Question:
If I have toenail fungus, do topical medications like Jublia (efinaconazole) work as well as a pill?
Answer:
No
MedHead Confidence Score: 5
Amount Saved: $600 price of Jublia saved compared to generic terbinafine
MedHead Message:
It may seem counter-intuitive to some people to take a pill to treat a toenail infection, so they look for medicines that you can apply like toenail polish to treat toenail fungus. It turns out that Not only $30 generic oral tablet of terbinafine works much better than any topical medication for clearing toenail fungus. In fact, side effects are largely uncommon as terbinafine is safe for the vast majority of people. So, save yourself the $600 on Jublia, spend $30 on terbinafine, and spend the difference getting yourself a pedicure monthly for 15 months. That sounds like a win-win to me!
References:
- 1 . Foley K, Gupta AK, Versteeg S, Mays R, Villanueva E, John D. Topical and device‐based treatments for fungal infections of the toenails. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2020, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD012093. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD012093.pub2.
- 2. Kreijkamp‐Kaspers S, Hawke K, Guo L, Kerin G, Bell‐Syer SEM, Magin P, Bell‐Syer SV, van Driel ML. Oral antifungal medication for toenail onychomycosis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD010031. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD010031.pub2.
- 3. https://www.goodrx.com/terbinafine. Accessed 8/31/20
- 4. https://www.goodrx.com/jublia. Accessed 8/31/20
- 5. https://www.statista.com/statistics/276677/average-price-basic-pedicure-nail-studio/
