Cold Sores - Lancaster,TX

Be careful of the grapefruit seed extract. I used to use that alot as it's a potent anti-bacterial, antiviral, antifungal and it now gives me small blisters in my mouth. Tea tree oil should also not really be used that close to the mouth IMHO or it must be extremely diluted. The cold sores as you know are viral. I haven't tried any of the Rx antivirals - what works for me is to use the amino acid Lysine (it comes in capsules or a powder - you can get it at vitaminshoppe, sprouts, etc.) - it's a potent anti-viral and I also avoid foods high in arginine like pecans as those can feed virals. I also found a clear product in a small tube that does some to speed up them going away and it's called "Super Lysine" - it has zinc and lysine. It's not so noticeable that you feel funny using it when you're out and about.It's made by a company called quantumhealth: www.quantumhealth.com I can't remember exactly where I bought it but I'm gonna Sprouts since it's a more natural product.

Hey W., here is a mercola.com article that may help some. I usually love his information and just thought I might share, and hopefully it helps. I get these too and have tried the Lysine, haven't tried any of Dr. Mercola's other ideas since I haven't had any since reading the article, knock on wood. Best to you, Nicole http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/0...

I use just a bit of Melaleuca (tea tree) oil on a Q-tip and apply it directly to the cold sore. Then I put just a dab of Melagel on top. This combination works far better than Abreva or any prescription medication I have ever used. When I use this the cold sore doesn't hurt at all, it isn't as large, and it seems to heal much more quickly!

Tea tree oil is great for reducing the cold sore quickly. Just make sure you get REAL essential oil not the imitation stuff. Just dab a little on the cold sore and it will do the rest. It may sting a little at first, but it will subside. To help prevent them in the future, be sure to always use a lip balm with sunscreen, Burt's Bee's makes a great one. And take at least 1500 mg of Lysine daily. If you feel a cold sore coming on you can up that to 3000 mg to reduce the severity. Limit your intake of nuts, grains and caffiene as they can trigger the virus. And, the biggest one of all, reduce stress by exercising, meditation, yoga, whatever. Stress triggers the virus as well. If you find that you're stressed a lot, you may be deficient in B-vitamins which can also start an outbreak (stress eats them up!). Get a good B-complex in your diet then as well. Unfortunately, there is no cure for cold sores as the virus lays dormant within your nervous system ganglia, but you can prevent further breakouts by following these above steps. Hope this helps! If you have any other questions just email me directly at: ____@____.com

Cold sores are viral. They continue to live in the nerves where you get blisters, even after an outbreak. So, you are always a carrier, even without any sores showing. Your immune system usually keeps them in check, but sometimes the little boogers get a power boost and make a blister. Mine are triggered by ANY stress, allergies, colds, etc. You can bet I am about to get sick or have just been sick, because I will get them. I also get them when I am stressed, since when we are stressed or sick our defenses are weaker and then VOILA! An outbreak. My mother gets them from drinking to much orange juice. Mine don't seem to be tied to any food that I have noticed. But I get them really badly on my lips and up my nose. I currently have some up my right nostril. Yeah Me! Also, I have always tried everything and the only things I have found that work is the lysine. If I am really brave I will pop the blister and put alcohol on it to get it to dry up faster. But I am not ususally not that desperate as it hurts like a M$#@&&^& F*&#@$. I also don't mess with the ones in my nose because that is extremely sensitive to oils etc. But I will tell you that if I waited to leave the house until they were gone or I didn't have one, I would never go anywhere. You are probably noticing more than anyone else. And I have had some doozies and have scars from them.
I would also recommend washing your hands alot. You can also spread them to other places when you wipe going to the bathroom, like your genital area. SO be careful.
Good luck,
L.

I have suffered with these for many years as well. Usually when I am stessed over something or if I get hit in the lip one will pop out. The ONLY thing I have found that shortens the time is herpecin-L lip balm stick. Many years ago my step-mom,who was a nurse,told me about it. I believe it has lysene in it. I use it everyday,like chapstick. Start using it as soon as you feel the "tingle" of a coldsore coming up. It probably only shortens the time by a couple of days but it really helps with the dis-comfort as well.
You can get it at WAl-Mart where the chapsticks,carmex and such are sold. Or ask the pharmacist,
hope this helps. I know it helps me.

I second the L-Lysine. When a cold sore is full blown I'll take a few tablets every few hours. I've even held the tablet on the sore and let it dissolve, that really helps with the pain. Of Course, now they never get that bad because I attack them early.

Hi W.!
I use L-Lysine capsules with great success. I take few (3-5) capsules 3 times first day.Next day I lower the dose. The cold sore is usually very small by next day. If you take one capsule 3 times a day it takes too long to get rid of the cold sore. I do put some ointments on the cold sore but L-Lysine work from inside of the body. You could find more information in the book "Cure for all diseases" by Hulda Clark

The L-lysine is our miricale cure. I take 6000 mg when I start to feel the tingle and it will stop it dead in its tracks. I have been able to go 2 years without a break out.

There is some very useful information here:

http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/49...

Good luck! I hate those things.

I don't have a home remedy but I do have something that has been a lifesaver for me - Valtrex! I've gotten cold sores/ fever blisters since I was 5 years old! They always appear on my lips or surprisingly, in my nose.

I've used everything, and I do mean everything from Campho to Bacetracin to ear wax and everything in between. Nothing really worked... until my doctor prescribed Valtrex a few years ago. As soon as I feel that familiar itch, I pop two Valtrex immediately and maybe 1 or 2 later that day. As long as I catch the fever blister before it pops out, I never see it! If a bump has already popped out, I'm aggressive with the medication and I'm able to keep it from getting large or spreading.

My doctor gives me a prescription with 15 refills so I ALWAYS have some at home, when I leave town, when I'm sick, and definitely whenever I'm out of town! Valtrex has been wonderful for me!

Hi W.! I have a child with a rare immune disorder, & he gets cold sores often. It is important we keep them under control, as they can spread very easily to his eyes & cause damage. I learned early on that most medications were just supressing the issue instead of getting to the root of the problem. After our experiences with this child on many medications, I am an avid believer in using homeopathic remedies/natural treatments as much as possible. I found the answer for cold sores...L-Lysine, a natural amino acid. You can get it in capsule form. Since our son is still too young to take pills, I just pour some of the powder in a drink. If the sore is just beginning, it clears it right up. If it is fully formed, it may take a couple of days. There is also an L-Lysine cream. Both can be bought at your local grocery store/pharmacy.

Hope this helps!

ask your doctor for Valtrex or Zovirax or an equivalent - for most people they work very well at shortening the course.

Blistex medicated ointment (not the lip balm, but the kind that comes in the tube) always knocks mine out overnight.

W. I have the same problem. I will go through "spells" where I get them at least once a month. The last few times I have gotten one I take Vitamin C supplements which helps strengthen your immune system to fight off these invadors, and I have noticed a HUGE difference. I start taking them as soon as I feel one coming on, and the cold sore barely even surfaces and goes away within about 3 days. The supplements I take are 1000mg each and I take one in the morning and one at night (you can not overdose on vitamin C). Try it next time and see if it helps you!!

I take a natural supplement called L-Lysine. You can get it in the vitamin section at walmart. It promotes healthy skin and lips. I try to remember and take it a couple times a week for maintenance. If I feel a cold sore coming on I will take the recommended two tablets a day for a few days. When I do this it rarely comes up. Since I have started taking this, I never get the cold sores I use to get which were huge sores with a swollen lip. And the ones I do get are barely visible. Hope this works.

W.,

I work for an Orthodontist in the area and we recommend what is called a miricle mouthwash. Use a cap full of liquid malox and a cap full of liquid benadryl, mix this together and swish for 30 seconds to a minute. You can do this a few times a day, good luck!

There is a vitamin called Lysine that I take and it seems to help. Also Campho-Phenique makes a cold sore treatment with a drying agent it's the only OTC one I have found that works.. I've been getting them on my mouth since I was 4 so I know how you feel.

W.,
I just had a cold sore last week -- first time in over 30 years. A friend who has them somewhat regularly recommended putting on a dab of toothpaste before bedtime. I did it, and amazingly, it really worked. I did it 3 nights in a row, with outstanding results!! Firts nigh it was dried up by about 75%, and a bit more each night. Now it is just a slightly rough spot. Also, the pain/irritation was 90% gone the next morning.

If you suffer from frequent cold sore, I also recomment Arbonne's lip remedy products. e-mail me if you'd like a catalog, with you name and snail mail address.

Best wishes,
A. Evans

Arbonne carries a lip treatment and a daily herbal suppliment...so you reduce their frequency, and reduce their duration. My husband uses it.

My husband uses tea tree oil. It works for him but the smell is kinda nasty.

The abreva works best if you use it as soon as you begin to feel the tingle feeling before the blister pops up. It keeps the sore from becoming a large blister. You just have to catch it asap.

I have read, but not tried, a topical application of tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract can shorten the length of outbreak and lessen the pain. I have tried the juice from a sauerkraut can and that helped. I know that certain foods can cause an outbreak so you might want to try to figure out a trigger for you. Pecans get me, but not just one pecan. I have to eat a little too much. Build up your immunities. That will help as well.

My daughter has them, too. Do you put the abreva on as soon as you feel the tickle? Also she usually has a stomach ache the day before a cold sore, and we put it on the usual spot on her lip just in case one surfaces the next morning.

My dermotologist gave me a perscription for a pill one time, but I can't remember the name of it. You could check with your Dermotologist, the pill worked really great!

I have tried everything from ear wax to garlic. I don't like taking meds at all. I was watching doctor oz one day and he was saying that vitamin b complex is good for the immune system. Keeping it healthy. Well I take my regular vitamins in the am and b complex in the pm. Come to find out that it actually works with keep the cold sores away! I haven't had a breakout in so long I can't remember ! Lol I just have to find the same for my kid with her breakouts. I can't find a b complex for her because of her age.

You need to get a prescription of Valtrex. It is expensive, but worth it. With good insurance you may only pay $10 a prescription. L-lysine definelty helps, and you may want to just add it to your diet as a daily supplement. It is actually a protein found in milk, so even drinking a lot of milk will increase your intake of the supplement.

I also have something that I got from the Health Food Store. It is called H-Balm, and it is made by Forces of Nature. I bought it when I got shingles (also caused by the herpes virus). It was the only thing that reduced the pain from the sores. It actually worked way better than the stuff the doctor prescribed for topical treatment for shingles. It is a pure essential oil, and you just apply it directly with a cotton swab.

Good Luck!

Valtrex works...just get a script from your doc.

I used to get them years ago and all I did was to soak a cottonball with (of all things!) Pepto Bismol and apply several times a day. If you do it when you start with the first symptoms they sometimes never fully form.

W. I use Valtrex. And I also use the Tea Tree Oil. It works for me. I've never heard anything about not getting it that close to my mouth. I actually heard on the "Today" show years ago that it was a cure so I use. Good Luck there is nothing worse

Dear W.,
As I type I have a really bad cold sore myself. I have tried just about everything there is. I too am not impressed with Abreva. I used to use Valtrex and while that does help it is an expensive medication that is rather strong and I didn't like having to always take it. Plus it has it's own range of side effects which, unfortunately, I am prone to experiencing.

I know of one home remedy that does work but only if you begin doing it immediately with the "tingle sting" of a new sore. Buttermilk.

Personally I dislike buttermilk but in this instance you don't necessarily have to drink it. Do the GOT MILK thing and wear it-thickly only the spot/lip where the tingle is. (I am kicking myself for not having done this day before yesterday as the sore I currently have is a monster..but I'm going out to grab some today.)

I carry around a small cup of buttermilk with me the whole day. I just lift it up like I'm going to drink it and let it get on the spot and I do this every so often to keep the buttermilk wet on my lip. It not only soothes the sting and tingle but if done immediatly the blister will go away before developing. If the blister is already there it will not be as bad. On a full blown monster sore it will soothe it and help it heal faster. I take it a step further and even sleep with it on because I'm paranoid and have been known to just get one in a new place if the first one doesn't come out. Buttermilk has worked EVERY time. Only problem is that I rarely have it on hand. I learned this from my grandfather who is now in his late 70ies. I copy his actions because this is how he does it and strange as it looks and sounds, it does work. I like that it's natural.

The L-lysine thing sounds like it is worth a try too so I may look into that. I'm sure you know that this form of Herpes is triggered by stress, sunlight/burn, and just about any type of illness there is. It is as though the virus gets active when the body is busy fighting something else and can not supress it. Makes sense but how annoying!

Something to consider as well is that it is passed, easily, on to other family members. My husband never got them until a few years into our marriage. He was doomed of course. However, our children do not, yet, get them. I do not allow my children to drink after my husband or I. We do not kiss on the lips with our kiddos (but they've never missed it) and we do not share chapstick, carmex, etc. They have their very own. In tight circumstances I wipe a good layer off of one I use and will then apply it to them with a finger. I probably can't prevent them from getting it one day but I'm trying hard not to be the one that spreads it to them. No one else has mentioned this so I thought I would.

I can't just hide away when one comes up but I would if I could! Mainly, anytime you're sick with anything, or someone in your family is-it pays to grab a small thing of buttermilk to have on hand...

God Bless you and your family and know you are NOT alone! Many of us walk the Earth with an ugly lip from time to time and everyone who sees it doesn't think "Oh gross!" but "Oh gosh that hurts-man am I lucky it's not me right now." :)

every morning/night, swish around with hydrogen perixode. yep, the same thing that you use to clean a wound. dampen a q-tip with hp and apply to cold sore. also, eating fresh veggies/fruits, drinking lots of water, not drinking or eating after anyone, and getting plenty of rest... a little sun each day will help in the long run. good luck.

I get cold sores all the time and I use Herpicin L. It works for me. Good luck.

I get them too, usually in my nostril. I tried every home remedy out there and nothing worked for me. What does work is Valtrex. You need an RX from your MD. I take one pill twice a day for one day when I feel the burning sensation that I am getting a flare up, and it goes away before it actually appears.