The best cure for foot fungus: modern drugs for effective treatment

Mycosis of the feet is a common disease. They can easily become infected on the beach, in the pool and in the sauna. Fungal infection of the feet causes itching, irritation, and an unpleasant odor. Curing the disease is not easy. It takes a long time to get rid of mycoses - from several months to a year. Therapy should be started as early as possible, and the drugs should be selected correctly. If you are treated without consulting a dermatologist, and do not complete the course, the fungus will not completely disappear. Mycosis will soon resume and take on a severe and advanced form.

Introduction

People who are diagnosed with mycosis know firsthand that the treatment of this unpleasant disease is very long and requires an integrated approach.

And if at the initial stage of the disease you can get by with external means, such as ointments, sprays, gels, then an advanced disease requires treatment from the inside. When asked which tablets to use against foot fungus, dermatologists answer: it all depends on the type of pathogen, the general health of the patient and the area of ​​the lesion.

Types of fungus: vesicular fungus

In the vast majority of cases, the disease is caused by two types of dermatophytes - Trichophyton rubrum (more than 50%), followed by Trichophyton mentagrophytes (33%).

Several classifications of foot fungus have emerged. We present the most common one.

So, the fungus is divided into four forms according to the localization of distribution:

• Interdigital , also known as intertriginous, is the most common. First, the infection affects the interdigital folds without changing the skin of the foot;
• Moccasin foot , (also known as squamous-hyperkeratic foot, or athlete's foot) - affects the entire plantar part of the foot and then the nails. Creates a stratum corneum of skin right up to the rib of the foot, which makes treatment very difficult - medications have difficulty penetrating deep into the keratinized skin and nail plates;
• The erased form - minimal changes on the skin, is characterized by itching, slight peeling, cracks between the toes and crater-like changes in the skin of the foot. Treatment is difficult due to the hidden nature of the disease;
• And finally, the rarest form is vesicular (also known as dyshidrotic, in Latin tinea pedum ulcerosa). Let's talk about it.

When is it necessary to take tablet medications?

It’s worth mentioning right away that tablets for mycosis of the feet have very strong toxicity and many contraindications, so taking them yourself, without consulting a specialist, is not recommended.

Oral medications for mycosis are prescribed when other treatments have been ineffective. The drugs are used together with external agents until complete cure. The tablets directly act on the cell walls of the fungus, as a result, the spread of infection is stopped, and after a certain time the fungus completely dies. It is worth noting that all tablet drugs have a wide spectrum of action.

In what situations are antimycotic drugs prescribed in tablets?:

• foot fungus;
• yeast skin infection;
• fungal infections of the eyes and respiratory tract;
• cryptococcosis;
• vaginal candidiasis;
• histoplasmosis;
• paracoccidioidomycosis;
• onychomycosis;
• candidemia;
• fungal infection of the esophagus and oral cavity;
• sporotrichosis;
• mycosis of the scalp;
• body skin fungus.

For each type of fungal infection, there are separate drugs that effectively cope with a specific strain of the disease.

Before starting treatment, you need to undergo a full examination to identify the pathogen; this is the only way the treatment will be as effective as possible.

Price

It is easy to purchase antifungal drugs for external or systemic action at any pharmacy without a prescription from a doctor. You can buy it inexpensively in an online store (order from a catalogue), but in this case you will have to pay extra for delivery. Average cost of inexpensive antifungal drugs in the Moscow region:

Main groups of antimycotic drugs

The fungus adapts very quickly and develops resistance to various medications. Self-treatment may lead to the development of a more resistant form of fungal infection due to mutation of the virus.

In pharmacology, there are three types of drugs aimed at combating mycosis :

• Polyene antibiotics are fungicidal drugs with a broad spectrum of action that increase the permeability of the plasma membrane of fungal cells, and as a result, their rapid death. Polyenes are very effective in treating various forms of fungal infection, but some strains are not affected by this drug.
• Azoles are drugs of synthetic origin with an antimycotic effect for local and systemic treatment of fungal infections. They have a wide spectrum of antifungal action; even some strains of coca are sensitive to drugs in this group.
• Allylamines are synthetic drugs that effectively cope with higher, dimorphic and mold fungi. The drug is prescribed for some forms of lichen and dermatomycosis.

Features of their treatment

Before prescribing such treatment, the dermatologist takes scales from the affected area for laboratory testing to identify the type of pathogen. As soon as the parasitic fungus is identified, the doctor will draw up a complex treatment regimen, which must be strictly followed, otherwise the treatment will be ineffective.

The pulse method of treatment is considered the most effective.

It is based on the use of various medications, which are taken with increasing doses in short courses and breaks for a long time.

But before prescribing pulse therapy, the doctor conducts a comprehensive study.

Initial treatment with a tablet drug has a slow effect and has a number of side effects. Before making a prescription, a dermatologist must provide for the following conditions :

• Allergies – Oral antifungals are highly toxic and may cause a reaction in the body, especially if the patient is allergic to certain foods.
• Pregnancy – treating fungus with tablets during pregnancy is strictly prohibited.
• Lactation period - no treatment.
• Concomitant diseases - antifungal drugs can interact with other medications, and their use may be ineffective and even dangerous in some cases.
• Abuse of alcoholic beverages – taking anti-bending tablets together with alcohol can lead to undesirable consequences.
• Age of the patient – ​​when prescribing drugs, the general condition of the patient’s body is taken into account.

You cannot increase the dose of the drug on your own. When treating a fungal disease, a complex of vitamins is additionally prescribed that will help improve the body's immunity and resistance to infection.

Signs of fungal nail infection

A person's toenails may also be affected. The disease can be distinguished by the following symptoms.

1. Marked change in the color of the nail plate. Depending on what type of pathology the patient has, the nail takes on a variety of shades. Sometimes it can change only on part of the nail plate.
2. Nail crumbling. It only happens in advanced stages. If the nail is completely infected, it is destroyed.
3. Changes in the structure of the nail.

Main signs of onychomycosis

There are several types of onychomycosis, a fungal infection of the nails.

1. Atrophic appearance. The nail plate looks very thin. It darkens, sometimes acquiring a grayish-brown color. The nail gradually peels off from its bed. The skin underneath becomes keratinized and becomes loose.
2. With the normotrophic form of foot fungus, the plate changes its shade. Spots appear on it - white, yellow, green and even black. The structure of the nail is not affected.
3. In the hypertrophic form, the plate gradually thickens and becomes porous. The affected area looks very unsightly and in some cases causes pain while walking. On the sides it crumbles and collapses without treatment.

Disease prevention

Prevention of fungal infections on the feet is personal hygiene first and foremost. Fungal microflora develops quickly with severe sweating of the feet, as it loves a moist and warm environment.

To avoid becoming infected with fungus, you need to take the following measures:

• feet should be cool and dry;
• When doing a pedicure in a beauty salon, make sure that the master handles the instrument properly;
• Wash your feet daily with water at room temperature using antibacterial agents. In the summer, if possible, it is advisable to carry out this process after every trip outside;
• After washing, feet should be wiped dry, especially between the toes;
• try to eliminate sweating of the feet; for this you can use special antifungal sprays and powders;
• when visiting public places such as saunas, steam baths, fitness rooms, bring rubber slippers with you;
• Do not use other people’s hygiene items – sponges, towels. Even within a family, each member must have them individually;
• if infection does occur, then it is better to use disposable paper towels for your feet;
• select shoes strictly in size and from natural materials;
• do not wear rubber or plastic shoes for a long time, your feet sweat in them, and the fungal infection spreads very quickly;
• Leave your shoes to dry every day and carry out antifungal treatment;
• summer shoes should be light and well ventilated;
• sneakers need to be changed every season, if they can be washed, then this should be done at least once a month;
• We change socks every day, and they must be made of natural fabric;
• You need to wash socks using boiling mode, this is the only way to kill fungal spores;
• constantly disinfect the bath area and all items used for personal hygiene;
• use prophylactic medications to prevent infection, for example, you can take daily baths with acidified water, or purchase an appropriate spray.

The fungus is very insidious and tenacious; its spores can live for a long time in sand and street dust. Therefore, you should not neglect preventive measures, even if you currently have healthy skin on your feet.

Reviews about the application

Margarita is 36 years old. She suffered from foot fungus for many years, and she tried all sorts of medications on herself, both medicinal and folk.
The disease subsided for a while, but then everything resumed. In the summer I had to wear closed shoes, which greatly aggravated the situation. Not long ago, a friend advised me to try Lamisil, the price, of course, scared me a little, but there was simply no other choice, the disease began to progress.

Improvement followed after taking the pills for a week. But I didn’t stop there and took the full three-month course.

Now I really regret that I spent so much time and money on drugs that don’t help much. I recommend Lamisil, it helped a lot.

Svetlana is 30 years old. I have an advanced form of fungus, and I still couldn’t begin treatment until the ulcers started spreading in my feet. I went to the clinic, where I was prescribed a course of treatment with Terbinafine, and all its forms at once. It is worth noting that after three days of treatment I noticed an improvement. The course lasted 2 months. I’m happy with the drug, even my nails grew back healthy and I didn’t have to remove them, as many people advise. Vyacheslav 46 years old. I work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The uniform requires wearing ankle boots. Despite the fact that the shoes are made of genuine leather, in the summer the feet sweat a lot and, as a result, the fungus on the feet progresses greatly. Sometimes when I came home I was afraid to take off my shoes; the smell from my feet was unbearable.

An inexpensive but effective drug in my case, Itraconazole, helped me get rid of this disease. I used cream, tablets and powder. Improvement occurred in the second week of use, and after 3 months the fungus completely disappeared. The drug is effective and not expensive, I recommend it.