Rover
01-20-2005, 11:48 PM
I've had cold sores for as long as I can remember and just thought I would pass along my experiences. I'm a 37-year-old male and usually have 3-4 out breaks around the lip per year. Since the introduction of Valtrex I have only had two episodes when a blister actually formed.
Valtrex will abort the cold sore, i.e. no blister, if I can catch it soon enough. Valtrex has to be transformed into acyclivor in the liver and then get into the blood stream. So there is some delay between first downing the pill and having enough meds in the tissue for control of the replicating virus. If enough of the virus has already been replicated it will still travel down the nerve into the tissue and form a blister. I think this is one reason some people expeience mixed results from Valtrex. I also use Denavir cream when I first feel the tingle. Using this combination I can usually abort the sore, or least have only one small blister.
If I have a small blister I keep Denavir cream on it until it develops a crust, then I clean with peroxide and leave it alone. No chap stick or other goo, I think this just causes the wound to heal more slowly.
Before these new drugs were around, I tried everything. Herbal stuff, lysine, zinc, you name it. Never really helped me. Save your money for the doctor.
I could never pinpoint any cause of the out breaks: stress, sleep, and foods, ECT. Mine just seemed random.
Lastly, I've been married for over 9 years and have not seemed to pass along the virus. Of course I avoid kissing, oral sex and using the same dinnerware until the sore has disappeared. Of course she may have been exposed and doesn't have break outs.
I hope this helps someone, sure is nice not to have huge scabs on my lips for days.
Valtrex will abort the cold sore, i.e. no blister, if I can catch it soon enough. Valtrex has to be transformed into acyclivor in the liver and then get into the blood stream. So there is some delay between first downing the pill and having enough meds in the tissue for control of the replicating virus. If enough of the virus has already been replicated it will still travel down the nerve into the tissue and form a blister. I think this is one reason some people expeience mixed results from Valtrex. I also use Denavir cream when I first feel the tingle. Using this combination I can usually abort the sore, or least have only one small blister.
If I have a small blister I keep Denavir cream on it until it develops a crust, then I clean with peroxide and leave it alone. No chap stick or other goo, I think this just causes the wound to heal more slowly.
Before these new drugs were around, I tried everything. Herbal stuff, lysine, zinc, you name it. Never really helped me. Save your money for the doctor.
I could never pinpoint any cause of the out breaks: stress, sleep, and foods, ECT. Mine just seemed random.
Lastly, I've been married for over 9 years and have not seemed to pass along the virus. Of course I avoid kissing, oral sex and using the same dinnerware until the sore has disappeared. Of course she may have been exposed and doesn't have break outs.
I hope this helps someone, sure is nice not to have huge scabs on my lips for days.
Sponsor
Pigeons
02-12-2005, 09:21 PM
Does Abreva work? I get cold sores about once a year, usually from a sunburn or from a pretty heavy sickness like the flu. I don't think I can get Denavir or Valtrex without perscription.
I agree with you about lysine, etc., they never seemed to work for me. I also agree with you that putting goo on your lips while they're healing is a bad idea.
I agree with you about lysine, etc., they never seemed to work for me. I also agree with you that putting goo on your lips while they're healing is a bad idea.
zorba
02-13-2005, 04:11 AM
I've recently tried garlic oil pills (daily) and it appears to be working. I've not had a cold sore for approximately 4 months now (knock-on-wood). Usually, I get one every 2-3 weeks or so.
I recommend trying it. They're relatively inexpensive. Hopefully, I've found an alternative to my valtrex treatment for cold sores. I know it's still too soon to say for certain; however, so far so good, and i'll let everyone know months down the road.
Thanks to backpacker for the tip!
I recommend trying it. They're relatively inexpensive. Hopefully, I've found an alternative to my valtrex treatment for cold sores. I know it's still too soon to say for certain; however, so far so good, and i'll let everyone know months down the road.
Thanks to backpacker for the tip!
Pigeons
02-13-2005, 10:17 AM
I have an outbreak on my lower lip right now, and I hit it hard w/icecubes right when I felt the first tingling. No idea if it'll help them heal faster, but the ice didn't keep them away. My lip is pretty swollen this morning. Usually it takes less than a day for the swelling to go down, and by then the sores are "dead" and they just need to heal up. That can take a week or so, but it's not painful like when the sores are new.
This is the first time I've used Abreva exclusively; I'm am curious to see how well it works.
This is the first time I've used Abreva exclusively; I'm am curious to see how well it works.
Gainup
02-15-2005, 12:36 PM
I've been having a hard time getting my Dr. to let me take Valtrex once a day. Anyone else have this problem? I get cold sores once every 2 weeks these days. I think it's stress related (stared my own business), but what do you think about heat? I've been doing Bikram (hot) yoga for about 5 months now, every day. It's a very heated and humid room. At first I just figured I was releasing toxins and bad energy, but now I'm not sure. Does heat add to cold sores? Also, now their moving around my lip area, never in the same place anymore. :rolleyes:
Audrey-B
02-15-2005, 07:41 PM
Gainup, isn't it fairly intense for your body to be doing the Bikram yoga every day? I'm no expert, but sometimes something which is supposed to be good for you can actually work in the reverse if you overdo it. However, i'm no expert, just a suggestion. Maybe if you cut back a few days and see if it makes a difference.
Its funny how lysine helps some people and not others. Lysine saved my life. I used to get cold sores on my lip 2 or 3 times per year, then suddenly i'd be breaking out with them every few weeks and all around my mouth. I had my wedding coming up within 3 months and was worried i'd have them on my wedding day!! My photographers wife suggested the lysine and i've never looked back. I'm also very careful with sun exposure, stress and not enough sleep as that's what does it for me.
Prior to getting herpes type 2, i used to take a good multivitamin and garlic capsules daily to build up my immune system. This routine helped as i noticed i never got the bad winter viruses and my seasonal allergies calmed down so much. I then took a break from my routine for some months and ended up being diagnosed with type 2. I used to apply tea tree to the ob, but reverted back to taking the garlic capsules and also using the garlic oil from the capsules to smear over the area where i'd be feeling the first possible sign of an ob wanting to surface. I first did this a couple of days prior to New Years Eve and since haven't had an ob, whereas prior to that i'd had 3 in succession which used to last an age. No sooner had it cleared it was back again. I was diagnosed in November 04.
Everyone is different and one single thing wont work for every single person, yet i refused to go on pharmaceutical medication as i wanted my body to adjust to this ASAP, rather than taking meds for life and who knows what side effects i'll end up with. This board has been a great help with ideas on alternative natural ways of dealing with herpes. In the end, i guess if absolutely nothing works for you but prescription meds, then that's all you can do. It would be hell having to put up with herpes non stop. When it's on your face you feel self conscious, when its genitally it's a big nuisance!!
Its funny how lysine helps some people and not others. Lysine saved my life. I used to get cold sores on my lip 2 or 3 times per year, then suddenly i'd be breaking out with them every few weeks and all around my mouth. I had my wedding coming up within 3 months and was worried i'd have them on my wedding day!! My photographers wife suggested the lysine and i've never looked back. I'm also very careful with sun exposure, stress and not enough sleep as that's what does it for me.
Prior to getting herpes type 2, i used to take a good multivitamin and garlic capsules daily to build up my immune system. This routine helped as i noticed i never got the bad winter viruses and my seasonal allergies calmed down so much. I then took a break from my routine for some months and ended up being diagnosed with type 2. I used to apply tea tree to the ob, but reverted back to taking the garlic capsules and also using the garlic oil from the capsules to smear over the area where i'd be feeling the first possible sign of an ob wanting to surface. I first did this a couple of days prior to New Years Eve and since haven't had an ob, whereas prior to that i'd had 3 in succession which used to last an age. No sooner had it cleared it was back again. I was diagnosed in November 04.
Everyone is different and one single thing wont work for every single person, yet i refused to go on pharmaceutical medication as i wanted my body to adjust to this ASAP, rather than taking meds for life and who knows what side effects i'll end up with. This board has been a great help with ideas on alternative natural ways of dealing with herpes. In the end, i guess if absolutely nothing works for you but prescription meds, then that's all you can do. It would be hell having to put up with herpes non stop. When it's on your face you feel self conscious, when its genitally it's a big nuisance!!
lietchi
02-16-2005, 10:18 AM
Question: if Valtrex aborts the cold sore, i. e. no blister, does that mean that there are no scabs later?
I've never had a cold sore, but now I have a bump on the side of my lip. It was red and painful. (If it had been on another part of my face, I would have thought it was a zit). 12 hours after noticing the bump I started applying Zovirax. I did this for two days, but when I noticed that the Zovirax was past the use-by date (by 3 years! Shame on my mother! :-) ) I switched to a tea tree oil product (something the doctor prescribed me for my zits). It's been five days since I first noticed the red bump and since yesterday it hasn't been painful, and the redness is (almost) totally gone. The skin just seems to be a bit less soft than the skin around it. There was never a blister. Does this sound like a cold sore to anyone?
I'm kind of freaking out: the same symptoms in another spot would be (accurately) diagnosed as a zit, but because it's near my lip...
I've never had a cold sore, but now I have a bump on the side of my lip. It was red and painful. (If it had been on another part of my face, I would have thought it was a zit). 12 hours after noticing the bump I started applying Zovirax. I did this for two days, but when I noticed that the Zovirax was past the use-by date (by 3 years! Shame on my mother! :-) ) I switched to a tea tree oil product (something the doctor prescribed me for my zits). It's been five days since I first noticed the red bump and since yesterday it hasn't been painful, and the redness is (almost) totally gone. The skin just seems to be a bit less soft than the skin around it. There was never a blister. Does this sound like a cold sore to anyone?
I'm kind of freaking out: the same symptoms in another spot would be (accurately) diagnosed as a zit, but because it's near my lip...
beaker24
02-17-2005, 07:42 PM
Question: if Valtrex aborts the cold sore, i. e. no blister, does that mean that there are no scabs later?
I've never had a cold sore, but now I have a bump on the side of my lip. It was red and painful. (If it had been on another part of my face, I would have thought it was a zit). 12 hours after noticing the bump I started applying Zovirax. I did this for two days, but when I noticed that the Zovirax was past the use-by date (by 3 years! Shame on my mother! :-) ) I switched to a tea tree oil product (something the doctor prescribed me for my zits). It's been five days since I first noticed the red bump and since yesterday it hasn't been painful, and the redness is (almost) totally gone. The skin just seems to be a bit less soft than the skin around it. There was never a blister. Does this sound like a cold sore to anyone?
I'm kind of freaking out: the same symptoms in another spot would be (accurately) diagnosed as a zit, but because it's near my lip...
Unfortunately, it can be so hard to tell. Any bump on the lips is suspicious for herpes and if in doubt you should treat it as such to be on the safe side. Did you get itching, tingling, burning before the bump appeared?
My cold sores used to be mega disgusting blisters of pain! - but now tend to be small (yellowish rather than red) itchy!! damn itchy!! and slightly painful bumps which are raised for a couple of days and then go down again (i.e. not the classic blister which scabs over).
I've never had a cold sore, but now I have a bump on the side of my lip. It was red and painful. (If it had been on another part of my face, I would have thought it was a zit). 12 hours after noticing the bump I started applying Zovirax. I did this for two days, but when I noticed that the Zovirax was past the use-by date (by 3 years! Shame on my mother! :-) ) I switched to a tea tree oil product (something the doctor prescribed me for my zits). It's been five days since I first noticed the red bump and since yesterday it hasn't been painful, and the redness is (almost) totally gone. The skin just seems to be a bit less soft than the skin around it. There was never a blister. Does this sound like a cold sore to anyone?
I'm kind of freaking out: the same symptoms in another spot would be (accurately) diagnosed as a zit, but because it's near my lip...
Unfortunately, it can be so hard to tell. Any bump on the lips is suspicious for herpes and if in doubt you should treat it as such to be on the safe side. Did you get itching, tingling, burning before the bump appeared?
My cold sores used to be mega disgusting blisters of pain! - but now tend to be small (yellowish rather than red) itchy!! damn itchy!! and slightly painful bumps which are raised for a couple of days and then go down again (i.e. not the classic blister which scabs over).
Pigeons
02-18-2005, 10:39 PM
Something worked really well for me this time. Not sure whether it was the Abreva, the ice, or the lysine...though I suspect it was all three. I was set to have an awful outbreak -- my lip was VERY swollen on the first day, which usually signals a horrible outbreak -- but by day two the sores had already "died" and I was presentable enough to go to work all this week. Today is day six and there is just a very minor amount of redness where the sores were. I will definitely keep using ice and Abreva at the first sign of an outbreak.
emma_j_21
02-20-2005, 06:28 PM
I HATE COLD SORES SOO MUCH
Just had to get that out. i always get them when i'm stressed or run down. The for my 21st bday i got the mother of all coldsores. top and bottom lip. my lip felt like it had been punched. I use cream on it but what is lysine is that a cream to. i put perfume on it to it sorks to.
Just had to get that out. i always get them when i'm stressed or run down. The for my 21st bday i got the mother of all coldsores. top and bottom lip. my lip felt like it had been punched. I use cream on it but what is lysine is that a cream to. i put perfume on it to it sorks to.