cold sores?

MissChris · #1 10/20/04, 10:16 AM

Does anyone have any home remedies for cold sores?

Have you heard of any old wives tales for cold sores?

Thanks in advance.

Chris

romancemelisa · #2 10/20/04, 10:21 AM

when i get one (which is not very often, knock on wood) i keep alchohol preps in my pocket and wipe the cold sore them, ouch!, my grand mother always used campho-phenic

Cyngbaeld · #3 10/20/04, 10:26 AM

L-Lysine. Helps more if you take it when the sore first starts.

landlord · #4 10/20/04, 10:54 AM

Eat yogurt or acidophillis(sp?) milk. These products have something in them to aid the prevention of cold sores. Cold sores is a herpes virus.

Cindy in KY · #5 10/20/04, 10:59 AM

Yeah, alchohol will make them go away. Keep a cotton ball soaked in it, and just hold/press on it as much as you can thru the day. Dry it up. You might get a little bo-bo there, a dried bo-bo, but not a big cold sore. Eat yogurt, that will help. When I get my lips sunburned, I might get one. In a day or 2, when it's gone, not itching at all, neosporyn will help heal the bo-bo fast. If it itches/tingles again like a cold sore, more alchohol.

Same thing for poisen ivy, alcholol will dry up the little bumps right away before they grow. With poisen ivy, I scrub as hard as I can with alcholol on a dry washcloth, and it's gone.

fearlessemily · #6 10/20/04, 11:04 AM

Hi all --

My husband swears by tea tree oil. You can typically get it in a health food store, and just apply throughout the day to the site, both when you feel it coming on and once it is in full force. He finds that if he hits it before it comes out he can often prevent a sore entirely.

Hope this helps!
Emily

Cindy in KY · #7 10/20/04, 11:20 AM

Vitimine C will give them to me too. If I drank a carbonated Vitimine C drink, like Countrytime Lemonade, I would have a cold sore within an hour. Don't know why. I can't have orange juice anymore, or any citrus stuff. I know better. That's why sunburning will do it, the sun is Vitimine C too. Funny too, because I grew up in Southern California, amid all the orange groves, and ate oranges like candy every day, all I wanted.

7-up or dark colas I can drink ok. Grape is ok. Steve had a Hawaiian Punch in his drink holder once, and I took a swig thinking it was pop, one swig, spit it out, and I still got a cold sore.

Yougurt is B-12 vitimines, the ones that balance the vitimine C back down. Maybe you're getting too much C. Also, you should take yogurt or yogurt pills when on antibodics, because antibodics will take away all the B-12's.

Rita · #8 10/20/04, 01:19 PM

I used to get them regularly and since taking L-lysine and other vites I haven't had one in years. I used to put a dab of yoghurt on the blister as soon as I could feel it and it really seemed to make it stop growing. It's worth trying.

motivated · #9 10/20/04, 03:58 PM

Cold sores are herpes I virus. Valtrex 500mg. taken when the tingling begins usually shortens the duration. (need an Rx) I have used tea tree oil it dries the area quickly and has a numbing effect.

NancyinArkansas · #10 10/20/04, 05:14 PM

I Know You Asked For A Home Remedy But I Tried It All --i Was Thr Queen Of Cold Sores And I Got Deniver From My Doctor And At The First Tingle I Put A Little On And No Cold Sore In 3 Years--nancy

Anataq · #11 10/20/04, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by landlord

Eat yogurt or acidophillis(sp?) milk. These products have something in them to aid the prevention of cold sores. Cold sores is a herpes virus.

Agree with Landlord, yogurt works well.

-Anataq

The Funny Farm · #12 10/20/04, 06:17 PM

Tea Tree does work and so does the juice from Elderberries, which is an anti-viral and will also shorten the Flu for you too!

caballoviejo · #13 10/20/04, 07:03 PM

Years ago I got a doctor to prescribe for me the drug that they use for Herpes II. It worked on the Herpes I cold sore but isn't a miracle.

I've had about the same success and cure rate simply applying 0.5-1.5% hydrocortizone creme in the tube from Wal-Mart.

BamaSuzy · #14 10/20/04, 07:31 PM

I used to have numerous cold sores EVERY year, they were painful and awful to deal with. When I had to take massive dosages of steroids for my allergies, they kind of all went away and haven't really come back....and that has been several years....

I have had one or two and this isn't a natural remedy but it was something I had on hand that DID work. When the cold sore first started to come up and was just beginning to get sore, I put a good squirt of Oragel on it...it burned like HECK for a few minutes and then that stuff deadened it, and by the next morning the sore was almost completely gone!!!

agmantoo · #15 10/20/04, 07:41 PM

As a requirement for working overseas, I had to take a yellow fever shot years ago. Prior to that I frequently had fever blisters/cold sores. Since having received the yellow fever shot I have not had a single outbreak. I have since read that this is a common occurence with some people receiving the yellow fever immunization.

Cindy in KY · #16 10/20/04, 07:52 PM

I believe you about the steriods, Suzy. A few years ago I got an inner ear problem from stripping tobacco, the dust was terrible and I blew my nose too hard and clogged up my head. I had to have steriods as a final effort to clear it up. First & only time I've ever had them. Can you believe, I could read my Bible without my reading glasses when I was on them. Could not believe it. But as soon as the steriods wore off, I had to use my reading glasses again. Those are some powerful things. I took 2 rounds of them, 2 packs. Wonder if I can eat oranges now? Man that would be great. Wonder what's in the yellow fever vac?

Pony · #17 10/20/04, 09:05 PM

Well, we have tried almost every home remedy we could find for cold sores: L-lysine, vitamin supplements, ice cubes, etc. Also tried not-at-home remedies: carmex, campho-phenique, blistex.

The one thing I found that really and truly works, and is worth every penny of the price, is Abreva. It only takes a little bit, and if you start using it as soon as you get a tingle, there is NO cold sore -- I'm talking NONE at all. This from a person who has scars under her lip because of previous cold sores.

Now if we could only find a cure for canker sores... We've tried so many things (the latest was sage which, while soothing, did not shorten the duration nor the intensity of the sores). :waa:

Pony!

moonwolf · #18 10/20/04, 09:11 PM

I always say that I don't recommend anyone doing this, but it's a remedy that always worked to heal cold sore fast when I rarely get them.
Simply dab a Q-tip swab in clorox bleach (in Canada it's Javex bleach). Touch the cold sore with the bleach soaked swab. Don't be excessive about it. Once should do it. It tastes super salty, but don't get any on your tongue.

Rich

Buffy in Dallas · #19 10/21/04, 10:10 AM

Just in case someone doesn't know this.. Do Not have oral sex if you have a cold sore. They are infectious.

stonerebel · #20 10/21/04, 11:49 AM

Sray starting fluid on a q tip will dry up in a couple of days.