If you are looking into toenail fungus oral medication, it means that you know or suspect that you have nail fungus and have begun to conduct research on how to treat your nail fungus. During your research, you probably came across oral medication since it is the most common treatment – and some claim the best one. But is it really the best way to treat your nail fungus?

What is Toenail fungus?

Toenail fungus is a fungal infection that affects the nail and sometimes the surrounding skin. This infection is very common affecting about 70% of people over 60! Most of the time the infections are mild and cosmetic. But some patients may experience discomfort and pain.

Common Symptoms

Most people will experience discoloration of the nails that might have started on one nail. Nail fungus is very infectious and over time will jump from one nail to the next until all nails are infected. Over time, nails may also become brittle with jagged edges. And deformities to the nails and complete detachment from the nail bed may also happen. More severe infections will also cause the nails to be very thick and hard. This makes it extremely hard for people to trim their nails. Also, simple things like wearing closed-toe shoes will become uncomfortable over time.

Oral Medication Treatment

Oral medication is the most common treatment for nail fungus because usually it’s covered by insurance. However, despite being covered by insurance, it can still end up costing thousands of dollars since it needs to be consistently taken over the course of many months. It is the preferred method of treating nail fungus because other options include over-the-counter topical treatments, which are less than 1% effective at curing nail fungus, and prescription topical treatments, which, at 6% effective, are only very slightly better. With a cure rate of 60%, oral medication is certainly better than these two options at curing nail fungus, but it is certainly not the most effective treatment out there. 

We will admit that the cure rate of 60% combined with insurance coverage can seem tempting, and it may seem like oral medication is the answer to all your nail fungus prayers. However, the side effects of oral medication make turning it down an absolute no-brainer. Oral medications have severely detrimental effects on the liver, sometimes causing liver damage and even liver failure, and in some instances, ultimately prove fatal. This is why patients need to routinely monitor and test their liver while they are on these medications. 

Alternative Treatment Options

Nail fungus is a serious condition that can lead to other health issues if left ignored. Treatment should not come at the risk of your life. Laser treatment using the PinPointe laser is a much safer and more effective option. It has an 85% cure rate and no side effects or recovery period. When you consider the cost of long-term oral medication plus constant testing and office visits, laser treatment ends up being the far superior choice. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our doctors at one of our over 150 locations.