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Prescription oral antifungal for fungal nail infections, athlete's foot, ringworm and jock itch
Order before 3pm — same-day dispatch (MON - FRI)
~5 min consultation
Secure & confidential · Reviewed by a UK prescriber
Suitable age
18 years +
Max per order
1 course
Consultation
Yes — free online consultation
Terbinafine is an antifungal medicine taken as a tablet. It works throughout the body rather than on the nail surface, reaching the nail bed through the bloodstream, which is why it is more effective than a lacquer for infection that has spread beyond the tip of the nail.
It belongs to a group of medicines called allylamines. It kills dermatophyte fungi, the group responsible for most fungal nail infections, by disrupting the cell membrane the fungus needs to survive.
Terbinafine does not repair the nail that is already damaged. It clears the infection so that healthy nail can grow out to replace it, which is why the nail can take many months to look normal even after a course has finished.
| Active ingredient | Terbinafine hydrochloride 250mg |
| Drug class | Allylamine antifungal |
| Dosage | One tablet once daily |
| Course length | 6 weeks (fingernails) / 12–16 weeks (toenails) |
| Legal status | POM — Prescription Only Medicine |
| Monitoring | Liver function tests at baseline and 1 month |
Take one 250mg tablet once daily, at roughly the same time each day. Tablets can be taken with or without food, swallowed whole with water.
A course lasts around 6 weeks for fingernail infection and 12 to 16 weeks for toenail infection. Your prescriber will confirm the length that applies to you.
If you miss a dose, take it when you remember unless it is nearly time for the next one. Do not double up. Complete the full course even once the nail starts to look better, as stopping early is a common reason the infection returns.
You will not see a normal-looking nail at the end of the course. Terbinafine clears the infection; the damaged nail then has to grow out, which takes around 6 months for a fingernail and up to 12 to 18 months for a toenail.
Longer than you might expect. Terbinafine clears the fungus within the treatment course, but the damaged nail has to grow out before the nail looks normal. That is roughly 6 months for a fingernail and 12 to 18 months for a toenail. Seeing clear, healthy nail growing from the base is the sign it is working.
Terbinafine is processed by the liver, and in a small number of people it affects liver function. Liver function tests are checked before you start and again about a month into treatment, so that any change is picked up early. Treatment is not issued without a monitoring plan in place.
There is no direct interaction, but both alcohol and terbinafine are processed by the liver. Keeping within the recommended weekly limits is sensible for the duration of the course. Tell your prescriber if you drink heavily, as this affects whether terbinafine is appropriate for you.
For infection that has spread beyond the tip of the nail, yes. Lacquers struggle to penetrate the nail plate, so they work best on mild infection at the very edge. Terbinafine reaches the nail bed through the bloodstream, which is why it is recommended first line for confirmed infection where more of the nail is involved.
Ideally, yes. Around half of nails that look infected turn out to have another cause, such as psoriasis, previous injury or lichen planus, none of which respond to an antifungal. Confirming the diagnosis avoids a long course of tablets that was never going to help.
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