Recurrent Cold Sores

I used to get them 2-3 times per year. Now I take Valtrex at the first symptom - tingling and the medicine stops it in its track. As someone else mentioned, it is approved to used in pregnancy and BF.

My ex used to get them on a frequent basis, until he started taking lysine every day. Then he never got another one, unless he stopped taking it for awhile. If he started taking them again, at the first little tingle, it usually wouldn't even erupt.

Hi S..

A cold sore says your immune system is low. Recurrent cold sores says your immune system is very, very low. It's basically the chicken pox virus that stays dormant in your body. When the immune system is low it allows the virus to rare it's ugly head. This is very similar to the reason the elderly get Shingles. The virus is dormant but as they age and don't take care of themselves properly, it hits them with a vengeance.

There are several ways to build your immune system. The first thing is not stress. Stress is the worst at eating up enzymes and amino acids that help your immune system fight these things off.

An absorbable multivitamin will help greatly. Most on the market are actually dangerous as they cause free radicals which cause the onset of diseases. I take a pharmaceutical grade vitamin and mineral complex that is guaranteed to absorb and one that doesn't create free radicals anymore than food does :) Nutrition builds the immune system.

For the short term, L-Lysine is an amino acid that will get rid of them. Melaleuca oil will also start the healing process topically. If I'm stressed and everything is going haywire, I can actually stop one from coming up...

Regards,

M.

Yes-they are awful but they are caused by the Herpes Simplex 1 virus-I have been battling approx 4-5 outbreaks per year since I was a child-I have tried Lysine (did not seem to work). Your best bet is a prescription Valtrex in my experience is the best-Zovirax is good too. But I prefer the pills (which work systemically) rather than cream (which works but you need to catch it at the "tingle") or it takes so much longer. Abreva was a waste of $$ for me. A doctor will usually give you enough refills on tablets for the year. Also be sure to protect your lips from the sun. That seems to be a factor that brings them out

I used to get them quite frequently. I am now very diligent about protecting my lips from the sun with an SPF 15 sunblock. I still occasionally get them, but much less often. I think it's been a couple of years now even living in FL with constant sun exposure, and many more stresses now being the parent of a toddler.

If you can figure out your trigger, that's the first step. When you feel one coming on, you may want to think back the last few days. Were you out in the sun, were you sick, or particularly stressed? If you can avoid the triggers, then that should lesson the outbreaks. If you can't avoid them, then the antiviral medications that some people mentioned are the next step.

Once you get them, you're always going to get them..sucks, I know!
zovorax is good, you can get a cream or an oral med.

I had them all my life when I would get sick or a cold or a fever. I use Arbonne's Lip service supplements and I no longer have them. Arbonne products are Certified Organic, Vegan and gluten free ( a long with a long long list of other things that are not in them). Contact me in a private message for more information. Also the baby products are the best the Diaper Ointment wipes off easily but stays on and works.
Kay

Canker sores are caused by acid, not cold sores. Cold sores are a herpes virus (so is chicken pox as someone stated- but a different form)... The most common “cold sore alarm clocks” or triggers are fever (ergo “fever blister”), and exposure to the sunlight (UV-B).

Other stimuli include localized trauma to the mouth (such as dental work and cosmetic procedures to the face), other illness, and emotional stress. For some individuals, recurrences are unpredictable and have no recognizable cause. In fact, some literature suggests that the viral DNA may trigger itself. Others are very aware of what kinds of events will likely lead to recurrences and can anticipate the need to begin treatment as early as possible in an acute episode.

Cold sores are caused by the herpes 1 simplex virus. This is not the STD virus but they may be related as cold sores can be treated with Zorvirax which was developed for the STD. Cold sores can be triggered by stress or the sun. My sister would get stressed about starting school each fall and get one.
I don't believe it says much if anything about your immune system. I take good care of my self. I get my rest, I exercise, I eat healthy. I still used to get them.
I used Abreva to treat one and haven't had one since. You can also try Herpinsen (I think that's how its spelled). Herpinsen is more a treatment after they have erupted and workes kind of like Carmax to keep the area soft so the scab doesn't form but Herpinsen has some medicine in it . It smells nice too. Last time I saw it it was at walmart in the pharmacy section with all the other lip treatments.
Zovirax did not work for my MIL.

There is a good product called, "Cold Sore Begone". My friend suffered cold sores, took this product, and they never returned! Good luck

Take L Lysine. It is an amino acid and works wonders on them!

It is an indicator that the body has gotten too acid. Handle that and it will go away.k

i have been getting cold sores since i was a little kid, my breakouts are stress related usually after a cold. During my pregnancy my OB put me on valtrex. once i started to feel the tingle i took one pill twice a day and it never came to surface. It does not interfer with pregnancy or BM. i was using abreva but i still had to deal with it coming to surface which just sucks. GL

K.

Its so weird that you posted this because my 17 month old just woke up with one this morning. He's never had one before ...but I have had them relatively often so I'm not surprised that he's shown up with one what with me always kissing all over him.

Its pretty harmless.

tea tree oil! that stuff helps for everything, i swear. lol. I actually buy this stuff online called mela-gel. it is awesome! basically a gel form of tea tree oil, but it is amazing. my husband uses it on his cold sores and it helps him a lot. I use it on cuts, scrapes, burns, etc. I also use it on my acne when it flares up, on chapped lips, on my sons gums when he is teething, and also as a diaper rash cream. Best little tube in the world. I love it! http://www.HealthySafeAndClean.com has more info on natural stuff like that, and you can fill out an information request and ask about cold sores and someone calls with options for you. its awesome.

It can be caused by too much acid: citrus, tomatoes, some kinds of juices. Try stopping anything you always eat like that, and if they go away, slowly moderate their use again.

In America there is a prescription called Zovirax, which is a tiny tube with aciclovir creme. I am from the Netherlands where it is over-the-counter. Put it on the cold sore at very first tingle and most often they will not even erupt. The only other thing that helps me is Blistex creme which has a combination of menthol and eucaliptus I believe. It is soothing and cooling and keeps the tingly or blistered area soft so scabs don't form. My coldsores are occuring less and less as the years go by - I have heard the virus ages too and weakens in your body. I have had them before where one seems to follow the other, which is usually when I am either ill or very run down. Get rest, eat healthy foods and they will most likely occur less frequently. And ask your doctor for Zovirax for when they do occur. hBy the way, the over-the-counter Abreva creme did nothing for me.

Hi S.,
I used to get them all the time and it was very embarrassing. I tried the lysine and it didn't work. Probably because it was not made properly. When I started drinking the Shaklee Energyzing protein they went away and I have probably only had 2-3 recurrences in over 10 years. They went away in two days thought rather than lasting a week as they did before
If you are interested in that product, you can find it at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife.
Good luck.
Victoria