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November 22, 2009
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Patient Discussions: Ringworm - Effective Treatments

Ringworm - Effective Treatments

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

What kinds of treatments have been effective for your ringworm?

Comment submissions for this question have ended. Patient Discussions FAQs


Related Article: Ringworm

The following Patient Discussions have not been medically reviewed. See additional information.



I contracted ringworm from an infected kitten and it's a bugger to eradicate. I tried every cream at the pharmacy and nothing worked. I even tried bleach, no dice. Then I remembered black walnut extract. Get it at the health food store in pure form, no tinctures and apply it directly. The biggest problem I found with the ringworm on my arm is the running (in Florida there is a particularly nasty form of it, not just crusty and itchy but running and leaking lesions). Apply it directly and the running stops immediately. It seals off the lesion and it has a chance to heal. Also found that a topical dose iodine and ammonia in tincture form stops the spreading. It stings like crazy and smells awful but it stops the spreading. It takes six weeks to cure it so be sure to treat it two to three times a day and use band aides to cover it so it doesn't spread. This form is very painful and in a tropical climate it is hard to get rid of. I also agree that it must be dealt with internally as well as externally, so drops of black walnut in water once a day as well as the external application to the lesion helps keep it in check. Published: May 11 ::

Comment from: sublime, 25-34 Male (Patient)

My wife and I rescued a kitten off the streets of Beijing and the kitten had ringworm all over her body. We took her straight to the vet and they treated her with Itraconazole (an oral anti-fungal medication) and Terbinafine spray (a topical anti-fungal treatment). After twelve days we took the cat home and treated her ourselves. She was cured in total twenty-six days, she has no ringworm. She is still on the medication, and will be for another month. Just today, i felt an itch on my hand and noticed a faint red half circle. I immediately sprayed it with the kitten is Terbinafine spray and I watched it disappear in about an hour. Four hours later I could feel an itch again in the exact same place on my hand, a very faint red soft circle began to appear. I sprayed it again with Terbinafine spray and it disappeared within 20 - 25 minutes, right before my very eyes! The vet told me it will be ok, and cured completely within six days. It's now been 8 hours and my hand is totally free of the ringworm, I hope it stays that way. I will spray it in the same place once more before I go to bed and hopefully that will hold off the ringworm while i sleep. All I can say is be very aggressive in treatment and treat the area affected area ASAP. Even if its not ringworm, over the counter topical anti-fungal spray will not harm you. As I said be aggressive, that is how we cured our kitten. I will keep everyone posted on my progress. I will win the ringworm war. Published: February 05 ::

Comment from: Mom F., 7-12 Female (Caregiver)

My husband has suffered on and off with what is called tinea versicolor - a skin discoloration which is very itchy, and is also caused by a fungus like ringworm. After trying many products, Lamisil for one, we just could not get this under control and over the summer it spread all over his back and any other sweat point he had. Through a combination of using tea tree oil soap, and pure GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) in oil form, he totally cured the tinea versicolor. The GSE also worked quickly on my 8 year old, who had one ringworm spot, and now my 11 year old has one which we are treating with GSE. (I mention the other incidents because I feel they are all related.) It stings a bit when you apply it, but it dries out the ring quickly if applied several times per day. We also take natural colloidal silver. Published: February 05 ::

Comment from: Margee, 55-64 Female (Patient)

I have found a product that works very fast to clear up ringworm on my hand. And the treatment also stops the itching. However, it is not marketed for that purpose. I realize that ringworm is a fungus, but the OTC products did not work for me. I even tried scraping, but it continued to slowly spread until I tried a counter-attack with alternating two OTC anti-bacterials: Benzalkonium chloride and Ethyl Alcohol and keeping the area very dry. Both kill bacteria on contact. The Benzalkonium is found in Band-Aid Antiseptic Wash, and the Ethyl Alcohol is found in GermX Hand Sanitizer. After washing my hands thoroughly, I towel-dry very well, apply the Benzalkonium, air dry my hand, and then apply the Ethyl Alcohol, and let that air dry as well. When working around water during the day, I use disposable plastic gloves over my hands to keep it totally dry, and the remainder of the day, I let my hand be exposed to light, but not to heat. Within less than a week, my hand has no more tiny eruptions (I call them micro-blisters), and the area is dried up. It will take two more weeks for the skin to slough off normally to expose new unaffected skin. Hope this helps someone. Published: September 17 ::

Comment from: John, 25-34 Male (Patient)

I have multiple ringworms on my right side (only on the upper front part of my body) for more than six weeks. Nothing seems to work. I’ve tried Clotrimazole and Neosporin AF. I've started using Lamisil in the last two weeks, and the old ones ringworms stopped growing, but new ones are starting to appear. I don’t think it helps that the doctors keep switching me from one medication to another. Published: August 21 ::

Comment from: JL, 25-34 Female (Patient)

Tea tree oil helped my ringworm. You can buy it at any health store for about $13. I put it on and within 24 hours, the redness goes away and the ring begins to diminish. I coat the area and put a Band-Aid so it won’t infect anyone. I would recommend it to anyone for immediate results. Published: August 21 ::


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