Trying to Avoid Antibiotics with Infected Ingrown Toe Nail — How to Treat It without Antibiotics?

[another sean]

Is there anyway to avoid antibiotics with an infected ingrown toe nail? I've been using some Bactracin but would like to stop and use something else like tea tree oil but fear the infection may not be beating completely with something like that. Anyone have experience beating this without antibiotics ointments?

 

[Julien87]

Which antibiotics are recommended for what you have? They may be not ototoxic

 

[hans799]

Also bear in mind that topical antibiotics (applied directly on site) are much better than oral or injected antibiotics. A much smaller amount of them will reach the ear. And the toes are literally the most distant body part from your ears.

 

[another sean]

Which antibiotics are recommended for what you have? They may be not ototoxic

well the doctor first prescribed Neosporin but I know thats autotoxic. It contains 3 different antibiotics. But I read in other posts the Bacitracin is much safer so that's what I requested to use. But they want me to do foot soaks and apply the antibiotic twice a day for 2 week. That to me seems like a lot of antibiotics adding up so I want to try to do partial and then switch to something natural if possible to be on the safe side. But it is important that the infection be beaten so I don't have to end up taking oral antibiotics which is much worse.

 

[Ross McLauchlan]

Hi @another sean

I had the same issue for a toenail that I ended up having removed. Before they could do this, I had to take a course of erythromycin for a week - I think it was 250mg 4 times per day.

Anyway, no issues for me. I made the mistake of searching the potential side effects of antibiotics here and this website did freak me out, however, so I was apprehensive beforehand.

In my case the infection was getting worse, not better, by using natural remedies. I hope you'll be alright too, but it's really at your own discretion. You'll know as well as me, for every case of something going well for someone on this website, there will undoubtedly be a case for the opposite too.

Take care,

Ross.

 

[linearb]

I've taken antibiotics many times post-tinnitus without any trouble. Avoid most of the mycins and quinolone analogs and you should be fine.

I also know someone who got blood poisoning from an untreated toenail infection. I'm going to assume you'd rather not have blood poisoning.

 

[JohnAdams]

Is there anyway to avoid antibiotics with an infected ingrown toe nail? I've been using some Bactracin but would like to stop and use something else like tea tree oil but fear the infection may not be beating completely with something like that. Anyone have experience beating this without antibiotics ointments?

Tea tree oil is some powerful stuff. It depends on how deep the infection is. If the infection is deep in the tissue then the tea tree oil cannot diffuse to the infection. I've been on antibiotics for a week now and everything is fine.

 

[Ed209]

Is there anyway to avoid antibiotics with an infected ingrown toe nail? I've been using some Bactracin but would like to stop and use something else like tea tree oil but fear the infection may not be beating completely with something like that. Anyone have experience beating this without antibiotics ointments?

I had Sepsis in 2017 and was on intravenous antibiotics in order to save my life. I was on a high dose every 6 hours and nothing about my tinnitus changed.

The antibiotics they used were:

Amoxicillin
Flucloxacillin
Metronidazole
Clindamycin
Co amoxiclav

I'd treat your toenail before you end up with something like sepsis or gangrene.

 

[spedgas]

I've had infected ingrown toenails removed three or four times in my life. It's never required systemic oral antibiotics. They put some local anesthetic down there and cut it out. It's a 10 minute procedure.

 

[Luman]

I had an infection around my thumb nail, and had it lanced at a local urgent care place. The doc said I had three types of infections, and wanted me to take antibiotics. I did not fill the Rx, and it it healed fine by soaking and using Polysporin.

 

[Digital Doc]

Also bear in mind that topical antibiotics (applied directly on site) are much better than oral or injected antibiotics. A much smaller amount of them will reach the ear. And the toes are literally the most distant body part from your ears.

Topical antibiotics are better for the ear... but not for clearing up the infection.

If it is being caused from an ingrown toenail, step one is getting the nail trimmed back, and the infection drained.