Yet another coldsore.

Try taking Lysine, you can get it from Holland & Barrett and similar stores. Take 500/1000mg once a day every day, then when you feel the tingle up this to 1000mg three times a day. Once the coldsore starts to dry out go back to once a day.

I used to suffer really badly but started taking this a few years ago and now only get them when I've forgotten to take it for a while. Even taking it when you feel one coming on is worthwhile as the sores then tend to be smaller and heal quicker.

The other thing that you may already know about is to always use a sunscreen on your lips as UV light can trigger them. I don't go anywhere without a lip balm with at least SPF 25.

Thank you. I haven't heard of Lysine. I'll have to pop into town next week and pick some up. ?

I don't know what you can do, but you can have my sympathy. I hate them. Mine are usually brought on by stress, sunshine or illness. I predict that a fat one will be appearing on my chops shortly as I have just recovered from flu (not of the swine variety!), am mega stressed and about to go on holiday. I find that Zovirax only works if you put it on within about a minute of it starting to tingle. It doesn't give you much scope.

Yep another vote for Lysine here! They are rather large pills but don't let that put you off - they really do work! Holland and Barratt do great offers from time to time so look out for them!

Another vote for Lysine here

and another. I've been taking lysine for more than 2 years now and I've not had a cold sore since starting it. When I was getting them, I used the patches (can't remember offhand who makes em but Boots and superdrug sell them) and they speeded up the healing process immensely.

I thought I would get a coldsore when I got married due to all the stress but there was no sign of one ?

J

Another lysine vote here, it's the best thing I've found .x.

I've not tried lysine but I use the patches too. It really stops them hurting so much and they never get big and scabby. They clear up much faster too. I'm going to try out the lysine too now.

Agree that Zovirax doesn't work, and another vote for Lysine and the patches. The only other thing I can offer is that most people grow out of them eventually. My GP said 'you don't see people over 30 with coldsores' - unfortunately I was a few years older before mine starting to be rare, but it is happening.

Maybe lysine worked for me too? Not sure to be honest. I'd never had a coldsore until i was about 23. Must have caught it after some dodgy nightclub snog as it turned up about two months before i was due to leave Australia and move over here. Great timing. It was absolutely awful. I had one after another constantly for two months solid. They were huge and so painful that i couldn't leave the house for a week (literally all over my lips and almost to my nose). Summer in Melbourne didn't help (UV is my top trigger) and neither did aciclovir tablets or zovirax type creams. Honestly i tried everything. Saw a couple of consultants who really had no idea why it was so bad. Even tested me for HIV! I felt like a freak for months and became very worried and depresed. Was very close to cancelling my flight over here all togther. But the thought of losing all my money and missing out on my 'trip of a lifetime' convinced me to get on the plane. In the end i think moving over here to a cooler climate, and time, was the ultimate cure. My body eventually built up some natural immunity and they became less frequent over the next couple of years. Now (touch wood) I haven't had one for years. I sometimes get a weird tingly lip and a bit of a lump, but a quick dab of zovirax sorts it out straight away.

Perhaps also something that runs in our family as my brother's had a similar reaction in the past few years - really nasty coldsores that run riot for weeks, then just disappear!

Hope yours get better soon Liz

If you've had 10 in 12 months, perhaps a return trip to the GP is needed. I'd never had a coldsore until last year (aged 29) and got two huge monsters back-to-back. When I moaned to my poor GP, they said that 6 months ongoing, and they'd start looking at medication (tablets) to bring it under control.

You have my sympathy ?

I had cold sores (up my nose) for well over a year after Camperbub was born - I've been free of them for about 3 months now ) I started taking berocca and this pro biotic & vitamin c powder from Boots just to boost my immune system as I think it's because I was run down that I got them.

I didn't know that if they were ongoing, you could get medication from the doc

Another vote here for Lysine, also from Holland and Barratt I recently got a tea tree lip balm which has lysine in it and that is fantastic tbh. Look in the tea tree section it was in in there.

I also second going to the doctor it's clearly an immune thing. There are tablets you can get on prescription that solve this, not had them personally but was offered them when I got a huge crop during my A levels.

I have the utmost sympathy for you, they are horrid things. I haven't touch wood had one now for 2 years. x

Thanks everyone. I#m off to town in the week so I'll pop in H&B and pick some up. Thanks for the recommendation for the tea tree lip balm too. I think I'll see how they go and if it doesn't work I'll take a trip to the doctors.

??

unforetunately my old boss still gets them and she's 40 this year....

J