Cold Sores.

[Verdy]

Hi there all,

So cold sores are a subject I was once very skittish about discussing. Every time I had one and got the "looks" I felt extremely embarrassed and utterly disgusting. Over time I've realized that it's not just me in the world that has them, and that there's no reason to feel self conscious or ashamed for a small blister on my lip. It happens. Just like chicken pox, the flu, etc. With that said, lately I've been having some frequent recurrences, not really sure if it's due to stress from work and college, or something else. Anyone know of some really good home remedies to reduce the healing time or just the discomfort? I've tried Abreva but it does absolutely nothing for me.

 

[MishB]

I've suffered from cold sores for most of my adult life, when I get one it's big - a lot of swelling and then a nasty scab for weeks.

Do you have these in the US? Compeed patches.

http://www.compeed.com.au/compeed-coldsore

They are truly brilliant. I carry one in my handbag and pop it on the area at the first tingle. They stop the swelling almost entirely and make it look so much better, they are almost unnoticeable and you can apply makeup etc over the top. Plus you don't get the scabbing at all.

If you can't get them in the US, they're worth mail ordering! Seriously!

 

[sonnyjane]

My co-worker swears by tea tree oil.

 

[iLander]

Hydrogen peroxide is your friend.

Dab a little on 2-3 times a day (with a Qtip, a good amount, it should fizz, dab barely dry with a tissue), and within 4 days it should be gone. It's soothing, won't sting, and kills the bacteria that are causing the sore. Anytime you eat, or feel it's dirty, dab on some more. Drink with a straw to keep it clean and dry. NO bandaids, that just gives the germs a place to multiply.

Also handy if you get those little sore spots on your tongue, which often follows a cold sore if you are really stressed.

 

[shimmer]

Vitamin B12, daily, prevents them for the most part for me. I used to get 1-2 per year before I supplemented, since I started i've had one in 6 years!

Also, if you feel one starting, Lysine 3x/day usually stops it from forming.

Lipactin is wonderful and very effective in reducing the duration and size, but I can only find it in one small pharmacy so not sure if it's readily available anymore. Abreva does not work for me at all either.

 

[monarch64]

I've never had a cold sore but know so many who have...isn't there a prescription drug called Valtrex one can take for these?

Some of my family members have had success with this. Sorry to hear you're going through this. I hear (and see) that it is painful, physically and emotionally. I hope you find a remedy that suits you soon.

 

[Circe]

Acyclovir and Zovirax have kept me from having any for about three or four years now ... gods bless modern medicine! Before that, I tried lysine, which didn't do much for me, and learned the hard way that disinfecting them with rubbing alcohol or iodine will only make it worse by drying out an already irritated tissue. But, yeah ... if I pop an acyclovir when I feel like I have one coming on, I'm usually good. I think they're the generic for Valtrex?

 

[LAJennifer]

Vitamin B12, daily, prevents them for the most part for me. I used to get 1-2 per year before I supplemented, since I started i've had one in 6 years!

Also, if you feel one starting, Lysine 3x/day usually stops it from forming.

Lipactin is wonderful and very effective in reducing the duration and size, but I can only find it in one small pharmacy so not sure if it's readily available anymore. Abreva does not work for me at all either.

My cats have herpes (runny eyes, sneezing, sometimes corneal ulcers), so they get a daily dose of L-Lysine. Wellington gets 1000mg/per day, and the other 2 get 500 mg/per day. This works to prevent outbreaks.

 

[amc80]

Acyclovir helps a lot. If I take a few when I feel one coming it usually calms them down. That, and abreva.

To add to the fun, when I was pregnant I started getting them in my nose. It's so gross and they take forever to heal. So if anyone has suggestions on that I'd love to hear it.

 

[sonnyjane]

Acyclovir helps a lot. If I take a few when I feel one coming it usually calms them down. That, and abreva.

To add to the fun, when I was pregnant I started getting them in my nose. It's so gross and they take forever to heal. So if anyone has suggestions on that I'd love to hear it.

Are those cold sores!?! I get them just inside my nostril sometimes and just assumed it was a zit. Most painful thing EVER!

 

[amc80]

Are those cold sores!?! I get them just inside my nostril sometimes and just assumed it was a zit. Most painful thing EVER!

Yep. Same spot for me. I know it's a cold sore and not a zit because they take forever to go away. Plus they get crusty like a cold sore. I'd rather get them on my lip any day.

 

[iluvshinythings]

I used to get them when I was stressed out. I think that stress and lack of sleep bring them on for me. My doctor gave me a prescription for Valtrex (or the generic version - don't remember what it's called). I hate to admit it but I do the walk of shame into the pharmacy when I get it filled but it really does work. I've also found that good old fashioned campho-phenique works pretty well to help them heal faster.

I didn't have much luck with abreva either.

 

[packrat]

I've had cold sores since I was a kid, so about 30 years now. Used to be stress, and I took Vit B complex for them...liquid b/c I couldn't swallow the big ole horse pills. Naaasty liquid too. When I got a little older I put salt on them to dry them out. HOLY BUCKETS does that hurt. And I would put baking soda on them too. It soaks in and dries them out. Hurts like blue blazes tho so I don't recommend it. When I got older and was working (mom wouldn't spend the money, hence the baking soda/salt suffering), I bought Vit B complex pills and also L Lysine, took one of each every morning and didn't have one for years.

The last several years I've had some sort of issue where I'll get a little whitehead on the edge of my lip and it will turn into a cold sore. ARGH. I take Valtrex but it lately hasn't been helping as much. Abreva helps sometimes. Pharmacy told me that Lysine will "starve" the virus b/c it blocks the amino acids the virus needs to grow or something, so I also will take one w/every meal when I think I'm getting one.

They SUCK.

 

[amc80]

I've had cold sores since I was a kid, so about 30 years now. Used to be stress, and I took Vit B complex for them...liquid b/c I couldn't swallow the big ole horse pills. Naaasty liquid too. When I got a little older I put salt on them to dry them out. HOLY BUCKETS does that hurt. And I would put baking soda on them too. It soaks in and dries them out. Hurts like blue blazes tho so I don't recommend it. When I got older and was working (mom wouldn't spend the money, hence the baking soda/salt suffering), I bought Vit B complex pills and also L Lysine, took one of each every morning and didn't have one for years.

The last several years I've had some sort of issue where I'll get a little whitehead on the edge of my lip and it will turn into a cold sore. ARGH. I take Valtrex but it lately hasn't been helping as much. Abreva helps sometimes. Pharmacy told me that Lysine will "starve" the virus b/c it blocks the amino acids the virus needs to grow or something, so I also will take one w/every meal when I think I'm getting one.

They SUCK.

I never got one until maybe five years ago. I wish they could come up with some way to get rid of them. When I was pregnant my OB had me on Valtrex daily and it really helped cut down the number of cold sores. I've read good things about Lysine and am curious to try it. I usually get them after having been sick, and with a kid in day care that's happened a lot over the past year.

 

[packrat]

The only thing I can think of to do to help prevent them is a Lysine daily. If it starves the virus, I would think it would basically keep it starved in your body all the time unless there was severe stress/trauma, like being out in the sun a bunch/getting burnt on the face, severe sickness etc. Not sure why they call them cold sores since I've never gotten one when I have a cold.

But yeah, you'd think there'd be *some*thing they could come up w/that would...I dunno, either kill the virus completely or render it inactive or something.

 

[Circe]

The only thing I can think of to do to help prevent them is a Lysine daily. If it starves the virus, I would think it would basically keep it starved in your body all the time unless there was severe stress/trauma, like being out in the sun a bunch/getting burnt on the face, severe sickness etc. Not sure why they call them cold sores since I've never gotten one when I have a cold.

But yeah, you'd think there'd be *some*thing they could come up w/that would...I dunno, either kill the virus completely or render it inactive or something.

I think it's because they're likelier to occur when something messes with your immune system. People have different triggers, but apparently, for a lot of people it's colds/flus. For me, it's always stress. For one friend, it was sunlight. For another, it was cold weather.

Absolute bugger of a virus, that's all I can say.

P.S./A - Do you all know where you got yours? I'm pretty sure I do! I didn't realize what the hell was happening the first time I got one: I was 18, and I'd only starting messing around with my first boyfriend, and I was under the stress of my first year of college, and I figured ... eh, teens break out, I have a zit on my lip, how embarrassing!

So I tried to treat it the way I treated just about anything else, from a skin condition to any wound short of needing stitches: iodine and rubbing alcohol. (Seriously. Once I went to a dermatologist because I had a rash on my finger because I never took my rings off, and I told him I did that, and he sighed deeply, shook his head, and said, "You're Russian. Aren't you." Apparently, it's our version of Chris Rock's 'tussin.) And I damn near gave myself impetigo. Thankfully, after a week of so of it getting uglier and uglier, one of my professors kindly stopped me after class and muttered, "Lysine." And I said, "Wait, what?" And she said, "For cold sores? I get them, too." And then I went home and Googled "cold sores," and worried about my boyfriend, and Googled some more, and found ...

.... that I was a textbook case. See, when I was a kid - a little kid, somewhere between 1 and 3 - I distinctly remember getting a mouthful of these wretched little sores in my mouth. They hurt like hell. My mother rinsed my mouth out with chamomile tea, like, every half hour for what felt like eternity. Apparently, that happens to a lot of kids when some careless adult who carries the virus can't resist cuddlin' the cute widdle babykins!

So, PSA: if you have a kid, stop Aunt Bertha and/or Uncle Bernie from smacking their lips on the baby if you think there's a chance they, a) have lived a little, and, b) might not stop themselves, even if they feel that characteristic tingle.

P.P.S. - I am kidding about the "lived a little." The "walk of shame" comment made my heart hurt. Screw any pharmacist who judges a customer (and not in the good way), and then remind them that something like 70% of the population carries the virus, precisely because of the eponymous Aunt/Uncle Ber/tha/nie, and because college kids share their drinks like they're generous castaways, and because, oh, yeah, there's nothing wrong with getting some action somewhere along the way! Sorry, rant over. I got a judge-y pharmacist recently, and it infuriated me.

P.P.S. - No, it wasn't over any kind of herpes medication. Apparently, he feels strongly about ADD meds. Unprofessional, glass-stomached hypocrite, is all I can say.

 

[ame]

Hi there all,

So cold sores are a subject I was once very skittish about discussing. Every time I had one and got the "looks" I felt extremely embarrassed and utterly disgusting. Over time I've realized that it's not just me in the world that has them, and that there's no reason to feel self conscious or ashamed for a small blister on my lip. It happens. Just like chicken pox, the flu, etc. With that said, lately I've been having some frequent recurrences, not really sure if it's due to stress from work and college, or something else. Anyone know of some really good home remedies to reduce the healing time or just the discomfort? I've tried Abreva but it does absolutely nothing for me.

Get to a derm or doctor and get an RX for Valtrex. Seriously, it's magic.

Little kids are often carriers and spreaders of these too, so if you kiss on a little one, that could be a culprit.

 

[packrat]

My mom gets them now and again, so I'm guessing that's where I got the virus. Tho...maybe she loved me more when I was little b/c I don't think my brother has ever had one in his life. Jerk.

I started getting them oh....4th/5th grade maybe? Maybe 6th. I *always* got them right before school started, like clockwork. Not ever any other time. The last few years of high school I started getting them during the year, rather than before school started, just random times.

I've tried tea tree oil and it didn't do much for me. Also got coconut oil, didn't do much.

 

[Verdy]

Acyclovir helps a lot. If I take a few when I feel one coming it usually calms them down. That, and abreva.

To add to the fun, when I was pregnant I started getting them in my nose. It's so gross and they take forever to heal. So if anyone has suggestions on that I'd love to hear it.

Oh my goodness amc80! If one on the corner of my lips hurts and makes me want to crawl in a dark hole and never come out, I can't imagine what a cold sore in the nose could be like. Especially since the nostrils are so moist and full of mucus. Really have to feel for you

MishB - Compeed isn't available here in the US, but Amazon has a 15 pack, I ordered some to try them out and see what happens next time I have one Thanks so much for the suggestion!

Monarch64 - Thanks so much! I'm really hoping to find a remedy soon, the discomfort and especially the judgement you get while having one is terrible.

Those of you that have mentioned Valtrex, Acyclovir, and Zorivax, I'm aware of the precaution of taking antibiotics with birth control, is there any risk with any of those meds?

Circe - I work with customers all day. I can't tell you how awful it feels to have someone BLATANTLY stare and gawk at the irritation on my lip, and then have them look at me like I'm some type of walking talking virus that's going to infect them through conversation. It's rude in my opinion, everyone suffers through different things in life, a cold sore isn't a reason to brand someone as "dirty".

I can't really say I remember where or even when I started getting cold sores. Whenever I was stressed out in high school one of them would pop up out of no where, at first I thought it was because I had a tendency to bite and chew my lips a lot, but even after I stopped that habit they kept coming. Then one day I overheard some very awful kids talking about another girl who got "cold sores" a lot and what an "easy" she was. So I went home and Googled "cold sores" only to find that's exactly what happened to me other month or so. Between working 40+ hours a week and college work I haven't had much time to sleep and eat properly, so I've neglected myself and now I'm feeling the very painful consequences.

Here's a fun story: Last year BF came home from work and his right eye seemed irritated like he had caught pink eye, we assumed that's what it was and he was prescribed ciprofloxacin by his general practitioner. He took them for two days and we found out he was EXTREMELY allergic to it, he had severe migraines, sensitivity to light, nausea, shortness of breath, etc. His GP recommended he make an appointment with an ophthalmologist since the discomfort was only getting worse. His eye was very swollen and bloodshot, and he couldn't stand being in direct sunlight. The ophthalmologist prescribed him some drops called prednisolone. They helped for about two weeks, his eye did get better, but the discomfort came back with a vengeance. He was starting to lose vision in his eye, and he had a constant headache no matter how many advil he took. He went back for a second opinion to the ophthalmologist and they discovered that the prednisolone had activated the HSV-1 virus in his EYE. In layman's terms, he had a cold sore in his eye. He was put on acyclovir for 6 months (5 times daily), along with some different gel drops, and his eye FINALLY started to get better. He healed and does have some scarring, as well as some damage to the muscles in his eye lid, which is now a bit lower than before. The ophthalmologist told him if he had a recurrence of the virus in his eye, he would be placed on acyclovir permanently. A few days ago, he started feeling some discomfort and made an emergency appointment. So far everything just points to minor inflammation, but we're keeping a close eye on the symptoms.

It's incredible how the HSV-1 virus can deal so much harm to person. No matter where it is, on a lip, nose, eye, it's just evil.

 

[AprilBaby]

Cold sores are technically herpes simplex 1 virus. It's very contagious when active and usually is acquired as a baby by a parent kissing you with active sores. ( my dad had them). As soon as you feel the tingle take two Rx valtrex and then two twelve hours later. That is usually enough to kill it right away. No problem during pregnancy or with birth control that I am familiar with. If you don't get them in time or they don't get it all, Rx denivir, apply every two waking hours for 4 days. Will reduce the blister phase and kill it out. Any dentist or dr can look at the PDF for prescribing info and call it in for you. Usually they prescribe 8 pills so you have a Rx ready for the next outbreak. Works like gold for me. Hubby of 34 years and 4 kids never got it as I was very careful if it was active. As you get older you usually become resistant if you have never had it. Good luck and get the meds!!!!

 

[violet3]

Cold sores are technically herpes simplex 1 virus. It's very contagious when active and usually is acquired as a baby by a parent kissing you with active sores. ( my dad had them). As soon as you feel the tingle take two Rx valtrex and then two twelve hours later. That is usually enough to kill it right away. No problem during pregnancy or with birth control that I am familiar with. If you don't get them in time or they don't get it all, Rx denivir, apply every two waking hours for 4 days. Will reduce the blister phase and kill it out. Any dentist or dr can look at the PDF for prescribing info and call it in for you. Usually they prescribe 8 pills so you have a Rx ready for the next outbreak. Works like gold for me. Hubby of 34 years and 4 kids never got it as I was very careful if it was active. As you get older you usually become resistant if you have never had it. Good luck and get the meds!!!!

ditto this AprilBaby. A friend of mine is a doctor and prescribed exactly this course of medication. It stops the virus by shocking it with a heavy dose of the medicine.