To go to the GP with coldsores

[Anxious256]

Ihave arround 8 coldsores round my mouth. Is there any point in going to the DR. Other points are feeling tinglie.

Wow, that's terrible, you poor thing.

My regime:

1. I take the antiviral tablets - Famcyclovir? - immediately upon getting a tingle when I have them available. I don't always have them on hand, though.

1. Whether I take the antivirals or not, Lysine is an absolute godsend. I cannot recommend it more.

Pre-emptively, on days where I'm rundown - maybe I haven't been eating or sleeping enough or feel like I'm fighting off a cold/flu; all triggers for me - I take 1000mg with at least 250ml water.

If my lips are noticably shedding - an almost certain portent of cold-sore doom for me - I take 1000mg every 6 hours or so.

If I'm getting a tingle, I take 2000mg with at least 250mls water, then another 2000mg a few hours later. A cold sore very, very rarely eventuates. Maybe 1 out of every 10 times.

If I do end up with a raised lesion, I take 1-2000mg every 6 hours or so. This significantly reduces the duration and severity of the lesion.

1. After eating or brushing my teeth, I pat the lesion dry. I then apply tea tree oil to a cotton tip, diluted it by applying coconut oil and dab it all over the lesion.

1. Other than that I keep the lesion absolutely bone dry:

This minimises weeping, crusting, scabbing, infection and secondary lesions.

So I don't lick my lips, get food or water on it, apply lip balm or any of those antiviral creams. I pretty much don't touch it, or my mouth at all.

I have found that the anti-viral creams, though they certainly help with the stinging, do absolutely nothing for the length/severity of the lesion.

They do keep the blister moist though, which increases the risk of bacterial infection, which in turn significantly increases the healing time and likelihood of scabbing and scarring.

I used to have cold-sores erupt at least 3-4 times a year, and they would be painful and crusty and swollen for at least 5 days, and last 7-12 days before healing. I would often get a secondary lesion.

With this regime, I only get a cold sore every 18-24 months. They are significantly less prominent, barely crust at all, never get infected or scab and are completely healed within 5 days. I never get a secondary lesion.

I hope this helps.

Thanks for sharing your regime.

Unfortunately could not get a GP appointnent today.

I'd go to the GP - I thought I had cold sores but they turned out to be a fungal infection and I needed corticosteroids.

Superdrug prescribes acyclovir online. You fill out the form and the first time a GP will request photos of your lips (2 angles), then they prescribe and either they’re posted to you or you collect from a local Superdrug.

Life changing :)

You could try an online GP appointment OP. Definitely need acyclovir and to check it’s not impetigo. There’s actually no evidence at all that lysine works but many people do swear by it. I took it for a few years then stopped at it made no difference to the number of cold sores I got.

Twice I have had major outbreaks of cold sores and a pharmacist recommended Vit c and zinc as reckoned I was low in those. Obv doesn’t cure quickly but worth taking maybe as sounds like you are a bit run down.

I find Propolis ointment good for cold sores. Better than Zovirax.

Acyclovir is also the drug used in cold sore creams - it's the most effective antiviral around, so if the cream isn't helping, you need to take it orally. Are you under the weather/stressed in general? Just wondering if something has changed to cause such a big outbreak of sores.