[Tris]

Been suffering from Athlete's foot for a while now and can't seem to shift it. Been to the doctors and he basically told me to carry on using creams and washing and drying my feet regularly which I have been doing but to no avail.

So far I have tried:





Can anyone recommend any other proven ways of shifting it? Don't really want to go back to doctors..

[lagerstarfish]

I used to get it bad. 2 things I learned that helped to shift it.
Rub the cream right in; don't leave it on as a thick layer.
Treating my shoes with the spray powder helped (especially climbing shoes).
You can get 2% Canesten (normal is 1%) for thrush; depending on the fungus you've got this might work.

[Drewski Rootbitch]

I have a 'friend' who (very occassionally) get some funky foot skank.
He uses Potassium permanganate , very cheap from the chemist, comes as purple crystals, put in hot water and soak your feet in it.
Turns your feet very dark brown (for a few days) and stains toenails ('til they grow out) making them looked like they've been painted, but hey....saves a job.
Don't know if it'll work for athlete's foot....can't hurt (unless you mix it with concentrated sulfuric acid, and then it becomes a bomb (apparently?).

[Tris]

Cheers lagers will check out that cream - it's like this down the side of my right foot http://cdn.sheknows.com/articles/athletes-foot.jpg. Skin looks dry and whitish and is mega itchy...nothing like majority of the horror pictures you get when you google image search for athletes foot.
Not got any issues with toes or the areas between toes so at first I didn't think it was athlete's foot. Doctor confirmed it was.

[Tris]

Thanks for the tip Drewski - sounds very radical 

Looks like it will kill most living things (including your feet)

[Johnny Brown]

Shy Yorkshireman used the Pot permang and it was apparently an instant cure. I tried it repeatedly and could actually hear the fungus laughing it off.

[Lund]

The dactarin comes as a cream as well as a powder.  It's allegedly designed to combat ringworm and other kinds of fungus, but in my experience ahlete's foot stands nae chance against it.

Creams seem good for cure; powders prevention.  I'd try simply increasing the dosing frequency of the cream - try three times a day (morning, lunch, before bed), and use copious amounts and rub it right in.

If it doesn't help, go back to your GP and insist that they do something more - or check it's not something else like dermatitis and whatnot.  Remember your GP is the first line of defence - part of his role is to stop everyone with stomach ache seeing a specialist about bowel cancer, so he'll try to tell you to go away until it becomes more obvious that you're not just complaining.  If you can't shift it, then you're entitled to better than "go away unless it doesn't get better".

[Lund]

P.S. You need to make sure you're using the right cream - if it's not responding, it might be a yeast infection rather than a fungal infection - the treatment is different chemicals for each, so you need to get the right one.  You also need to use the cream for fucking ages after it's gone - several weeks.  If it recurs, it's 'cos you're not using it for long enough.

If none of that works, try asking for Lamisil at your GP.  It's a tablet version, but he'll probably be loath to give it you if it's not severe.  (Sounds like it's persistent rather than severe, unless you're just manning up and not saying how bad it really is.)

[webbo]

when i took lamisil for my toe nail infection it cured my athletes foot as well.

[SA Chris]

Do you clean your shoes at the same time? I think it would help - giving your shoes a good de minging would reduce the risk of recontamination.

[Tris]

Thanks all - especially Lund  will check out the Daktarin cream at lunch. Lamisil do a cream as well so may have a gander at that. Will check the ingredients on them all. Looks like all the ones I have used so far have clotrimazole as the active ingredient.

I haven't climbed/bouldered for months due to a shoulder injury so am using 3 different pairs of shoes when I exercise (2 x running + 1 x pair spd's for cycling). I do wash the running ones, but I haven't washed the spd's yet as I don't cycle too often. Will stick them in a hand wash when I get home anyway, doubt the washing machine will be good for them.

[SA Chris]

Soaking them in some sort of steriliser may help too.

[lagerstarfish]

it's like this down the side of my right foot

Looks like mine, which only occurs now on the outside edge of my left foot near the base of the little toe. It does sometimes spread to the gap between the little toe and the next one. Canesten sorts mine out.

[Johnny Brown]

A course of Lamisil was no match for my foot and nail fungus, which again laughed it off. Hideous side effects too - beware.

[Tris]

Looks like mine, which only occurs now on the outside edge of my left foot near the base of the little toe. It does sometimes spread to the gap between the little toe and the next one. Canesten sorts mine out.

Cool - I think I will give that a go. I'm assuming there is some sort of feminine hygiene section in boots and that's where the thrush cream will be? Do not want to ask for thrush cream 

A course of Lamisil was no match for my foot and nail fungus, which again laughed it off. Hideous side effects too - beware.

Was it tablets or the cream that you used?

I was looking at the cream at lunch as it seemed the only one with a different type of chemical, it was also the most expensive.

[webbo]

you can get a shed load of side effects with the tablets if you are unlucky,such as nausea,diarrhoea,rashs,jaundice,taste disturbance and very rarely psychiatric disturbance.

[Johnny Brown]

very rarely psychiatric disturbance

My Dad very nearly topped himself due to Lamisil! I'd steer well clear.

[Tris]

Fuck that - warning noted, will avoid that shit word. I'm a freakin loon anyway

Gonna try the lagers thrush method today.

[GCW]

If none of that works, try asking for Lamisil at your GP.  It's a tablet version, but he'll probably be loath to give it you if it's not severe.

Terbinafine (Lamisil) comes as a cream too and I'd use it first line in tinea pedis.
Foot hygeine is vital- dry your feet perfectly, change socks regularly, treat you footwear too.
And make sure you persist with treatment- a lot of people treat for 3 or 4 weeks then proclaim the treatment doesn't work, whereas in reality it's just not been used long enough.

The reason GPs don't give oral antifungals straight off is that they have nasty side effects, mostly with your liver, and need quite long courses.  Basically you'll end up having regular blood tests for a while.  Try the cream properly first and see.