When that tingling feeling starts on your lip, you know that you need to act fast to help the cold sore heal quickly. If you choose to use a cold sore medication, make sure that you apply treatment within the first 24 hours. Waiting longer than that will not be as effective.
There are several cold sore medications to choose from, both over-the-counter options and prescription medications. This article will briefly discuss the best options for cold sore medicine.
Over-the-counter (OTC) cold sore medication includes creams and gels such as Abreva, Anbesol, Orajel, and Zilactin. Be sure that you understand the effect of the medication before applying it– most cold sore medications do not assist in the healing process, they only treat the pain and discomfort.
If you would like to use an OTC cold sore medicine that will speed up the healing time and slow the growth of the cold sore, Abreva is probably your best option. This creme can be purchased at any drug store, and has been approved by the FDA to speed up the healing process.
Another OTC option is to use the amino acid: L-Lysine. Studies have found that Lysine may assist some people with cold sore recovery. Lysine for cold sores can be bought in a creme from or a supplement form.
If you want to take a prescription cold sore medication, I suggest that you talk to your doctor to determine the best treatment. There are two main prescriptions that are available: Denavir ® and Zovirax ® are the only prescription medications approved by the FDA.
Although there are prescription medications that are available to most people, many choose to instead use a more natural approach to prevent cold sores. There are many home remedy treatments that can be done to decrease the healing time and prevent future outbreaks.
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