To hack out part of my face with a breadknife?

[Greensleeves]

FUCKING coldsores

I have one of those huge cluster coldsores, it came up scarily quickly and looks a bit like a angry red cauliflower

have tried earwax but it was too late

can't afford to buy zovirax until payday next friday, we are right up to the wire (have overspent on christmas )

Do you know any tricks for getting rid of them? Is there some herbal tincture I can boil up? What about dancing widdershins around a virgin's grave by moonlight, banging a saucepan?

No suggestion too loopy!

I don't get them, but I have a friend who gets them really badly - one tip is to make sure you change your toothbrush during a breakout and again once it's cleared up. Also, there's a product from NZ which you can buy online called Vira Soothe. Supposed to work wonders

Ice! For as long as you can.

Holy hell, the earwax remedy made me retch. Sudocrem? Seems to be miracle cream for most else.

Never heard of using earwax!

I've heard that vodka, surgical spirit, tea tree or lavender oil can help dry it out (although like others have said it may sting like buggery)

I get the regularly infact i have a whopper as we speak i find aftershave dabbed on then top with toothpaste all night and mine clear really quickly

Savlon

Thick paste of instant coffee sometimes works wonders (as long as you don't have to venture outside the front door). I feel your pain OP, I've always found Zovirax a total waste of time anyway.

aw korma, that's really sweet of you but I'm ok, we can rustle up a fiver if we're careful. and serves me right for buying too many presents anyway! s'only a few days now anyway.

I have been putting perfume on it all day, it hasn't shrunk yet. It's a real vicious bastard this one, I am talking sideways like Humphrey Bogart.

Do you have any off that alcohol hand wash stuff that they use in hospitials (you can buy it cheap in supermarkets as well)? That works great.

I know nothing about coldsores but am ridiculously that someone else uses the word widdershins

pefume or aftershave.

Yes, to perfume and tea tree oil, after brandy!

I feel your pain - I have them on the bottom of my nose, as well as inside. Get them every single time now that I get a cold and they hurt like buggery.

I haven't found anything which works . I get them fairly regularly but poor DD had a terrible series of them over about 2 months. Zovirax applications didn't help so eventually I took her to the GP and he prescribed oral aciclovir to be taken 5 times a day for 2 weeks.

This cleared them up quite quickly but back they came, so she is on it for the foreseeable to try and keep it all under control. GP freaked me out as he said if this didn't work she would need to have it administered by IV . Fingers crossed it works.

Have heard that liquiorish (sp) cream is a wonder cure but I haven't had the spare £20 to try it. Hope yours clears soon.

Have none of you tried this -
www.boots.com/en/Boots-Pharmaceuticals-Avert-Electronic-Cold-Sore-Machine_1129542/
read the reviews, I don't know if my sister would be offended if I got her one for christmas...

I use tea tree oil, on a cotton bud. Most supermarkets do a version of Zovirax, it's always much cheaper.

I've got the Boots thing - love it to bits!

Not read the replies but my mum swears by used tea bags. Seen it for myself and it works.

just have my sympathies - i woke up this morning with one. No sign of it last night when i went to bed, bastard thing there when i woke up though. i have a tube of boots own cold sore cream that is years old but im wanging it on

Apply used tea bag to the sore throughout the day for a few minutes at a time and it should clear up pretty quick and at no extra expense. Unless you don't drink tea of course.

slightly cheaper stuff called Lysine from Holland and Barrett oughta do it. and when you are wearing yourself out to the point of bringing on an outbreak can prevent them too...

m.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/product_detail.asp?pid=1507&prodid=1600

I find the best stuff for cold sores is Anbesol. It's in liquid form, comes in a small bottle, you can get from behind the counter at the chemists. It lasts for more than the one bout so is maybe more cost effective.

I know this doesn't help your situation re: not being able to pay for it at the moment but if I were you, when you can, I would buy it rather than zovirax.

I use anbesol as soon as a cold sore starts and it helps to dry it up really quickly and numbs the stinging pain. Once the sore has dried I use a bit of germolene to numb it and natural alternatives to vaseline/moisturiser to prevent it from cracking.

I had a cluster cold sore on my FACE (cheek!) once on holiday (in the UK) and didn't have anything with me to treat it. Being somewhere unfamiliar, and it being Sunday the day after it started, made it very difficult to buy some anbesol and I had to suffer it for a few days before I got hold of some, by which time it was too late really. You just gotta not grin and bear it, hey?

Hope it starts to feel better soon OP.