Fungus is not fun
April 14, 2015 6:58 PM Subscribe
Need tips on treating severe athlete's foot.
I have been suffering from a severe outbreak of athlete's foot (tinea pedis). It started between my pinky and ring toe on one foot. Despite treatment with OTC clotrimazole, it rapidly spread across both feet and to the palms of my hands, with severe itching, skin thickening, peeling, and painful cracking.
A week in, I went to the doctor and got prescriptions for internal and topical terbinafine, and fluoxetine for the itching.
These did not provide rapid relief, but eventually (three weeks later) the infestation is finally subsiding.
My questions: If you have suffered from serious fungal skin infection, what OTC or prescription meds or alternative treatments have you found effective? How can I prevent this hellish infestation from happening again?
I have been suffering from a severe outbreak of athlete's foot (tinea pedis). It started between my pinky and ring toe on one foot. Despite treatment with OTC clotrimazole, it rapidly spread across both feet and to the palms of my hands, with severe itching, skin thickening, peeling, and painful cracking.
A week in, I went to the doctor and got prescriptions for internal and topical terbinafine, and fluoxetine for the itching.
These did not provide rapid relief, but eventually (three weeks later) the infestation is finally subsiding.
My questions: If you have suffered from serious fungal skin infection, what OTC or prescription meds or alternative treatments have you found effective? How can I prevent this hellish infestation from happening again?
Best answer: Did someone light up the Fungus Signal? (Ew.)
Terbinafine cream, you can get it OTC. Once the fungus appears to be gone, or once your derm says you don't need terbinafine pills any more, what you want to do is coat all previously affected surfaces with the terbinafine cream once a week. In your case I would do both feet up to the ankle and both hands to the wrist, put on socks and cotton gloves, and go to bed. After several months of this, you can back off from doing it every week. At this point I smack my feet down every time I notice unusual pinkness after exercise or after a hot shower, and I have not had a major recurrence since I finally got it under control.
posted by KathrynT at 9:14 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Terbinafine cream, you can get it OTC. Once the fungus appears to be gone, or once your derm says you don't need terbinafine pills any more, what you want to do is coat all previously affected surfaces with the terbinafine cream once a week. In your case I would do both feet up to the ankle and both hands to the wrist, put on socks and cotton gloves, and go to bed. After several months of this, you can back off from doing it every week. At this point I smack my feet down every time I notice unusual pinkness after exercise or after a hot shower, and I have not had a major recurrence since I finally got it under control.
posted by KathrynT at 9:14 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: And yes, the terbinafine is 2-3 times as expensive as all the other creams. But it is VALUE FOR MONEY because it WORKS and the others DO NOT.
posted by KathrynT at 9:16 PM on April 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by KathrynT at 9:16 PM on April 14, 2015 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I have also had relief for severe tinea from a weeks-long twice-daily treatment with terbinafine cream after several months each of three times daily clotrimazole and bifonazole both proved ineffective.
To be on the safe side, I continued with once-daily terbinafine for as long again as it took to clear up all my symptoms.
No recurrence after two years.
posted by flabdablet at 4:44 AM on April 15, 2015
To be on the safe side, I continued with once-daily terbinafine for as long again as it took to clear up all my symptoms.
No recurrence after two years.
posted by flabdablet at 4:44 AM on April 15, 2015
Also, I've never heard of fluoxetine being used to control itching. I've heard of it causing itching as a side effect.
There's some evidence that fluvoxamine and paroxetine control itching, but as far as I know that's still very much an off-label use.
If my doctor had prescribed me a powerful psych drug off-label, I'd certainly be getting a second opinion before starting on it.
posted by flabdablet at 4:57 AM on April 15, 2015
There's some evidence that fluvoxamine and paroxetine control itching, but as far as I know that's still very much an off-label use.
If my doctor had prescribed me a powerful psych drug off-label, I'd certainly be getting a second opinion before starting on it.
posted by flabdablet at 4:57 AM on April 15, 2015
Try a peeling foot mask.
The one I used was called Purederm exfoliating foot mask. I wasn't trying to get rid of my athlete's foot with this, but it was mysteriously gone two weeks after I started.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 6:05 AM on April 15, 2015
The one I used was called Purederm exfoliating foot mask. I wasn't trying to get rid of my athlete's foot with this, but it was mysteriously gone two weeks after I started.
posted by Ms. Moonlight at 6:05 AM on April 15, 2015
Response by poster: My mistake, the ointment for itching was fluocinonide. Didn't do squat, and now I read that the use of corticosteroids may actually worsen fungal infections.
Any advice for the cracking? The deep cracks under my toes were the most painful part of the whole thing. At one point I thought about using superglue to glue the fissures together.
posted by ottereroticist at 9:16 AM on April 15, 2015
Any advice for the cracking? The deep cracks under my toes were the most painful part of the whole thing. At one point I thought about using superglue to glue the fissures together.
posted by ottereroticist at 9:16 AM on April 15, 2015
In my experience, the cracks healed pretty fast after the fungus was gone. If yours aren't healing, then you may need to stay on the terbinafine for a while.
posted by KathrynT at 9:18 AM on April 15, 2015
posted by KathrynT at 9:18 AM on April 15, 2015
When I have a bout of athlete's foot, I need to continue the anti-fungal treatment for a couple of weeks after the symptoms are gone. Otherwise, the affliction starts all over again within a month.
posted by wryly at 4:50 PM on April 15, 2015
posted by wryly at 4:50 PM on April 15, 2015
Any advice for the cracking? The deep cracks under my toes were the most painful part of the whole thing.
Same here. Improving my foot washing technique helped, even before I found an effective antifungal cream.
I settled on using a bucket of warm water with a cup of white vinegar added, going over each toe thoroughly and gently with a very wet washcloth, then thoroughly drying with a hairdryer set on low heat before slathering my feet in antifungal cream and putting on my socks for the day. Washcloths and socks both got hung up to dry in the sun for a couple of days before being laundered.
First vinegar wash stung like fire. Not too bad after that.
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 PM on April 15, 2015
Same here. Improving my foot washing technique helped, even before I found an effective antifungal cream.
I settled on using a bucket of warm water with a cup of white vinegar added, going over each toe thoroughly and gently with a very wet washcloth, then thoroughly drying with a hairdryer set on low heat before slathering my feet in antifungal cream and putting on my socks for the day. Washcloths and socks both got hung up to dry in the sun for a couple of days before being laundered.
First vinegar wash stung like fire. Not too bad after that.
posted by flabdablet at 8:34 PM on April 15, 2015
« Older What was this trashy old scifi book? | Can you figure out what's going on with this image... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by St. Hubbins at 7:02 PM on April 14, 2015 [1 favorite]