Prevention is still the best medicine. This can be done by practicing simple habits like regular trimming of your nails, wearing of appropriate footwear and socks, avoiding use of nail polish, washing of hands and feet and careful cleaning of the nails to avoid skin breakage. Doing these things can be equated to blocking the entry of fungi that may attack your nails.
Read about proper nail care, nail fungus and available medicines for nail fungus online.

Posted by admin on November 24th, 2009 No Comments

Popular Medications Used in the Treatment of Ringworm

There are multiple types of ringworm, each distinctive form of the disease requiring a specific course of treatment. The most commonly used medications in the treatment of ringworm are antifungal creams and gels, which should be applied locally, on the entire surface of the affected skin, until the infection is completely cleared. If the disease is more severe, the doctor may prescribe strong oral medications or combination treatments (antifungal agents both under the form of creams, gels or lotions for local applications and oral tablets or capsules). Regardless of the type of treatment you use, you shouldn’t interrupt the course of medications until the doctor advises you to do so.
Most treatments should be continued for up to 14 days after the disease ceases to produce any visible symptoms. If the antifungal treatment is prematurely stopped, the infection is very likely to reappear, in which case it may also be more difficult to overcome. Thus, it is very important to use the appropriate treatment in the first place and respect the doctor’s or pharmacist’s instructions in order to obtain the best results and minimize the risks of relapse.
When confronted with ringworm, it is very important to maintain proper hygiene and take a set of precautions in order to prevent the infection from spreading to other places on the body (the lesions should be covered with band-aid or a soft, sterile cloth). For instance, ringworm of the foot can spread to the toenails over the course of a few weeks if neglected, causing difficult to treat nail infections called tinea unguium. Similarly, common forms of ringworm of the body may become less responsive to regular treatments if they spread to body areas such as armpits, hands, palms or crotch. By maintaining proper hygiene and avoiding the exposure of the affected regions of the body over the entire course of treatment, you will also minimize the chances of contaminating other persons. In order to avoid spreading the disease to other people, the doctor may even advise you to remain indoors until the infection is pronounced un-contagious.
In case ringworm produces lesions that are covered with a hardened crust, you should soften or even remove that crust by using Fungi-Clear (a pharmaceutical mixture of acetone and tolnaftate) in order to apply the local treatment on the exposed skin, thus enhancing the action of the antifungal agents for external use. After preparing the lesions by wiping them with Fungi-Clear, you should apply a thin layer of Lamisil, gently rubbing the skin until the cream is properly absorbed. The combination of Fungi-Clear (tolnaftate) and Lamisil (terbinafine hydrochloride) is also effective in treating tinea unguium (ringworm of the nails), although the treatment may also include stronger antifungal medications for internal use.
Another effective antifungal agent for external use is Selsun Blue (a pharmaceutical shampoo), product that is most effective in combination with Lamisil gel. The shampoo should be used to clean the affected regions, thus enhancing the efficiency of the antifungal cream (Lamisil). This combination can be used in the treatment of various forms of ringworm, such as ringworm of the body, crotch and foot. However, more severe types of ringworm (ringworm of the scalp, tinea unguium) may require strong oral medications, such as oral Lamisil or griseofulvin. These are prescription-base antifungal medications that are very effective in dealing with most fungal infections characteristic to ringworm. However, long-term treatments with such medications are not recommended, as they can produce pronounced side-effects. When using these medications in the treatment of ringworm, you should respect the doctor’s indications in order to prevent the occurrence of any undesired results.
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Posted by admin on November 21st, 2009 No Comments

Options For Nail Fungus Treatment

You may have seen a few different advertisements or commercials about nail fungus treatment and prevention but some really don’t know what nail fungus actually is. Nail fungus is a fungal infection of the nail also known as onychomycosis in the medial world.

Nail fungus will typically infect the toenails as a common occurrence. Very seldom will nail fungus attack the fingernails. Studies show that approximately twelve percent of the U.S. population has some sort of nail fungus and it is typical to persons of all ages. People over 40 are most susceptible to nail fungus. Like many other forms of affliction, nail fungus is hereditary. Those who have a suppressed immune system due to certain diseases or treatments may be more susceptible to nail fungus. People who have been diagnosed with AIDS, have received transplants or are undergoing cancer treatments are at higher risk.

You must make an appointment with a dermatologist in order to determine if you have nail fungus. They will scrape your infected nail and give you microscopic examination. The nail will be carefully examined with a microscope which helps to determine what type of fungus is growing in the nail. Your dermatologist will determine if you have nail fungus and which type you have. Dermatophytes are nail fungus usually found in the toenails. Yeast is the common type of nail fungus found in the fingernails.

If your dermatologist has diagnosed nail fungus, he or she will prescribe one of many varieties of treatments available to combat the infection. Among the treatments for nail fungus, there are prescriptions such as gels, creams and lotions that may be effective in treating mild cases of nail fungus. For particularly acute cases, your dermatologist may prescribe oral medication to solve the problem. In extreme cases, your doctor may remove the nail, either the section infected or the entire nail to assist in treatment for the nail fungus.

Except the ugly aspects, there are still good news about nail fungus that is if you do get it it can be treated considerably quickly. There are also steps you can take to avoid getting the infection or avoid getting it again. Talk to your dermatologist, he or she will provide you with the necessary information you need about nail fungus and how you can prevent it.

Prevention is still best to avoid nail fungus but if the fungus does occur, here are some options you can do for treatment. Prescribed oral medications are effective which must be taken for several months. However, these medications can have harmful side effects including headaches, upset stomach, liver damage and rashes. Natural remedies such as apple cider vinegar and tea tree oil are supposedly helpful in treating finger nail fungus. In addition, some essential oils can treat the condition, initially. Aside from curing finger nail fungus, these natural oils have other benefits in the overall health.

NaturesPharma remains unique in combining extensive in vitro and in vivo research on the curative effects of medicinal plants utilizing the corresponding successful clinical application of these extracts in a conventional medicinal fashion.

The use of medicinal plants is taking an increasingly greater role in the treatment of nail fungus as conventional medicine has few effective solutions. Powerless, and faced with treatment failures, some doctors are actively seeking alternative effective treatments to resolve this inadequacy. Created by competent scientists, our nail fungus treatment provides real opportunities to safely eliminate nail fungus with encouraging measurable results.

Very recent advances in the scientific understanding of the medicinal plant extracts in Nail Fungus-Rx suggest a much broader use of natural medicine to treat and cure nail fungus than science thought possible just ten years ago. As most standard treatments for fungal infections are not effective against fungus which has worked its way under the nails, the antifungal effects of this product are of increasing interest.

AntiNail Fungus-Rx is concentrated with a wide spectrum of powerful antifungal plant extracts exhibiting a curative effect against nail fungus, as demonstrated by a wealth of scientific and clinical studies. Results are guaranteed.

AntiNailFungus-Rx helps end nail fungus infections by directly attacking and destroying fungus population infecting nails and nail beds. Results achieved with these products are more than convincing especially in view of the poor efficacy and side effects of treatments using classic synthetic medications.

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Posted by admin on November 19th, 2009 No Comments