But if you get them, then you know that already. They make you look diseased to others and people can’t stop staring at it when they talk to you. I’ve lived my whole life with these things (thanks, mom!) so I know a thing or two about them.
The one thing I want to share with you is the medicine that saved me! Zovirax/Acyclovir comes in pills and not only works on the STD Herpes but also for your cold sore herpes! Did you know that? I didn’t either until about ten years ago when a coworker introduced me to them. No doctor or dentist ever told me about them – not even when my whole face swelled up from one, and I ended up in the emergency room!
Now I probably shouldn’t tell you how to take your meds, but I’ll tell you how I take mine. When the doctor writes you a prescription (don’t let them stiff you with the 200mg, make sure you get the 800mg) s/he will probably write the dosage in a way that you are supposed to take something like 5 pills a day for a week. That’s completely excessive and too long of a time to keep putting this drug into your body. What I like to do is pop a pill as soon as I feel one coming, and if it keeps growing, I will take another pill every couple of hours for the first day (no more than 7 pills that day – otherwise I start to feel sick). This usually stops the stupid thing from growing and it starts to shrink within a day. I also use the same type of prescription cream instead of the over the counter stuff.
If you take your meds like this or in a similar fashion, then your one prescription will last you a long time. This way you will also have it on hand and ready for your next cold sore. Fortunately, I only get a couple a year after stressful situations or if I don’t wear chapstick with SPF in the summer (great, did I just jinx myself?). I carry a few pills with me in my purse at all times because you never know when one will strike, and you should always be prepared.
If your doctor gives you a hard time getting the pills the first time, try to get them from your dentist and remember to ask for refills. You can also print information about them from the Internet for the exact Rx that they should write out. Not everyone is as educated as you now are!
Aimee Knows 