There are literally dozens of cold sore remedies available to the estimated 145 million Americans who suffer from Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 (HSV-1), or “Oral Herpes” as it is sometimes called. Treatments range from a wide variety of home remedies, to over-the-counter medicines, to prescription drugs.
It should be pointed out that, in all cases, treatment affects only the symptoms of HSV-1, as no cure is available for the virus that causes oral cold sores. Additionally, there is no universally agreed-upon “best” treatment for every individual, as the severity of symptoms, and duration of outbreaks, can vary greatly from one person to the next.
While this article provides a top-line summary of the major treatment options available, deciding which is best for you depends entirely upon your personal circumstances. As mentioned, none of these treatments will cure HSV-1, but each is considered an effective method of reducing the duration of cold sore outbreaks, and the pain associated with them.
Popular Home Remedies
As any quick search on the internet will show, everyone has their own home remedy for treating cold sores associated with the HSV-1 virus. Because it would be impossible to prove or debunk the effectiveness of each of them (or even to list all of them), we will focus on only those recognized as legitimate by the medical community. The following home remedies have been proven to reduce discomfort from cold sores, as well as their healing time:
- Mouth wash that includes baking soda
- Compression with a wet, cool towel
- L-lysine pills (1,500 mg – 3,000 mg/day) or ointment
- Topically applied Vitamin E
- Zinc tablets (max. 60 mg/day during outbreaks) and Zinc Oxide topical cream
- Ibuprofen or Tylenol (not recommended for anyone under age 20)
Over-the-Counter Cold Sore Remedies
Your local drug store likely offers a wide variety of topical ointments and creams for the treatment of cold sores. Each brand makes claims as to its effectiveness relative to its competitors, and research data is inconclusive as to whether or not any brand clearly stands out above the competition. What is clear, however, is that certain ingredients are more effective than others at relieving the pain, itching and burning caused by cold sores. Accordingly, any brand of topical cold sore ointment or cream containing the following, can be considered effective as an over-the-counter treatment:
- Docosanol 10%
- Benzocaine 5% – 20%
- Lidocaine 0.5% – 4%
- Tetracaine 2%
- Dibucaine 0.25% – 1%
Prescription Cold Sore Remedies
If your cold sore symptoms are severe enough that you wish to see a physician and seek the strongest treatment available, you will have the option of being prescribed either topical cream or pills. It is important to note that, although ointments reduce pain and discomfort in areas where sores are already present, they are not as effective as pills in terms of reducing the duration and severity of breakouts or speeding the healing process. For this reason, prescription-strength pills are usually the preferred option for treatment.
The three FDA-approved drugs prescribed in pill form are:
- Acyclovir (Zovirax)
- Valacyclovir (Valtrex)
- Famciclovir (Famvir)
Regardless of which of the aforementioned cold sore remedies you decide to use, keep in mind that you will only be treating the symptoms of the HSV-1 infection – not eliminating the virus itself. On the bright side, as is the case with all herpes viral infections, the frequency and severity of future outbreaks will diminish over time as your body’s immune system builds up a tolerance to the virus.