GP refusing to give prescription

[Brenda23]

Hi everyone,

Hoping someone can give me some advice. My 10 year old DD caught cold sores from one of her friends (not sure which one), and since then gets them monthly, which is really upsetting her.

I spoke to the GP to get medication to help reduce it and she says it’s not licensed for her age. The normal Zovirax stuff hasn’t been working and she’s gets lots around her mouth and nose.

I was reading online that GPs can prescribe ‘off label’ which means they can give prescriptions for medicine where the benefits outweigh any risks.

Does anyone have any experience of getting medicine off label or what I can do? I don’t know if I’ll have the same problem if I go and see a private GP.

@Bimbabo

Thanks, I’m trying to avoid it affecting her mental health long term.

Use lavender oil on a cotton bud to dab it. It dries them & clears them really quickly, the lysine prevents them

Shame about lysine not been suitable for kids, but maybe ask for a paediatric referral or see a holistic therapist & speak to them about it too. At least lysine is something she can use when she's older if there isn't a way around it. It's really good stuff, helped teen DDs acne too

@SingingInTheShithouse

Thanks, I’ll try lavender oil as suggested.

Loading up on these foods could help too, natural lysine...

greatist.com/eat/lysine-foods

@Teenytinyvoice

You could use an on line pharmacy to get it for yourself and give it to her

This.

We had one who refused to prescribe what a consultant psychiatrist (we see privately but also works for NHS) authorised for our child (which was entirely licensed for his conditions) because he said, 'It's my neck on the line (it's actually the consultant's) and said it was 'Too much medication and where was the adjunct psychological therapy was (it was delayed due to the pandemic).' So we switched GPs. Our social workers said we could appeal but I lost trust in the wanker.

Lysine supplement, 100%.

@SingingInTheShithouse

These look really good. Thanks again

Hopefully be fine. My mental health is fine. I had good family/friends who understood and told me others were being hurtful. The only time it got me was when a senior at work told me I shouldn’t have come into work cause of the look and it being highly infectious. That was the worst. Everyone at work who heard it said she was being horrid and it was more a reflection on her than me.

No problem, good luck x

@Bimbabo

Thanks. Some people are just so unbelievably horrible.

Have you tried Compeed cold sore patches? They really speed up the healing x

@loopsaloo

I have tried them but they don’t do anything for her.

My 5 year old gets cold sores, at least once a month. Back in December she had 5 at one time, I feel terrible like I'm doing something wrong... Is it a case of once your a sufferer you will continue getting them?

Not what you asked, but this is one of two main reasons I will never register with a single-GP practice.

@carrieeee

Apparently they will reduce over time depending on each person’s immune system and avoiding triggers, but that’s near impossible.

@carrieeee

Unfortunately yes, it's a herpes type virus & it stays in your system & flares up if stressed are run down. Lots you can do to help it though. See the lysine rich foods list I posted below & lavender oil info

@Rainallnight

I’m regretting it now too but it’s the only one in our catchment area. I don’t think another doctor would go against a doctor in the same surgery, especially once they see the notes on her file, so it may not have made a difference based on what everyone had said about prescribing off label.

@Brenda23

We unfortunately have a ton of experience dealing with doctors & a GP cannot prescribe an off licence drug, especially not to a DC, it's more than their job is worth. You need a hospital referral to a paediatrician for that

OP, ah yes, sorry, I should have said if it was the only one in your catchment then you don’t have much choice.

@SingingInTheShithouse

Thanks a lot. You’ve given some other things to try.

If those don't work enough, it might be worth seeing a paediatrician & asking about the safety of this for her. It can be used in kids according to this, but I'd suspect it would need monitoring as it's an amino acid & needs to be in balance with others.

This website is one pharmacists etc use. It was given to me by a head pharmacist on a pain management course & it's proven to be really useful for checking the safety etc of all kinds of things. It mentions use in infants for poor growth in the link, so it can be used under medical supervision ...

www.drugs.com/npp/lysine.html

One tip I have is make sure she wears sunscreen on her lips or any area that gets them. Sun exposure is a huge trigger for me.

I find if I am really vigilant with Zovirax I can actually stop them or make them very small.

We can't get Zovirax without a prescription in Canada. We buy it in England and have got some in Mexico also.

Zovirax is just the brand name for aciclovar. I had them so bad when I was a child so I know how self conscious it can be. My doctor prescribed aciclovar tablets to take as soon as I feel a tingle or know if I've been in the sun for too long. He says once they come out the cream won't do much unfortunately.
I know your doctor won't prescribe. But u can use zovirax as like a lip balm so maybe use that most days if she doesn't recognise a tingle. Then it will already be in her system. Obviously use a tiny bit.

You can buy topical lysine like a lip balm, just Google "topical lysine" and it will come up. Maybe if she was to use that like Vaseline on her lips when she's both having and not having an outbreak it might help. Lysine is a game changer and changed my life.

I've had aclivor tablets, absolutely useless for me, lysine much more effective. It's also the active ingredient in Zovirax which has zero effect on me too. Blistex Relief Cream and Bonjela Cold Sore Cream helps me more.

I also find a cotton bud dipped in TCP and then applied by dabbing it on the sore speeds up healing by probably 50%. Stings though..... and you smell like TCP

Thanks again everyone.