Treatments and Cost

Today, doctors are hopeful that new technologies, medications, and delivery systems will bring a fresh new viable treatment option with more reliable long-term results. Many podiatrists and doctors have had serious concerns and issues with the current treatment options. Below we look at each of the current treatments and then what is on the horizons.

Existing Treatments

Topical Treatments
Ciclopirox Nail Solution- clinical cure rates are less than 10% and only in mild cases. Patients state they have found it for as little as $20 and as much as $150. It is tedious to put on daily and remove weekly with patient debridements.
Other topical treatments
Fungoid Tinxture, Tineacide, Vicks Vapor Rub, tea tree oil, Lysol, mouth wash among many more have no FDA approval for the treatment of onychomycosis or reliable medical studies to prove efficacy.

Oral Medications
Terbinafine (Lamisil)
Expense- Costs $1,500 + annually
Long term results- after one year the medication is no longer present in the nail and recurrence of infection is not uncommon.
Cure rate of 60-70%.
Side effects occur in approximately 6% of the population taking the medication-including liver damage, kidney damage, cutaneous problems, neurological problems, GI issues, loss of taste, green vision among others.
Considerations with drug interactions, however significantly less than itraconazole.5-11

Itraconazole (Sporanox)
Expense- Over $1,000/year
Long term results- after one year the medication is no longer present in the nail and recurrence is not uncommon.
Side effects occur in around 9% of patients and can include GI problems, nervous system concerns, liver and kidney damage, cardiac dysfunction, cutaneous problems, among others.

Laser Treatment
PinPoint FootLaser (Patholase)
Currently in FDA trial III
Initial results indicate approximately 79-90% improved.
Treatment is a onetime blast of the laser to the nails in a grid pattern insuring complete exposure.
Side effects reported are very minimal with the excessive heat being the primary complaint. This can be relieved by stopping and moving on to other nails.