Has anyone ever had cold sores THIS bad?!

[Slowtrain2dawn]

I am in agony, and off work as my lips have turned into two painful swollen sausages. Gp has prescribed oral acyclovir. Anyone know how long it takes to work?

Yes, last month. Swelling starts to drop in 24 hours. Lips begin to feel normal after 3 days. Last traces are gone after a week.

Getting that prescription is hard work though. I recommend Lemon Balm pills. They are what i took last time and they seemed to be almost as effective as the anti-virals.

apply vaseline mixed with tea tree oil to the cold sores and keep your lips well moisturised. Drink through a straw (obviously) and no hot drinks.

I find them extremely embarrassing, but maybe that's just me?

Thank you for the tips. Yes it's really embarrassing, I usually brazen it out, if it's just one or two but this is just too bad to go out in public.

I have acyclovir from the gp.
I get massive cold sores up and round my nose and on my chest. They are awful and look like burns.
It does seem to work quite fast within a couple of days I see a change normally. Good luck!

I had a bad one once on holiday. I had to go out for 10 mins just to change some more cash, so I walked through this sleepy little village at 7:30am and two late middle-aged men at the other side of the street stopped talking and stared at me.

Take ibuprofen for the pain. Keep it moisturised. And have a day on the sofa watching a boxset. It will be much better tomorrow. (Promise!).

I used to get them around my nose strumpers, usually the lip ones aren't as bad.
Yes to ibuprofen and box set. Must look on the bright side!

I get quite bad ones and since taking lysine from health food shop have virtually stopped.

Right definitely getting some of that toddle!

Yup, I had one that bad a while ago. It looked like I had been punched, really bad. Use ice to reduce the swelling. They are horrid.

The swelling has gone down a little and now those lovely crusty yellow scabs are forming. I curse the boyfriend I caught this from! 26 years ago and I can still get a flare up this bad.

I have had them like that before the are awful and so painful but finally i seem to get them less now im older (i always wear lipstick to protect lips though) there is some sort of gadget you can buy that zaps them and they go much quicker my sister got it from Boots but you may be able to get them elsewhere

Ask the doc if you can keep a course of them in, as they're most effective if you start them right at the first tingle.

Also try L Lysine supplements daily. They are horrible things.

I've got the gadget (been getting cold sores for 40 years...). Its a laser. I bought it from Lloyds chemist. I thought it made a difference one time, but it had no effect last month.

DH has always suffered with cold sores and nothing ever worked to try and prevent them. He tried everything including L lysine and also cut out triggers like chocolate.

What has eventually worked for him is a liquorice balm. He applies it daily and hasn't had a cold sore since starting - well over a year. This is unheard of for him.

Good luck finding something that is effective for you.

I am going to be trying these suggestions, as I never want to go through this again. One or two cold sores is inconvenient but this is horrible. Thank you for all the support and ideas. It will pass, and compared to other health issues its still minor.

Have had coldsores for over 30 years. Gengigel is good as it's very soothing. It dries as a blue film but it's worth looking silly for as it really does help. Stops the first few days of pain until they scab over.

I had one that put me in hospital for two weeks once. I say one, it was actually a disgusting group that went in my mouth and meant I couldn't eat or drink anything.

Def agree with PP who suggested getting a stock of pills in case it happens again.

I used to have this when I was a teenager. They covered both lips and I then got secondary infections. as soon as acyclovir was invented life got a lot easier. I don't get many now I'm older but use acyclovir cream immediately and they reduce very quickly. They are hideous and extremely painful aren't they. Poor you.

I too have found L-Lysine to be effective. I take a triple dose (3000mg) as soon as I feel the tingle and it stops the bugger in its tracks. Good luck.

You poor thing. Definitely L-lysine. I take the tablets and use the lip balm every single day. I was getting one a month at one point. L-lysine has stopped them since. Amazing stuff.

I had them that badly when a teen to the extent I couldnt really speak properly as I have got older I still have attacks but the swelling and pain are shorter lived.

you poor thing Op

I once had 9 along the inside of my top lip. It swelled so badly I couldn't close my mouth and looked as if I was baring my teeth at everyone.

The downside -They lasted 3 weeks and I was in heck of a lot of pain.
The upside - I lost a stone in weight through not being able to eat but I've put it all back on since

L-Lysine is the way to go. Wait until they've cleared up, then start it. I take 1000 mg Per day, and I've not had one since. Also agree with parched re taking a bigger dose if I suspect one is about to kick off.