Like the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”. You can avoid having cold sore outbreaks by knowing what triggers it and keeping these triggers in check. The usual culprits of cold sore outbreaks are stress, anxiety, sickness, acidic foods, extremes in weather, or a weakened immune system. If you can manage to keep your stress levels at a low or if you can maintain a diet rich in lysine, you lessen the chances of the virus from being activated. Every action you take to avoid these triggers takes you a step closer to getting rid of cold sores.
The best time to get rid of cold sores is at its prodrome stage. This is the stage where the virus starts reproducing itself. Once you get that tingling and itchy feeling, act on it as soon as possible. The remedies that you do at this stage can reduce the severity of the infection, its duration, and the area of effect. It can also soothe the pain and itchiness you are experiencing. You might even get to stop further development of the virus and successfully prevent an outbreak from happening.
Here are some remedies that you can apply on the area at the first sign of an oncoming cold sore outbreak:
• Ice
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Used Tea Bags
• Milk
• Tea Tree Oil
• Over the counter creams or ointment products like Abreva.
The effect of these remedies may vary from person to person and may have less efficiency on you. It is up to you to try all or a combination of these treatments and find what works for you. These are only home remedies that other cold sore sufferers have tried and had success with. It is best to seek medical help form your doctor if you are unsure of what to do about your cold sore outbreak.
There are oral and topical medications available to treat cold sores. Most of these are prescription drugs that are available at most drugstores. Below is a list of FDA approved drugs that are used to treat cold sores:
• Denavir (Penciclovir) – is a prescription only topical cream that is applied on the surface of the face and lips. It is not intended to be used inside the mouth, nose or genital and rectal areas. It is to be applied on the affected area every two hours for four days during daytime. Penciclovir, its active ingredient, makes its way into the infected cells and stops the fusion and reproduction of the virus that causes cold sores. Denavir heals cold sores at an average of four and a half days.
• Zovirax (Acyclovir) – is a prescription only medication that is available in the form of a cream, ointment or capsule. The cream form is applied externally five times a day for four days. Oral acyclovir is to be taken five times a day. Therapy should be started on the prodrome stage or when lesions appear.
• Famvir (Famciclovir) – is a prescription only antiviral medication that is available in the form of a tablet. It hinders the reproduction of the herpes virus which in turn reduces the pain that the cold sores bring. At the first sign of an outbreak, a single dose of three 500mg tablets are to be taken.
• Valtrex (Valacyclovir) – is a prescription only antiviral medication that is available in the form of a tablet. It is a one-day oral treatment. Two grams of Valtrex is to be ingested at the first sign of a cold sore outbreak, then to be taken again 12 hours later. It should not be used for more than one day.
