Corn starch paste

Men’s after-shave.

WHEN YOU FEEL THAT FIRST LITTE BURNING SENSATION – AND YOU SEE A TINY RED DOT, TAKE Q-TIP AND PUT THE TIPPY-TIP INTO BLEACH. TOUCH ONLY THE COLD CORE AREA. YOUR COLD SORE WILL DISAPPEAR SHORTLY AND NOT COME OUT. BECAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF – I MADE THAT MISTAKE A FEW TIMES UNTIL I GOT THE KNACK OF IT. ONLY USE THE VERY TIP OF THE Q-TIP AND TOUCH JUST THE INFECTED AREA.

Abreva. This has been the cure for me. The moment I feel that little sore bud under the skin at my lip region, I begin a regimine of “A dab each hour will kill the power”. I’ve been using this medicine (found in any drug store) for a long time. I do not get the dreaded double, tripple and eventually quadruple headed lip explosions I used to get as a kid. Stress is the trigger for me. When I’m least prepared for lifes little detours I can be sure to have a visit from the simplex sired in hell. I have the little tubes (Comes in a small blue box with yellow trade symbols) everywhere. I carry one in the laptop bag, one in my locker at work, three strategically place throughout the house and another in the car as well as the camper. I’d rather be missing a foot for the duration I have to display what the ignorant public believes it’s a sign of an STD. I’ve had ‘em since before I was taught the difference between man and woman.

I use Vick’s Vapor Rub. Just put a touch of Vick’s on the sore three to four times a day and it will soon disappear.

Use Ice. My cold sore had just started, and it felt hot and sore so I tried ice just to sooth it. The next morning i discovered that the cold sore had stopped developing!!!

ICE!! Ice is amazing! I felt the cold sore coming so I put medicine on it all day. All it did was get bigger. The second day, right before bed, I put ice on it. In two ice cubes it went down very a lot. By morning it was hard to see.

I was told by my Uncle that back in the days, when they used to get cold sores they would ptu ear wax on it. I then tried that, the cold sore begin to get hard like a scab and it dried up within two days.

Anbesol, ice and nail polish remover. First wipe all moisture and pus off the cold sore. Wrap a piece of ice in a napkin and hold on the cold sore for 3 or 4 minutes. Then wipe all moisture off again. Dip the end of a q-tip in nail polish remover. Hold the q-tip on the sore for about 5 minutes. This will sting….ALOT! But just bear with it, this works, I promise. After you are done with the NPR, let the area dry for about ten mins, then put a little bit of anbesol on it. Repeat once an hour for about 5 hours a day. (or as much as you are able) in two days, the sore will be pretty much be gone! Just a little red dot will be where your huge cold sore was before. Good Luck!!

Kristen

This will sound really weird but the crystals that you can get from health food shops that people use as deodorant, well those crystals (smaller bits obviously) get rid of cold sores, you just wet the crystal and rub it on the cold sore, it dries it up really quickly cause of all the salts in it. It worked really well for me, I was skeptical as well when my mum bought it home for me but it really does work!

Put nail polish remover on the cold sore. It really works, mine went away in just two days!

Hand sanitizer works; it burns but it will dry it up in a couple of days.

Rubbing alcohol … put it only on the affected area! It works very good!

Nail polish works and ice and Carmex. I know this sounds gross but deodorant.

My son has been getting cold sores for years. We have always used Carmex. However his cold sores are getting worse and more painful the older he gets. I’m going to try the ice and see if that works. If you know of anything that is natural or safe for children please share.

before going to bed just have some toothpaste overit you will find it dry the next morning and stoped from developing trust me.

Do not try agent like Bleach. This is household agent and it CAN BURN YOUR SKIN RIGHT TRU !!!!!

DO THE SAFE METHOD–GO SEE DOCTOR !!!!

Whatever you used on the cold sores,YOU ARE ONLY SOLVING THE SYMPTOM !! BUT NOT THE ROOT CAUSE !! EVEN DRUGS ARE NOT EFFECTIVE !!!

Take ALPHA LIPID—COLOSTRUM WHICH IS VERY EFFECTIVE TO KILL THE HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS !!!CAN USE IT AS A PASTE ON THE LIP OF THE COLD SORES !!!!

YOU CAN BUY FROM A COMPANY CALLED NEW IMAGE IN Singapore. Call operator 100 to give you the exact telephone number and the location.

Ice is brillant…!!! I had a cold sore for two days and I had no idea what to do and was afraid to leave the house, it was so bad…but then I put some ice on it and the pain went away. I let the whole lump dissolve, and used more ice every few hours. The cold sore has greatly decreased and it isn’t very noticeable, and I have only been using ice for a little over a day. I’m hoping it will be gone in another two days!
USE ICE!!!

use mens after shave because it drys it out and it just goes inyo a scab and then goes

I would always use the product called Releev its like $17.00 a bottle and the bottle is quite small but if you notice any tingling or bumps forming put it on right away and it shouldnt show up! However now that i am pregnant it is not recomended that pregnant women use it because it has not been tested on animals nor pregnant women. So i am hoping to try the ice and the salt thing. I havent had a flare up in over two years because of Releev but being pregnant brings down the immune system even more. Abreva is said to be ok but that stuff never worked for me. good luck and wish me luck!

just so everyone knows, i just tried the ice thing i held a cube on my lip until it was almost melted away ((very cold but worth it)) now my blister is smaller, less painful and i honestly can barley feel it! Give this a try before using any thing else, besides its free and in about 20mins im going to do it again until bed, i want this nasty thing gone by morning!

rubbing alcohol..it really does work..

Korners Cold sore Remedy and ice together. When i get that numb thingling sensation I put korners on and then ice, it seriously helps. I use to have a cold sore once a month and i haven’t had one in like 5 to 6 months. Korners is cheaper then abreava and it works way better. I think Abreava isn’t as good as it says it is. It works but not so effective. Korners is the way to go.

white vinegar. it stings but it dries it out 3x a day or more 2 days almost gone

Things to NOT do.
1. never touch it because when you do the virus is on your fingers infecting wherever you touch be sure to wash your hands!!
2.I tried acne treatment all it did was turn into discusting scabs and when i smiled it oozed contagious puss like things all around causing the sore to wrosen and get bigger
3.try to keep away from the sun although it may dry it out it causes it to reden and irritate the skin making it hard to do everyday things such as smile and as i said before smiling is the last thing you want to do if it dries out.
4.I was told that bandaids worked…mainly i used them to cover it up but it softened the sore making it harder to heal so it just stayed around.
5.I went to the dentist for teeth cleaning and told them about it and how its been going on for a while. i trusted them when they said “digging out the core would work” no it hurt like hell mad the sore huge and by irritating the core of the sore it mad eit swell massivley.

like many of you i’ve been going through the painfull humiliating battle of cold sores now for about 3 months i go to highschool so its difficult to hide it from everybody if theres anything that anyone knows to get rid of it very soon please let me know thanks! keep posting!!!

Preperation H the creamy kind not the greasy one. It works great and will go away in just a couple of days.

What u really want to do is keep them from even coming out! I read in a home remedy book to take L-Lysine 1000mg everyday, I take it and didn’t have any for a year, then I stopped and had a few that were small so I started taking again, it really works!

Salt Works!!! Sterilize a needle with hot water and then gently pop the blisters and wipe away the fluid. Dip your moist finger in salt and press firmly against the affected area for about 3 minutes. It will burn, but trust me, it is well worth it! I did it this morning, 2 hours ago, and the blister has already started to scab over. After it starts to scab, apply neosporin to make sure the scab heals properly!

What I’v found to work the best for me would be toothpaste. Take a Q-tip put toothpaste on tip and put on cold sore this works, it will burn a little but it works.

6-30-09 @ 10:03pm I’m trying out the nail polish remover… first i put ice, then nail polish remover and some abreva…. hopefully by tomorrow its gone.. ill update tomorrow.

FYI:
the freaking nail polish remover stings really bad, not at first but about one minute after.

7-1-09
Nail polish remover made my lip super swollen, one good thing is that the redness and apperance if it isnt as bad… except for the swelling which i’m eliminating with Ice….

Wouldnt do nail polish again because this was super swollen

Here’s just about everything you need to know about cold sores.

Ok, so I’ve been researching a lot about cold sores lately and found that:
Cold sores are usually triggered by
Stress
Sunlight
High Winds
Feeling Run-Down
Lack of Sleep
Being sick (Low immune system functionality = change in PH Balance, which the process of an outbreak of cold sores is very sensitive to)
Dieting (see right below)

Cold sores in a way feed off of Arginine (a substance made in the body) which fuels the outbreak.
Lysine (not made naturally by the body, has to be ingested) bonds with Arginine and mutates it in a way so that it can’t be used by the body to produce cold sores.

Picture a 2-Liter bottle labeled Lysine and Arginine Only. Certain foods contain Arginine, so when you eat these foods, it contributes to this 2-Liter bottle which contributes to the cold sore. When you take L-Lysine tablets, you fill the 2-Liter bottle with Lysine, which acts as described above.

It is recommended to take 1000-3000 (I usually opt for 3000, 2 Tablets 3 times a day) during an outbreak or when you feel an outbreak of a sore (tingling) coming on. A good way to avoid cold sores altogether is to take one or two 500 mg tablets of Lysine every day, almost religiously.

Now for all of the people who are looking for an immmediate way to get rid of a cold sore because something big is coming up and you don’t want that embarassing, sometimes awkward bump on your lip (or because you’re lips are covered with cold sores or a huge cold sore that you wouldn’t dare show your face in public with, don’t worry, I’m like that too.) For all these people, I’d like to say, if you’re going to follow this method, be ready for pain. Follow this method if it’s really worth it to you.

Take 2 Tablets of L-Lysine (it just helps).
Take a small petri dish and have out Lemon Juice (or a lemon), Salt, Garlic (very, very necessary), and if you can stand the smell, Apple Cider Vinegar, though it is not really needed (it’s mainly for the people who say certain remedies don’t work for them; one of these is bound to work for you).

This series of steps is what did it for me, but hey, No Pain, No Gain. And somebody said this as I was searching about cold sores. If you want real results, very quickly, you’ll have to do real work for it.
*****************************************************************
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Crush up the garlic (one clove) in the petri dish into small pieces. Use a spoon to smash it up as much as you can. It is ideal to make it into a kind of paste, but just do as much as you can. Then take the lemon/lemon juice and either squeeze the juice onto the garlic, or pour 5-10 drops onto the garlic based on what you have. Next you can add a little bit of Apple Cider Vinegar, but I had to plug my nose in order to put that stuff on my face (plus it was mixed with lemon juice..such a weird smell!).
Finally, sprinkle the salt into the mixture, and well, mix it up with a spoon or something. Put it on a cotton ball/swab and sprinkle a little bit more “fresh” salt onto it, and shake off whatever doesn’t stick on.

Set this off to the side.

Get 1 Ice Cube and melt it all the way on the cold sore.
If the cold sore seems “bubbly” use a sterilized needle and carefully poke at it until some of the water/puss runs out of it, with a cloth ready to dab at it.

Now, take you’re cotton swab of pain and press it directly on the cold sore with a good amount of pressure. I had one of those huge, Oh man!!!, cold sores, and this was one of the most painful things I’ve endured (I’m only in high school though). It was like salt on an open flesh wound (though, technically, it kind of was, and was probably worse). I held it on for 10 solid, timed minutes, and again for the same time two hours later. It was horrible. It stung, burned, and was like acid for most of the 10 minutes. However, the results were amazing. Before the 10 minutes, it was a bubbly, puss-filled, horrible cold sore covering half of my upper lip. Afterwards, it was amazingly better. Only 10 minutes, and my family noticed a huge difference. It dried up instantly, and looked like more of a big red mark than a full-blown cold sore. I really wanted to have it gone overnight, so I did it again later.

At night, put toothpaste on it and get a good night’s rest.
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******************************************************************

If the pain is really too much, maybe try taking Alleve to ease the stinging a bit, for the ice too.

Also, the main thing that you’re doing here for having a cold sore heal (there really is no curing a cold sore, since it’s a virus) is to expose the cold sore, dry it out, it will scab over (be really dry and if you smile, it cracks and maybe bleeds), and then keep it moist while it is scabbed, so that it doesn’t crack and bleed. Once you’ve dried out the cold sore, you can use chapstick, vaseline (haven’t tried it myself, but a lot of people says it works), or who knows what else to keep it moist. A few weird ones I found (the first one I’ve tried and it works pretty well) were Ear Wax and Urine. Naturally, I steered away from the second one. Who would put urine on their mouth?

Here’s another thing to note: Cold sores thrive in *warm* and *moist* environments. That’s why you keep it cool and dry using ice and the Lemon Juice, salt, and Garlic. The only reason why you keep it moist after it dries is that it’s pretty much already healed, you just want to let it heal nicely the rest of the way; cracks and blood doesn’t really help that.

Well, that should have cleared up some confusion about cold sores, sorry I didn’t cite my sources, but whatever.

The above is about 2 hours of web browsing condensed into a pretty long comment

There’s my 2 cents

I know that it sounds gross but ear wax does dry up a cold sore. I’ve had them since I was little.

L-lysine also works. I usually take 3 pills a day/500mg each. I’ve used this for 4 years and did not get a cold sore. Then I stopped taking them and they came back. I have one right now that I got two days ago. I’m taking the pills but I’m also trying the ice and salt as I type this. I’m going to try the toothpaste before I go to bed tonite.

I’ve tried alcohol before and it does help, but it makes the sore turn an ugly gray. I don’t know if I’m ready for the bleach or the nail polish remover yet!

But my suggestion would be the ear wax which is a sure winner and the L-lysine pills.

I get one every year during the summer and last year i tried salt and it worked ok.

So far I’ve put on a cold sore cream, tea tree oil (which actually made it swollen and grow) and now I’m trying bleach. If the bleach doesn’t start to work then its on the lemon juice/garlic/salt concoction, and toothpaste before bed!

when you feel a cold sore or fever blister coming on,whitch i can. your lip will itch or tingle. i put hand sanitizer on it 3 or 4 times a day & 99.9 % of the time you will not get one.

The minute you feel a fever blister coming on, take strong laxative. Works every time.

Alcohol works wonders! The more you apply it the quicker it will disappear.

Nesporin LP (Lip treatment) works really great. Ice is also a great one when you feel it coming on

I’m sorry that should say Neosporin LT, the LT is for lip treatment. It’s first aid for lips. Works great.

After the cold sore has dried, you can put Vitamin E oil or the oil from a Vitamin E capsule. The oil helps the cold sore to heal and keeps it from cracking.

Also Drink plenty of Water to flush out toxins. ice works very well. Peroxide draws out the impurities if it is already oozing

I get cold sores alot and every time I try a medicine specifically for cold sores they get BIGGER and increase in number. I never had more than 2 until I used abreva and then my WHOLE mouth broke out I went to the Dr one time with only one on my lip and she gave me a pill and the next morning there were 5.. after that I realized that the medications have the opposite effect on me so I stopped looking for a medicinal remedy and went with just leaving it alone.. most times if i keep it dry it dries up and disappears, but then there are the ones that are just determined to stay around. I tried ice.. I think it works good.. the swelling goes down, it feels better, and the cold sore leaves sooner, not quickly, but sooner than it normally would. I get them about every 2-3 months… its getting really annoying.

For those who have tried remedies and they only made them worse, I would recommend Denavir cream. It’s a prescription, so you would need to see a doctor to get it, but it’s worth it. I’ve tried so many treatments, natural remedies(including L-Lysine), prescriptions, but they all made the cold sores 10x worse! Denavir work’s amazingly! As soon as I get a cold sore I put it on and within hours I could barely notice I had them.

I get cold sores about three or for times a year and when I do the best thing to do for me is to cut of the scab then dig out the core after thet I apply hand sanitizer once every 20 minutes for around 2 hours then apply ice for 15 minutes it works great and my cold sore is gone in 2 or 3 days

My boyfriend got rid of his cold sore in just 2 days. Although I dont know if I’d do what he did. He put GermX on it and also Lysol (he got spray on his finger and rubbed it on his lip) It was gone in 2 days.

I got my cold sore yesterday. Since then I have scoured the internet for remedies. I have taken over 2500 mg of lysine, i tried soaking it with cold milk, i drank milk and potatoes all day, I drank lots of water, I’ve been taken ibuprofen and icing it on and off all day. today I got more desperate as it seemed to just be getting bigger. I tried nail polish remover three times, no change. i tried mouthwash on it, no change. I tried the garlic/salt/lemon/vinegar paste, for 10 minutes, it is now even MORE swollen. I let an entire ice cube melt on it and it is somehow even BIGGER! The top right half of my lip is so swollen solid, it is even swollen on the INSIDE! I am scared and upset and I wish some of these techniques had worked for me. I’ve already missed a night of work and now I am going to miss at least a few more days. If it is still this swollen in the morning I’ll be going to the hospital. It is swollen to more then double its size and it hurts so badly it feels like it will burst. I’m scared

I woke up about 5:30a this morning and I felt this tinglin in my lip. I already knew what was about to happen. I get a fever blister once a year and when it gets cold I get one. SO I been using abreva now.Using abreva it best to use when the bubbles have already busted, since mine is just starting I put some on my lip this morning and been putting (abreva) on every 30 minutes.But when I got to work I felt my lip was buning, my lip was HOT. Then I had a cup of ice sitting by me and I applied it to my lip it REALLY went down (swellen). So I got kind of nervous and went online to see if anyone else has tried ICE and I see that u guys have. IT WORKS!!!!!!! I’m going to keep using abreva. Will update tomarrow.

Well I’m back and i tried the toothpaste before I went to bed it help with the itching. But It did not reduce in size. The little bubbles have not busted yet so When I get home I going to go ahead and bust them, then apply alcohol to the the inside of the blisters so that they can dry up. Hopefully because I work and I am unable to take out that the scabs are not really bad.

i got a cold sore two days ago, the first day was the usual..started with the tingling and everything and then it got huge! i tried just putting ice on it but that didnt do much. so i looked up home remidies for cold sore and found this one that worked miracles for me! it said to use nail polish remover..that i didnt do though. i mised crushed advil, salt and poroxide together to make a paste. i then used a sterile needle to just open the sore a little bit and then applied the paste. i left that on for about 15-20 minutes, took it off and applied ice for about five and left it alone for about ten. then i repeated everything. before i went to bed i put the paste on again and left it over night then washed it off this morning. the cold sore has scabbed over and everything. so i put ice on it again for about 15 minutes and then dabbed it dry and applied ‘blistex, lip medex for cold sores, cracked and dry lips’ to the cold sore only. it doesnt hurt at all anymore and you can hardly even see it! good luck to all you with cold sores and i hope this works as well for you as it did for me!

dealing with a cold sore right now – using Lysine in large amts. reduces the cold sore time and size. I am also a strong believer in Rubbing Alcohol. Pop the blister open and squeeze out the fluid, then dab your blister with a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Burns quite a bit, but it dries it up so fast. Good Luck! Can’t wait to use more alcohol tomorror morning!

when you feel a cold sore coming on take Zinc,they usually won’t form if you start taking it right away….just don’t take it on an empty stomach,I also use carmex

I use to get them often,one time didn’t knw i was getting one(never 4get it!) and had to go to wrk;@ the time wrkd @ a halloween store so we had to dress up well ok cool…i’ll b a black cat so im putting on my costume,doing my make-up and i put black lip liner around my lips(BIGGEST FREAKN MISTAKE EVER!!!!) by the time i got halfway to wrk i was calling out everyone was looking @ me b/c the black cat lookd like she had”rabies”!! not that bad but u cld imagine horrible!! I got a prescription filled that i said i wnt need and spent $18.99 on a little tube of Lysine it stays wit me:-] havent had any outbreaks since…thank god!!

O yea…still had to go to wrk that day!!!My manager made me feel alot better about too!;-)

melissa = no wonder its swollen! try one of two different rememdys a day, if you go overboard with applying everything and byour skin can’t cope, how do you think perfectly healthy skin would react to that long list of stuff you did to it in one day? it would swell up!!

h peroxide dab with a q tip 3times…3-5 times a day or much as you want..it works great..it will dry out in 3-5 days…good luck

Thanks for all the info. I’ve had my cold sore for 2days now I went to work yesterday cause it wasn’t bad, but when I woke up this morning it was oozing a little and turning white( I’m black) so it a lot more noticable. I’m going to ice my lip now… My cold sore always flare up after I have dental work done only on the right side of my mouth for some strange reason. I did apply medicated cream I forgot the name but. Think it made it way worse. Thanks again.

Hi, i have been getting cold sores for about 5 years and i have an outbreak once a year. 2 weeks ago i started feeling the tingling sensation and i noticed it after i took a shower and i touched my lip. The odd thing about my situation is that a bump had never occured. Usually when i have an outbreak, when i first notice, shortly after a bump occurs and then it runs it course. Well, over 2 weeks later i still have this sensation on my lip when i touch it, but there is no bump at all! I have searched all over the internet to see if someone else has had this happen and i have found nothing! It makes me think that this is not a cold sore at all, but what is it? I am so confused. I want to kiss my boyfriend, but i wont do it as long as i have this feeling on my lip. My lips look completely normal, i just have this sensation on the spot where i always have a cold sore outbreak. I always break out in the same spot so thats what made me think i was getting a cold sore. Anyone have any suggestions? Suggestions would be much appreaciated!

Help this helps and gets rid of the white cream…Ja ja ja ja

I have been getting coldsores for as long as I can remember.

I can have one come up in half an hour and never even get the tingling so will often just wake up one.

I have recently purchased a product from Boots (UK Pharmacist) which is basically a small device that uses light to treat them and is the best £35 I have ever spent!!

I must say it reduces the time and cuts out the blistering stage – so goes straight from sore to scab.

You can use it as many times a day as you wish.

A few days ago I could feel a sore coming – which NEVER happens to me – not sure if linked to fact i’d used it in that area previously as some people say they dont get an outbreak in the same place after a few uses – I used the contraption and it didn’t come up.

The things I like most about it is that it is not medicated and most importantly I do not get a scar.

Hope this helps another long standing sufferer!!

I just put toothpaste on mine… OUCH!!!! I hope it works.

I have not ever got cold sores until about a year ago, my boyfriend ended up with one and we tried as hard as we could not to kiss or anything until all his symptoms were gone. SO.. about 3 days after our first kiss after his breakout cleared up I got a cold sore.

VICKS VAPOR RUB…
I work at an urgent care, and I was asking one of the doctors what to do, and she told me to put ice on it for about 30 minutes, and then put a small dab of vicks vapor rub on it, the vapors pull the infection out faster and make the blistering happen within hours instead of days, the next day your cold sore will pop naturally, and you are on your way to healing!

Good luck… These things are nasty!

I don’t have a tip I need help. I got shingles inside my mouth after having chemotherapy. I am being treated with Valtrex 1000mg two times a day. While I am on the medication I still get them. I have tried everything including changing toothpaste to a natural toothpate. I notice many of your tips are to dry out the sore but you can’t when it is inside of your mouth and mine spread all over, I can have up to 1o going at one time. Luckily they never come on the outside of my mouth. Ice does work however I can’t use ice on the sores close to my teeth as they are very sensitive also. ANY ideas? HELP the medical communtiy hasn’t been able to help me can you?

I have been getting cold sores for over 30 yrs now. I even had one on my wedding day and back in the 1980’s we didn’t have the internet for all this info. So we all need to be thankful for all the ‘new’ advice. With that said, we all need to remember that not all remedy’s work the same for every person. I have to say I tried just about everything, never the bleach or nailpolish remover, something seems so unnatural about putting those on my lips. I have found that Alcohol of any kind will scar the area, but we are so desperate at the time we don’t care. We just want the evil demon to go away.
I have read so much about these buggers that I do know you must find out what works for you and your lifestyle. That doesn’t mean it will work everytime either, but if it cuts out 3/4 of our breakouts then we can’t complain.
What I have learned:
1). Take a good multi-vitamin, 500mg Vit C & 1000-2000mg of
L-lysine every day. Double or triple the vit c and L-lysine if your having a break-out or feel one coming or if you have an important event coming up. Take throughout the day and night.
2). Try not to get too run down. Stess and illness only breed coldsores.
3). Don’t let you lips get chapped or sunburn, always, I mean always use the strongest sunscreen chap stick you can find when your in the sun or wind, repeat OFTEN!!!
4). I put DMSO cream on my lips every night to prevent a cold sore. It really helps to cut back on my outbreaks. It’s a awesome cream that will stop the virus from growing and or coming out. I pile this on if I feel one coming. I reapply all day to stop them from spreading. Take off when you eat tho, it tastes nasty.
5). To also build up my immune system ( since we know the demon buggers thrive on us when we’re down ) I take 1000 mg of cat’s claw a day, more if I feel a break out, etc. It’s a herbal supplement used to support immune systems.

Ok…so I’m all into prevention…and I have used this regimen for years and it truly has cut down on my outbreaks immensley. Years ago before I started this regimen I use to take Valtrex for prevention, however, I still got them & I didn’t want the long term effects of taking prescription drugs.
If I feel one coming I also do this to stop the bugger from becoming a third lip. I’ll keep the DMSO cream on all day and night with the hopes it won’t pop out or at least maintain a small one.

Ok, so what if I do all this and one actually pops out?? Then I start with the barbaric salt routine. I use kosher salt, flatten it with the back of the spoon and mix it with vodka ( this hurts so bad I think I should take a shot first for the pain ) I take a Q-tip and apply it to the demon sore and SCREAM OMG this is torture!!! BUT I want the demon gone so I continue to leave it on as long as I can tolerate the pain. If my time allows I will take it off after about an hour and reapply!!! Now if I have to go to work I just bring a small container of vodka and plenty of Q-tips and apply often with pressure and hope for the best. Then I redo the salt method when I get home. Now what to do once it scabs. This my friens I still haven’t figured out. Since us suffers know these demons have a mind of their own. We think they’re gone and then they reappear. Sometimes I go to bed and they’re almost gone only to wake up with them looking worse. I’m not really sure at what point it’s safe to put on a cream, cuz it only softens it and it seems we have to start over to form a scab. ERRRRRRRR!!!
I know the best thing is prevention.
To all my cold sore suffers…all i can say is THIS SUCKS and GOOD LUCK!!! OH as a Mother, don’t kiss anyone with a cold sore, no oral sex YUCK!!! that would only lead to genital herpes and don’t share your coldsore!!

I’ve had these miserable things for most of my 40 years and never had much luck with Abreeva or Carmex. A couple years ago I was sick of it and spent hours on the internet and compiled a suggested “routine” to combat these ugly sores. If the sore has already blistered use a sterilized needle and pop and drain the sore. Take 1500 mg of Lysine twice a day during an outbreak and 500 mg daily FOREVER. So give it a try!

1. As soon as you feel the tingling put one ice cube directly on the sore until it completely melts
2. Follow with one tea bag moistened and placed directly on the sore for 10-15 minutes
3. Follow with one cotton ball saturated with alcohol(will burn)for 10-15 minutes
4. Follow with one cotton ball saturated with nail polish remover(will burn)for 10-15 minutes
5. REPEAT as often as possible or at least 4x a day

Apply toothpaste with salt ,

Bergamot Essential Oil – A miracle cure! Dab on effected area with a cotton tip. My two HUGE cold sores were gone in two days. I was very sceptical and cynical as I had tried everything there is. Give it a go!!

I have been getting cold sores for about ten years now. They are so miserable; it is at least nice to read here that others know about the pain and embarrassment and inconvenience.

I have learned that what works for each person is different. I tried Valtrex and it made my cold sores break out something awful. I am somewhat of a pansy when it comes to pain, so I have learned to avoid getting them as best I can.

For me this is by eating. Sounds silly, I know, but I find that when I am busy or stressed I do not have as much of an appetite and so I will (unknowingly) eat less. When that happens my immune system dips, and then I am susceptible to having an outbreak.

So as soon as I feel that first tell-tale tingling sensation, I eat. A lot. I have learned to avoid chocolate and nuts and caffeine. I also avoid sugar. I drink TONS of water, to flush the toxins from my system, and several times a day I put an EmergenC packet of 1000mg of Vitamin C in my water glass. At these times I drink PRIMARILY water, and some milk. ONLY these two. Nothing else, ever.

Sleep helps. Reduce your stress. Relax. Eat. Drink water. Apply topical Lysine from Whole Foods. It’s a little tube of cream. I also add liquid Lysine drops to my water, and I apply the liquid Lysine drops right onto the cold sore area several times a day.

I am a cold little person who loves hot showers, but I do think the hot water doesn’t help sores in full outbreak. Keep the heat down when you’re in danger.

And moderate exercise! Walk around the block, your neighborhood, your apartment building…whatever, but go for a walk! No heavy exercise with sweating. But get your body moving so your lymph nodes (which act like little garbage filter pumps in your body) will start working. Your lymph nodes can do a lot to help you, but they need you to MOVE (moderately) so that they can work. A sluggish, inert body is not going to get well as fast. But beware–a sweating, huffing, puffing body is HOT, and cold sores like heat. You get the drift–stay cool.

I also think that we get them because we are stressed usually, so do whatever relaxes you. Get to the core of the problem. Do you write to relax? I do. Play guitar? Play with your dog? Garden? Read? Watch a funny movie? It is probable that something is on your mind when you are prone to a break out–think about what might be troubling you. “Get in touch with yourself”, listen to your heart…spend some quiet moments doing something that will make you feel less worried or anxious. Write a song. Bake a cake. Call a friend. Apologize.

And take that dang Lysine! Every day. Build it into your life. Eat more foods with it. Eat more often. (Swiss cheese, milk products…) Absolutely NO caffeine and sugar. Vitamin C. Sleep. Topical Lysine. WALK!

This is a plan for avoidance. And we all need to try to protect other innocent people from contracting this virus from us, so I try never to share drinks or food with others. I always just say “I’m getting over a cold.” I don’t allow others to borrow my chapstick, etc. I absolutely refrain from kissing my boyfriend when I feel contagious. In reality, we are contagious all the time, I think. But we can do much to protect others. Be honest with your partner. If you are in the dating phase, I am not sure what to tell you. I know no one wants to bring this up when you meet someone you like. Try to be considerate and responsible. Most of us don’t know how we were infected, so do what you wish others had done to protect you. I was kissed by someone who knew he had the virus but was too cowardly to tell me. Needless to say, I do not have a very high opinion of this person, nor of cowards in general.

I think we all need to be aware that both types of the Herpes Virus (HSV I and HSV II) can be contracted and spread from the mouth to the genitals and vice e versa, even though traditionally each type is associated with a particular area. You can give someone oral herpes by your oral contact with their genitals, and infected genitals can transmit their genital virus to your mouth. Please be aware. I don’t know what widespread knowledge of this fact would do to the collegiate dating scene, but I do believe people need to know this.

So now I structure my life in ways that will prevent outbreaks. For the most part, it works very well. When stress hits, I can break out.

Pregnancy causes breakouts, too, because your immune system is compromised. Stay healthy, with lots of stores of Vitamins and Lysine in your system. Not much seems to be known about taking Lysine when you’re pregnant, so use the topical kind and eat Lysine rich foods.

Well, that’s what I do anyway, and each person’s journey is unique. Good night, and good luck!

Cold sores are the worst. Along with pimples, they are a skin blemish that NOBODY wants. I’m a fourteen year old who has suffered from cold sores frequently. A couple tips:
1) Don’t lick your lips – licking your lips frequently can cause painful cold sores.
2) Carmex!!! – A handy little chapstick/cold sore healer that works.
3) Abreva! – Another cold sore medication.
Honestly, cold sores are a pain in the rear. Hope my remedies help some.
-Liz =]

To Kathy, with shingles in her mouth from chemo: Several years ago, my gums hurt constantly so I was desperate for a solution. I found a mouthwash at the pharmacy for oncology patients who experienced thrush. I started using the mouthwash several times a day and my gums became less sensitive and after a few weeks, the pain went away. This stuff really worked for me and I hope it does for you. Poor thing, I feel so bad for you. Good luck!

to Kathy hopefully you have asked the dr. to check out your mouth. Shingles comes from the virus Herpes Simplex 1.Shingles will run along the nerve roots in your body and are very painful.

Thrush is a overgrowth of yeast probably from a low immune system. Both needs a dr.treratment. Thrush can be treated with homew remedies id not bad. By eating yogurt a lot each day, there are also pills at the drug store for people who don’t like yogurt. Ask at the pharmacy for the pills I don’t remember the name but every main drug store carries the pills. If you have a serious life threatening disease talk to your dr. first before trying someone’s remedy. I have been a nurse for over 25 years and I have heard of all the homemade remedies. Don’t get me wrong alot of them do work but trust your judgement its your body and your life

I find that drinking beer makes me more likely to get a cold sore. I just don’t drink beer anymore.
I have a prescription for Acyclovir and I’ll pop one of those the moment I feel a tingle. It usually nips it in the bud, and if I do get a sore, it’s small and goes away quickly.
It only took me about 20 years to figure out that beer was a trigger.

ICE FIRST without a doubt! And if you dont get it when it first starts, pop that blister with a sterile pin or needle,but first dip the needle into camphor spirits or witch hazel. then put ice on until cube is about gone. Tooth paste over night, wala! gone real fast after that

I use Blistex. Not sure of the spelling… but the sore went away in 3 days while I was using it.

After the sore is gone, I use Burt’s Bees Chapstick and I only get cold sores like twice a year.

DO NOT USE BLEACH OR NAIL POLISH REMOVER. THESE CAN BE DEADLY IF INGESTED. ALSO, DO NOT POP THEM; YOU WILL LEAVE SCARS (I’VE TRIED IT).

I’VE BEEN BATTLING COLD SORES MY WHOLE LIFE. WHAT I DO TO PREVENT THEM IS TAKE L-LYSINE AND CALCIUM LACTATE (STANDARD PROCESS) DAILY-INCREASING MY DOSE IF I FEEL THEM COMING ON. THIS HAS HELPED TO DECREASE THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF THE COLD SORES. WHAT I DO WHEN I HAVE AN OUTBREAK IS USE ICE TO BRING THE SWELLING DOWN, USE CAMPHO-PHENIQUE TO DRY THEM OUT, AND TEA BAGS TO HEAL THEM; IT WORKS EVERY TIME.

drugs: valtrex
non-medicinal: l-lysine can be found in lip balm at the health food store,
some yogurts have lysine, read the label! don’t get the one with glycerin!