Fungal toe-nail infection - about time I did something about this! Can it cause other issues?

Firstly yoru "depression" could be due to your thyroid medication not being properly regulated - this happened to my daughter who was prescribed anti depressants unnecessarily because her GP was saving money by

not having the full range of tests done for her thyroid condition despite her being a known sufferer. The anti

depressants exacerbated her condition and eventually we had to get her a private appointment with the

thyroid specialist as the GP kept putting us off by saying there was such a long waiting list for NHS

appointment. She is now absolutely fine. Regarding your nails there is a lacquer you can paint on and also

there is laser treatment which sadly is not funded by NHS. I had bad reaction to the pills and stopped them.

Then doctor gave me paint which seems to be working. Hope this helps.

Hi there,

This happened to me a couple of years ago. I had a toe nail infection develop, then another two nails became infected (despite being a reasonably healthy person). Interesting that you are feeling fatigued - I also developed fatigue, especially after taking antibiotics and subsequently the infection returned once again - read on as it's no coincidence that are feeling this way. After I developing symptoms (re-infected nail and tireness, combined with a couple of bladder infections), I spoke with a friend who's very much 'clued up' in health care and I was pointed in the direction of candida.

Candida is the bad bacteria in that develops in your gut in certain conditions (e.g. after stress, or more so after a course of antibiotics! as the good bacteria are killed and the bad bacteria have the conditions to multiply, then you're feeling very bad) it then mutates to a fungi and infects parts of your body - a big clue is toe nail infections, especially for someone so young (unless you're an athlete who wears trainers for 15 hours a day).

Sad thing is many doctors aren't taught about candida. Symptoms of candida include - fungal infections, thrush, tiredness, low moods, digestive troubles etc - the symptoms seemed to fit, so I started a diet protocol over two months, whilst taking probiotics (buy a good one - I recommend at least 20 billion - undo's probiotic 8 is my favorite choice, it's good quality and value for money). I can't express enough how much better I felt. Please research Candida - if you have any questions, please get back to me.

Having suffered from this condition of the toenails, I offer the following information:-

After about 5 treatments of the paint prescribed by my GP (the one with the nail files and plastic spreaders, I forget the brandname) without any success whatsoever, I was eventually prescribed terbinafine, my GP saying (almost verbatim) "That varnish never does work, it's useles" (my thoughts at the time were "well why prescribe the bloody stuff in the first place then, wasting all that time, expense and adding to my catalogue of medical conditions? - I am diabetic, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and about four or five other conditions that I won't describe here for possible breaches of my own confidentiality)

I was initially prescribed terbinafine for about 6 months, and because it does have side effects my GP did not want to prescribe for longer, especially with my other ailments; within that six months, my condition had improved considerably, although not entirely cured; my GP therefore said that he would continue temporarily with the terbinafine, and within another three months or so, it had cleared up - the beneficial side effects that occurred was that my fingernails also improved considerably, and also the very bad cracking of the skin between my toes, which I had suffered from for several decades, also disappeared; I still have terbinafine prescribed, and although I don't use it every day, I do continue to use it on a fairly regular basis in order to keep the condition at bay

It is NOT an overnight success treatment, but it has, after a time, completely healed my condition - please do not be put off by the possible side effects, after all, if you read all the paperwork that comes with each medicine, each warning of various side effects, you'd never go to the doctor or take any medicine at all!

Hope that helps

Hello Alex, for about 8 years my left big toe has been thick and yellow. I always covered my toes through summer and winter and only recently covered them with nail polish so I could wear sandals in the summer months. Bad idea I know. The nail had separated from the nail bed. The other toenail started to get dark in colour and started to lift and eventually came off. After much reading on the internet I started to soak my feet in apple cider vinegar twice a day and of an evening put a few drops of tea tree oil down into the nail bed and on the nail. After the soaks I dry them off very thoroughly with a clean towel and dry them off further with a hair dryer. I started this treatment early February 2014 and a new nail has grown out from the base about 7mm and is pink and clear. I'm now using white vinegar as it's cheaper and am also combining lavender oil with the tea tree oil of an evening. I am so thrilled with the progress of the nails and can't wait until they have grown right out which I think will be about 6 more months but may be 12 months. I am very diligent with the vinegar soaks and should I miss one carry a stray bottle of vinegar with me. Sometimes I try to put my toes in the sun for a few minutes each day. The yellow nail is still thick but I have decided not to file it down as I don't want to risk spreading anything to the new nail. I have also started to try and treat it from the inside and am taking an acidophilus capsule everyday and taking 15ml of olive leaf extract everyday. Whilst I cannot say at this point I have cured my toenail fungus but it is looking very promising. Should the new nail keep growing out clear my plan is to keep up the vinegar soak at least once a day and continue with the combined tea tree oil/lavender oil. I hope you are going well with your efforts. Cheers.

i had toenail fungus for years in both big toes about half way down to the cuticle. I cured one accidentally. I treated the other with Listerine, tea tree oil, and an OTC anti-fungal liquid marketed for nail fungus only to have the problem worsen. The cure was when I accidentally smashed the toe causing a blood blister under it. As is usually the case, the blood blister separated the nail from the nail bed and I lost the toenail. As it grew out, it separated from the cuticle and I could see a new nail growing under it. The front edge of this new nail was completely sealed until it finished growing to the end of the toe months later. By then the fungus was no longer there to infect it. I'm not sure that I recommend this method but it did work for me 100%. I think that I'll try the sunlight and UV recommended by Pazzoppe, above. It would be nice to hear an update from Pazzoppe since it's been 6 months since his post. If that doesn't work, I may ice it to dull the pain and mash it under conditions a bit more controlled than the first one.

Just a quick note to say thank you for all the suggestions and advice on here.

Unfortunately I've only been able to glance at it occasionally, and not had the chance to properly read through all the posts that have accumulated!

I just thought I'd share an update quickly though:

I went to the doctors about something else about a month ago. At the end of the appointment, I mentioned about my toe nail discolouration/problems and said I'd kind of put it to the back of my priorities with other medical things going on. She asked to have a look at them and said they couldn't be sure if it's fungal or not until they send off a sample to the lab to test, but also made sure to say that "just be aware it's nothing serious or contagious"

I sent off the sample and today I received a call about the results. They told me it is fungal, and that I have the option of two different tablet treatmets (one a day for 3 months with one of them, and the other two tablets twice a day for one week in every month for 3-4 months)

But the lady who spoke to me on the phone also made it clear that if I wanted to, I could do nothing about it. She said it's "only cosmetic" and not contagious and won't cause any problems.

I find this hard to believe. Surely there must be some *REASON* why my toe nails are like this, and there must be something wrong in my body to make it happen? How is it just cosmetic? In fact the way they spoke made it sound like I *should* just leave it and do nothing about it.

With my current chronic fatigue/depression/underactive thyroid, I've always wondered if there's something in my body that's causing all of this. But I don't know - I seem to be getting nowhere fast!

I said I'd think about it and make an appointment - the tablets sound all well and good, but I did ask whether the liver could be effected. Was told in under 1% of people who take the tablets that can happen.

Hi. You have just described my life in detail!!!! I have nail fungal on at least 4 of my toes, had it on my big toes for a few years and suddenly in the last few weeks it's appearing on another two and looks like another is starting, I live and die in flip flops and don't very often wear closed toe shoes, I do wear trainers but not all the time? I have vertical ridges on my finger nails which are splitting and can be very painful, also I have an under active thyroid and polymyalgia for which I am taking steroids, initially at 40 mg but am now down to 10mg and my GP is reducing the dose slowly, insomnia, brain fog, slow pulse, slow heart rate, low blood pressure, body core temperature of 36? Seems everything about my body is slow, except my craving for sugar which is out of control, giving up smoking 20 years ago is easier than giving up sugar and yet I don't take it in drinks or on cereal, strange? Any thought or advise greatly appreciated.

I realize this post is one year old. Just in case you have not figured this out yet, I feel compelled to responded. Your health problems may be connected to the use of corticosteroids in antifungal cream. Over abundant of corticosteroids can effect your adrenal gland, causing symptoms similar to what you expressed.  That being said, I am not a doctor and this is only a suggestion. As is with all meds. Do not stop taking without talking to your doctor. If your symptoms are connected to the corticosteroids, More then likely you will need to gradually stop taking meds.

Corticosteroids are in injections for joint pain,  some creams that are applied to the skin ; example ; anti fungal creams, eczema creams. They are also in some inhaled meds for allergies and nasal problems. Also taken in pill form, such as pregnozon. 

supposedly it is rare that corticosteriod will effect the adrenal gland. Yet  I know of four people who have had this problem.  One from back injections. Two from eczema cream, and one from a combination of back injections and anti fungal cream.

Over use of corticosteroids can effect the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland effects all the systems of the body, including pituitary gland, thyroid gland. Blood pressure and much more.

I'm not preaching, I'm relaying  this because the people I know who  had this problem went through a couple of very unhappy years  and many doctor visits before they finally were diagnosed.  I'm happy to say that they are all happy and healthy now.

The person that was getting back injection and taking anti fungal meds, ended up having an advanced case of cushing's syndrome. The doctors slowly backed him off all corticosteroids. He is healthy again.

I solved my moderate nail fungus eventually after trying everything (vinegar mouthwash nail lacquer bla bla bla) with Terbinafine (Lamisil trademark in US) as i started the course i probably rather stupidly removed all infected bits of the nail with a dremel, soaked in vingar to soften and sanded and remaining bits off.. All cleared up now as far as i can tell. down side is my big toenail started to ingrow where the skin had thickened but it only hurt for a little while. Should have just got the Terbinafine to start with. 

Hi I am having great success with Vicks Vaporub pushinh it into the big toenail and wiping it onto the pad of a bandaid both morning and night. The toenail is whitening and growing out from the quick. I have previously tried many other remedies without any success. Change can be seen quickly

It is cheap and easy. Feedback please.

After 20 years of living with this and trying numerous so called cures i am now happy to report what works for me...Total cost £8 ...what is it well try this guys...and believe me it works as after 2 and a half months i am nearly free from visible infection...the results are amazing so do this i urge you to try it as one who has tried almost everything short of pills that would damage my body (didnt fancy that funny enough) Buy a jar of Raw Virgin Coconut Oil i use it to rub into nails morning and night for 5 days and for 2 days i rub Vick into nails ...now i dont know if its the combination of both but i did try vick itself and it was partially successful but nothing like the coconut oil ...so maybe both work or its mostlt the cocnut oil either way it will clear your nail infection just follow what i have done...like i sid total outlay about £8 ...after 2.5 months nails nearly clear i have enough left for at least another 3 months if i need it...all i know is it works...:-)