Cold Sore Treatment Over the Counter

The herpes simplex virus type 1 is known to be responsible for causing this condition of cold sores, also known as fever blisters. As the name suggests, these are blisters which are filled with fluid. They mostly hit the conspicuous part of the body such as the nose, cheeks, mouth, eyelids and fingers. More often, these fluid-filled lesions appear on the lips. Around 50 - 80% of the world's population is affected with the herpes virus, however, not all of them experience the outbreak of these blisters. Unfortunately, there is no way with the help of which cold sores can be cured for good. However, there are treatment methods which aid in reducing the frequency of the outbreaks and cut the duration of the occurrence, as well.

Symptoms
Cold sores appear in the form of, as mentioned above, small, painful blisters. These blisters would be fluid-filled and may appear on a raised red area of the skin. They are more typical to appear around the mouth. For people who have had previous episodes of cold cores, may feel pain or a tingling sensation 1 or 2 days before the blisters appear. Generally, the sores may stay for about 10 - 14 days. Cold sores are known to be a self-resolving condition and clear up on their own without the need of any kind of treatment. However, a medical visit may seem necessary if the affected person has a weak immune system, the sores do not heal even within one or two weeks on their own, symptoms are too severe to be tolerated, such as the irritation and pain, irritation begin to occur in the eyes and there are frequent recurrences of the sores.

Treating Cold Sores With OTC Medicines
Over-the-counter treatment generally serves to lessen the discomfort that arises from the cold sore symptoms. The treatment may involve use of topical medications or oral drugs. Common topical treatment include Lidocaine, which is known to be effective in alleviating the pain for a short period. Also, Benzocaine (Zilactin) helps deal with irritation and preventing trauma to the blisters. Some people may protect their sores from cracking and bleeding by the use of moisturizers like Abreva (Allotonin), Burt's Bees Sunscreen, Herpecin-L Lip Balm and Herpetrol. Then there are some medications such as Banadyne-3, Campho-phenizue, Orajel Multi-Action Medicine Gel, Viradent Gel and Zilactin Cold Sore Gel and Liquid, which serve to numb the area thus, lessening the pain and irritation. Again, there is a class of over-the-counter medications which are known as inhibitors. They basically work to hasten the recovery period, and they include Lipreve, Penciclovir (Denavir), Viraderm and Viroxyn.

Apart from the above OTC drugs for cold sores, there are oral antiviral medications which are known to be effective enough to lessen the duration of the sores and lessen the pain as well. They are known to be more effective when administered as soon as the symptoms set in. Common names in this class of medications include Acyclovir (Zovirax), Famciclovir (Famvir) and Valacyclovir (Valtrex). These, however, may not be available as over-the-counter drugs and can only be obtained through prescription. If you are someone who is hit frequently by cold sores, suffer from pronounced illness during an outbreak or are vulnerable to a significant trigger which causes the outbreak of the blisters, then you may be recommended for prescription-strength antiviral medications by your doctor, so as to prevent the recurrences.

Home Remedies

• When you notice an outbreak, press or rub some ice on the sores for about 3 - 8 minutes. The coldness of the ice helps in slowing down the development of the sores. The ice also curbs the virus to get mobilized rapidly.
• Use of aloe vera extract on the sores, help to reduce their size and the pain.
• Topical application of vitamin E provides a great deal of help in providing pain relief.
• A method as simple as applying a cornstarch paste on the blisters, has also proven helpful for many people as one of the effective cold sore treatment at home

To conclude, normally you may not require any treatment for cold sores. As aforesaid, the sores would clear up on their own. However, if the symptoms are too severe to be tolerated then you may take the aid of the drugs and remedies. And in case they do not respond, you must take it as an indication to pay a visit to a doctor.