Naftifine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Naftifine is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for tinea pedis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Treats
- Tinea Pedis
- Available as
- Topical
- Sold as
- 2 products — Naftifine Hydrochloride and Naftin
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $2 per gm — not your price
How naftifine is dosed
From the FDA label for Naftifine Hydrochloride (application ANDA205975). Other naftifine products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
A sufficient quantity of Naftifine Hydrochloride Cream USP, 1% should be gently massaged into the affected and surrounding skin areas once a day. The hands should be washed after application. If no clinical improvement is seen after four weeks of treatment with Naftifine Hydrochloride Cream USP, 1%, the patient should be re-evaluated.
Naftifine side effects
During clinical trials with Naftifine Hydrochloride Cream USP, 1%, the incidence of adverse reactions was as follows: burning/stinging (6%), dryness (3%), erythema (2%), itching (2%), local irritation (2%).
Who shouldn’t take naftifine
Naftifine Hydrochloride Cream USP, 1% is contraindicated in individuals who have shown hypersensitivity to any of its components.
Every naftifine product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $2 | View → |
How long naftifine keeps
No naftifine label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does naftifine expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsNaftifine and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for naftifine: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadTopical naftifine has not been studied during breastfeeding. Because only 4 to 6% is absorbed after topical application, it is considered a low risk to the nursing infant. Avoid application to the nipple area and ensure that the infant's skin does not come into direct contact with the areas of skin that have been treated. Only water-miscible cream, gel or liquid products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about naftifine
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 35 reports naming naftifine, and the FDA flagged 51% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- pruritus8 reports
- skin exfoliation6 reports
- erythema5 reports
- hypersensitivity5 reports
- blister4 reports
- haemorrhage4 reports
- skin burning sensation4 reports
- skin discolouration4 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean naftifine caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is naftifine?
Naftifine Hydrochloride is a medication used to treat Tinea Pedis.
Can you take naftifine with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run naftifine against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is naftifine sold under?
We track 2 naftifine-containing products in the U.S.: Naftifine Hydrochloride and Naftin. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does naftifine come in?
Across the brands we track, naftifine is currently marketed as topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic naftifine?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic naftifine product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Naftifine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/naftifine
- MLA
- “Naftifine: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/naftifine.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for naftifine on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.