Athlete?s Foot (tinea Pedis) Drug Treatment

Athlete?s Foot (tinea Pedis) Drug Treatment

Many individuals have a resistant fungal infection and supportive measures such as keeping dry and clean do not help. Sometimes the athlete’s foot is recurrent and in such cases, it is best to see a health care professional.

Medicated Powders: Today there are many types of anti fungal powders available without a physician’s prescription. The most common powder used to treat athlete’s foot is miconazole. The medicated powder not only kills the fungus but keeps the foot dry. The powder should be used twice a day. One may need to apply the powder for a few weeks to ensure that the fungus has been eradicated.

Other anti fungal medications include clotrimazole and terbinafine. These are available as sprays and a cream which also have to be applied twice a day. Prior to applying any medicated powder or cream. The feet should be thoroughly washed in warm water and dried. The powder is best applied at bedtime and in the morning. Even if the fungal infection is only in one part of the foot, it is essential to apply the medication on the entire foot, and especially in each of the web spaces of the toes.

Once the medications are used, the redness, itchiness and burning sensation will rapidly disappear within a week but the medications must be continued for at least 3-5 weeks to completely eradicate the fungus from the deep layers of the skin.

There are some individuals who may continue to have symptoms despite the use of powdered medications and in such cases, oral treatment may be required. There are several anti fungal pills available (fluconazole, itraconazole) which can be used to treat athlete’s foot. These medications require a prescription from a physician. In most cases, a 2-3 week course of anti fungal pills should be adequate. Once the fungus has disappeared one should adopt strict cleanliness and maintain dryness of the foot. Tinea has a habit of recurring when the conditions are warm and humid.

Frequently the tinea pedis is neglected and the infection may spread to the toe nails. This normally happens because most people only apply the medications on the skin and not on the nails. Once a toe nail has been infected by a fungus, it is almost impossible to get rid of the infection. While one can apply anti fungal treatment to the nails this may take months. And in some cases one may have to take oral anti fungal medications with no guarantee that they will work. The best and easiest solution for a full blown fungal infection of the nail is to simply get the physician to remove the toe nail. This can be accomplished in a few minutes, is relatively painless and will save you lots of time and aggravation- not to mention the money for the expensive creams and lotions.