Since the symptoms of a foot fungus sometimes develop because of an unrelated condition, you may benefit from seeing a doctor before choosing a cream remedy. Once a doctor confirms that you have a fungal infection, you may do well to choose an over-the-counter (OTC) cream that contains a proven-effective, fast-working antifungal medication to treat it. You may also consider OTC creams that contain natural remedies for dealing with foot fungus, but they aren't usually proven to work. If OTC creams don't help, a prescription version or an oral medication may prove a better option.
OTC creams for foot fungus are often labeled for treating athlete’s foot. Often, however, this type of cream is also helpful for treating other types of foot fungus as long as it contains an effective antifungal medication. Among those commonly used in treating foot fungus are terbinafine, clotrimazole, miconazole, and ketoconazole. Since foot creams that contain any of these medications are considered effective for treating fungal infections, you might choose to compare them based on price and the length of time their labels indicate you will have to use them.
Terbanifine, which is often sold under the brand-name Lamisil®, is one option capable of providing symptom relief in just a couple of weeks. This doesn’t necessarily mean the infection will clear completely in this time, however. Although symptoms may improve quickly, OTC medication labels usually recommend using topical treatments for a few weeks to get rid of the infection altogether. In fact, your doctor may recommend that you continue using a cream for foot fungus for one week past the recommended treatment time to be sure your symptoms won't return.
Sometimes a case is too severe to respond well to an OTC cream for foot fungus. In such a case, a doctor may recommend a prescription cream that contains clotrimazole or miconazole, two of the antifungal medications most commonly used in prescription treatment. Using a cream for foot fungus that contains spectazole can prove effective and fast as well. Some medical experts assert that it can relieve the symptoms of many foot fungus infections in as little as one week.
In some cases, even a prescription cream may not be enough to treat your condition. Some fungal organisms prove stubborn or resistant to certain topical medications. In such a case, your doctor may prescribe an oral anti-fungal medication instead of or in addition to a cream for foot fungus.
