Oral intake of Terbinafine is not recommended in patients with chronic or active liver disease. Your doctor may prescribe a liver function test to check whether the liver is functioning effectively or not. This is done because the medicine gets metabolized by liver enzymes and any inefficiency in liver function can lead to increased levels of the medication in the blood, resulting in increased side effects and toxicity. Therefore, it is important to inform your doctor if you have any liver disease or cirrhosis. Also, inform your doctor about the medicines you may be taking as taking Terbinafine with another medicine can lead to liver toxicity and Terbinafine by acting on the liver enzymes can change the levels of other drugs. Your doctor may suggest periodic monitoring (after 4-6 weeks of treatment) of liver function test and make dose adjustments accordingly.

Caffeinated drinks like tea and coffee should be taken with caution while being on treatment with Terbinafine. Terbinafine decreases the rate of metabolism of caffeine by 19% which is an important constituent of coffee, thereby increasing the levels of caffeine in the blood. This increased levels of caffeine may lead to side effects such as jitteriness, headache, increased heartbeat and restlessness.

The usual duration of treatment for Tinea pedis (fungal infection in the foot), Tinea corporis (ringworms) and Tinea cruris (fungal infection in the groin) is about 2 to 4 weeks. However, the duration may sometimes be extended to 6 weeks. Usually, the duration of treatment for fungal infections of nails varies from 6 to 12 weeks. For fingernail fungal infections, it may take 6 weeks whereas toenail fungal infection may take about 12 weeks to recover. However, the exact duration of the therapy is decided by the doctor depending upon the type of infection, the site of infection, and the patientu2019s response to the therapy.

Yes, sensitive individuals may develop skin reactions while using Terbinafine. However, there are rare reports of people developing serious skin/hypersensitivity reactions like Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis and other severe skin reactions with Terbinafine. Therefore, do not take this medication without consulting your physician. Immediately stop the medication and inform your doctor if you develop any type of skin reaction or rashes.

Terbinafine is effective as an anti fungal medicine if used in the dose and duration advised by your doctor. Do not stop taking it even if you see improvement in your condition. If you stop taking this medicine too early, the fungus may continue to grow and the infection may return or worsen.