My 13 year old son gets cold sores a lot. He is the only one in the family who gets them so I dont know what really to do for them. He currently has 3 different spots on his lips with breakouts. I just wanted to see if anyone has any good remedies or if taking him to the doctor to see if there are any meds that will help with the duration of the breakout is the best way to go.
Thanks
Tea Tree oil. I used to get cold sores often and used Campho-Phenique and it worked but one night I was really tired and cold feel one coming and I used Tea Tree oil on it and it dried up and was gone in about 2 days.
Don't use Carmex. Carmex has fiberglass fibers in it that's why you need to keep reapplying it.
He can take a regular medication to help prevent breakouts. It is the same virus that causes genital herpes, and the same medications can help. Talk to his doctor.
Take him to the doctor and ask about Valtrex. Also do research of your own concerning a child taking it. It's prescribed for genital herpes, but often (at least with adults) they will prescribe it for oral herpes. About 15 years ago I was having a horrible time with them and I went on Valtrex for a year! I don't know if it stopped something in my system or what, but since then I only get them maybe once a year if that often. My MIL did the same thing. There are also prescription topical creams that can shorten healing time. Look into his diet as well and stress. Taking certain supplements seems to really help some people.
Try using Campho-Phenique. Its in the store, in a small tube, and helps to take away the pain and itch. It heals faster when used several times a day. Tastes terrible if you get it IN your mouth but boy does it work fast!
See a doctor. That's too many for his immune system. Once the outbreak is under control things like religious use of carmex or blistex helps keep them in check. But if he's getting lots of breakouts he may need more.
L-Lysine, an amino acid!!! Take supplements (you can find it in most vitamin sections) and also research which foods have lysine naturally occurring. Avoid foods that have arginine, another amino acid, when he's having an outbreak.
Hi S.,
I agree with Jodi. L-Lysine will not only get rid of them but prevent them. It is simply an amino acid that your body needs so it doesn't hurt to take it all the time. Cold sores will only break out if your immune system is low. The other thing he needs is a multivitamin that will actually absorb. Most don't. The cream at the health store called Super Lysine is a great help as well. It's a topical form of L-Lysine with some high grade tea tree oil as well.
God bless,
M.
I find Herpecin-L to be very soothing. It comes in a tube kind of like chap-stick and can be purchased at almost any drug store.
If his cold sores are truly viral related, the doctor can prescribe antivirals for him to take at the first tingling. They really can lessen the length and severity of the outbreak.
If the sores are caused by sun exposure or chapped lips, keeping the lips hydrated with a balm containing sunscreen will help. It also helps to use that between outbreaks anyway.
Best wishes.
Web search shows: "A general rule of thumb is that oilier foods, like sardines or soybeans, have more lysine." at http://www.l-lysine.net/
There is a great write up about L-lysine at this site.
You can get a prescription preventative and treatment for them from your doctor.
get him to the dr and ask for a script for valtrex. I too get cold sores and once I start to feel that tingle bump feeling I take 2 the 1st day then 1 the next and it never comes to surface. my dr prescribed it while I was preggers and thanks god bc my body was going crazy with stress. If he is always getting them more than 6x a month he may have to do a maintenance dose to keep the virus at bay. The stuff works great it will also shorten its stay if he one comes up while he is sleeping or does not notice it right away. gl
I'm pretty sure there's an OTC medicine for them...Abreva?
It's a viral thing. Make sure to support his immune system with rest, proper nutrition, a multi-vitamin, etc.
I agree with Mommy O., except I used to take L-Lysine all winter long and then only in the summer if I felt one coming on. Perhaps put him on extra C or a multi-vitamin for the winter, too, just to keep his immune response healthy. Use Zovirax to get rid of them once they're present. A friend of mine used to ice the spot if she felt one coming; helps with swelling/pain. Mine are stress or illness-related.
I used to get terrrrrrible break-outs at the very same age, (hormones?) and they were so embarrassing! Please reassure him they ease with time/age. I rarely get them any more, and they are much smaller/heal faster now.
You've gotten lots of good advice already. The only thing I would add is that if you do get a prescription, decide what will work best for his lifestyle--a topical cream or a pill. If he's always misplacing things, then I wouldn't give him a tube of cream to carry around, especially if it's expensive. He could take a pill twice a day and leave the pills at home in the bathroom. Also, creams are more susceptible to high temps, so if he's outside a lot, or if he left the cream in the car, it might liquify.
If he's like me (and some others I saw posting here), intense sun causes them to break out. Definitely have him start wearing some lip protection with SPF. Personally I like Natural Ice. You can find it a Walmart.
I didn't know about the L-lysine. I'll have to check that out for myself!
i had that problem.......Lycopene helped me. Either he can eat alot of tomatoes, or they make it in pill form. Has he ever had chicken pox? The herpes virus that causes it can cause outbreaks of coldsores. good luck
I have had cold sores for years and the medicine I use when they break out is Zovirax and it works great. I now take L- Lysine vitamin as soon as I feel it under the skin/lip. Since I have done this I haven't had any outbreaks. I heard about this from a friend and didn't believe her that it would work until
I tried it. It's cheap and in the vitamin section.
My daughter also gets them. Her doctor prescribed Zovirax and it works really quickly. It works best if you catch the sores at the very beginning, before the skin breaks open. But it will heal more quickly no matter when you apply it. We've used the OTC Abreva, too, but the prescription works best for her.
Prevention-wise, make sure he uses chapstick religiously during this dry season. Also, like the other poster said, keep his immune system strong with proper nutrition and rest. His breakouts can increase during times of stress, too.
