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Scott, Plan B is the cheaper topicals.. and THEY ain't that cheap..You've got a choice of creams, which are messy to apply, and difficult to force under nail beds ( I think the fungus resides in the keratinous layers of skin UNDER the nail.) and liquids which penetrate better but STILL may not reach the root of the problem What they used to do ( and may still do sometimes for all I know) before the oral antifungals like sporanox existed was remove the toenail, and treat the exposed nail bed with topicals. OTC topicals range in price from creams like Lotrimin at around 7 bucks an ounce to Lamisil at 14, and liquid topicals like Fungizone at a similar price. In the case of a MINOR infection, regular soaking or medicating with the cream MAY alleviate the problem without nail removal, but don't count on it.. don't count on it WITH nail removal either.. And now for the really bad news.. only about 60% respond to the oral therapy within 3 months.. it takes 6 months to reach 80% effective cure if i remember right.. so double that $1000 figure you quoted for the sporanox. Also know that you should have your liver functions monitored during therapy, because it can be a trifle hard on some folks' livers. If you want to try the topical, use the liquid in a condom or finger cot over the infected toe a couple times a day. The alternative is live with it.. it won't kill you.. your nails just won't look fashion-model fresh..I'd say if the nails are thickening or splitting to where pain or infection is a potential problem, then treat it.. but try the cheap stuff for a month or two first, and see if it keeps things in manageable limits, especially if you're paying out of pocket. If that doesn't work, then think about bringing out the big guns.. And for gods's sake, dry out them booties once in awhile ;) Take Care On Tue, 6 Jun 2000 02:47:33 EDT, you wrote: >Hi guys, > >I discovered last week that (from diving I think) I have a toe nail = fungal=20 >infection on one of my big toes. So I went to my local doctor and he=20 >prescribed the drug Sporanox (generic is Itraconazole), two 100 mg = tablets=20 >taken daily for three months. > >This didn't seem like a big problem until I went to buy the drug. You = see my=20 >health insurance has limited drug coverage so I check prices carefully = on the=20 >web. Now I don't know what price you may think is reasonable to kill a=20 >little nail fungus, but I thought maybe $50 or even possibly $75 on the=20 >outside. I couldn't believe my eyes when the prices I got from both = Planet=20 >RX and Drugstore.com were just over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. > >So I'm asking the medical types on this list for a plan "B" to consider.= =20 >What other treatments are available that fall somewhere within the = ballpark=20 >of reasonableness. I'm not asking for detailed treatments, just = suggestions=20 >of what might be possible. > >Thanks a lot for your time. Scott
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