Cold Sore Emergency

I've been getting cold sores since I was about two years old. It was a yearly thing up to about the age of 15 or so and then I didn't get one for years. The last few years I have started getting them again once a year. I had one a couple of weeks ago, suffered through the embarrassment and pain, and then it went away as usual. I visited family last week, and only a couple of days after getting home, my lips were horribly chapped, almost as if they had been sunburned. Lo' and behold, Sunday while I was at work, I felt that familiar tingle. I text my boyfriend to bring my Abreva up until I could get home and do more.

For the first time in my life, I have not one, not two, but four cold sores forming on my bottom lip! One huge, one medium, and two tiny ones. I have never had a breakout this bad. The medium is breaking down pretty well, and the two small ones aren't worrying me. The huge one isn't awful yet, mostly just swollen, but it REALLY wants to blister.

I have been doing everything possible to get rid of them. Several times a day, I ice my lips, then put a warm teabag on them afterward. Then I put Abreva (which I am skeptical even works) on the sores. Once or twice I will put tea tree oil or rubbing alcohol on them. I am taking Lysine, a multivitamin, and Acidolphus. I have been eating mostly just fruit and veggies, sticking with foods high in lysine and low in arginine.

Although they haven't gotten much worse, they aren't budging.

What makes this an emergency, other than simply not wanting them, is I am going on a short vacation this weekend to float the river with my boyfriend and a huge group of friends. It involves being on some not-so-clean water for six hours, and that sun will only make these cold sores worse.

I am not sure what else I can do, but if you happen to have a magical cure, HELP ME!!! I am stressing out, and no doubt it is not helping at all.

Also, clear something up for me, because I am reading conflicting information: am I to keep the sores moist or dry them out?

EDIT:

It may also be important to note that I start my period this week. I have never had cold sores be triggered by menstruation, even though I know it can be a trigger. I just wonder if it will make it impossible to get rid of them being on it.

I can't speak from experience, but I always see commericals for Abreva and Herpacin L on television. Have you ever tried them? link removed

This person reviewed them both:

link removed

Stay out of the sun and try to relax because as you mentioned, the stress doesn't help your immune system.

I can't speak from experience, but I always see commericals for Abreva and Herpacin L on television. Have you ever tried them? link removed

 

This person reviewed them both:

link removed

 

Stay out of the sun and try to relax because as you mentioned, the stress doesn't help your immune system.

Yeah, I have been using Abreva the last several days. Like I said, I am skeptical it actually works, but I used it anyway.

Staying out of the sun is easy now, but won't be so easy this weekend...

So sorry, I missed the part where you mentioned that you ARE using Abreva. #-o

Is there anything that a doctor can prescribe which is more powerful than the OTC remedies?

So sorry, I missed the part where you mentioned that you ARE using Abreva. #-o

 

Is there anything that a doctor can prescribe which is more powerful than the OTC remedies?

I thought about seeing if I could get Valtrex, a pill, which is for genital herpes but can be used for HSV 1. There is also a strong, prescription cream called Denavir I could get. Thing is, my health insurance isn't all too great and I am incredibly broke.

I've never had one, but some quick internet research says you can either dry it out, keep it moist and deprive it of oxygen, or dry it to a scab and then moisturize the scab.

It says abreva moisturizes, and I know that tea tree oil dries, because I use it on my face (I'm not so sure it works, and I think it makes things worse, tbh.)

Not sure if I would do this, but if you're desperate enough, here's an extreme fix:

Open the blisters with a needle. Apply apple cider vinegar with salt (which will hurt). In 20 minutes, apply lemon with salt until the stinging stops. Put toothpaste on it overnight. (Not the gel kind, something like classic Crest paste.) Rinse it off in the morning and put vaseline on it. Then more salt and vinegar. Then rinse it with milk. 20 minutes later, put rubbing alcohol on it. 30 minutes after that, put nail polish remover on it. Then put some crushed up (fresh) garlic on there and hold it there for a while.

And supposedly the sore is then gone.

Another idea:

Put bleach on it with a cotton ball. (Um, ouch?!) Then hold a wet green tea bag over the sore. Take a multi vitamin, soak it in water a bit and then crush it into a paste and put it on the sore. Leave it for 20 minutes. And you're left with a scab, but no sore.

Not sure I'd try either of those, but they're food for thought.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Those sound awful. But, I keep reading to pop the blisters with a needle then proceed to destroy. God. I know this is going to hurt like hell...

I may try that second one...but use rubbing alcohol instead of bleach. I'll resort to the first idea if I need to. Thank you!

Good luck! Maybe numb it before you burst it?

It's been years since I have had a cold sore myself, but when I was younger I used to get them from time to time. I always used this stuff:

image removed

Carmex is the name brand and I think it's in most drugstores. They also make another one in a tube, but I always liked the stuff in the tub much better. Cleared up anything I had in just days, and I used it regularly as lip balm.

Good luck and I hope they clear up for you soon!

you really should go to the doctors, i had a similar outbreak to this and it was awful i went to my doctor and she give me antivirals and they were like a miracle cure also i agree with the post above me CARMEX works wonders. xx

It's been years since I have had a cold sore myself, but when I was younger I used to get them from time to time. I always used this stuff:

 

image removed

 

Carmex is the name brand and I think it's in most drugstores. They also make another one in a tube, but I always liked the stuff in the tub much better. Cleared up anything I had in just days, and I used it regularly as lip balm.

 

Good luck and I hope they clear up for you soon!

you really should go to the doctors, i had a similar outbreak to this and it was awful i went to my doctor and she give me antivirals and they were like a miracle cure also i agree with the post above me CARMEX works wonders. xx

I keep hearing conflicting things about Carmex. I used it when I was a kid and had cold sores and it seemed to work, but now it seems a lot of things I have come accross online are saying to never use it with a cold sore. I guess I don't have a lot to lose by giving it a try.

I'd love to go to the doctor for it, but it really, truly is not an option. I simply do not have the money. The office visit alone would be out of my price range, so God only knows how much the actual meds would be.

Just thought I would post real quick because it may be helpful.

Found the miracle cure: Preparation H

My mom suggested it, so I went out and bought some and the cold sores were pretty much gone the next day.

I used that and Carmex, and about twice a day I used some Abreva.