Cold Sore Remedies

You can buy free-form L-Lysine and take that. It's a supplement that you take every day that will suppress the virus. So you continuously take it and don't have to worry about "when you feel the first signs coming on." It won't stop every single outbreak, but it will make any outbreaks you have less severe.

I like the supplement from Solaray. You can buy it in 500 mg or 1000 mg. I buy mine from www.affordablesolaray.com. Works wonderfully on both canker sores and cold sores. You can also buy L-Lysine salve in a tube; I find mine at Whole Foods.

Go to the doctor and get a prescription for Zovirax cream. I am from the Netherlands where it is over the counter and whenever I travel I pick up a bunch of the little tubes. I think the prescription tube is about $30. However, when I feel the first little tingle and put it on every 4 hours for a day I do not even get the actual cold sore. The other thing that I find works well, in between the Zovirax applications I use Blistex in the tube that has camphor and menthol which are not only soothing but keep the blister soft so they do not dry out and hurt. Plus the cream is slightly white so it covers the redness.
http://www.blistex.com/products/medicated-lip-ointment
There are also other remedies, but Blistex soothes and Zovirax will actually stop the virus from multiplying and causing the blister.
http://www.myhousecallmd.com/archives/tag/blistex

lysine might help. it's an essential amino acid he can take in pill form.

Valtrex is available by prescription. It clears it up in 3 days. Not sure if its ok for an 8 year old but its ok to take while pregnant or breastfeeding. L-Lysine is good for maintenance byand to help prevent them by building dood skin cells. A combo of Valtrex and Abreva usually knocks the healing time by 1/2. Good luck!

The doctor prescribes Acyclovir (Zovirax). (Because it is prescription it is covered by my health plan, whereas I would have to pay for over the counter Abbreva.) I also use hydrogen peroxide on the cold sore to help dry it up and to keep it clean. Also, make sure he doesn't touch the coldsore. Use Q-Tips to apply medication to it. Change his toothbrush after he has a coldsore.

I need to take Valtrex for mine. Nothing OTC works for me at all. And when I get them, my lips swells up like a golf ball. Needless to say, I find that horrifying!

So I went and got a prescription back in high school. Also had to learn the signs to recognize when one was coming (2 days of feeling run down...day 2 has tickling/tingling in my lip where it shows up).
Now, when I get that, I take my Valtrex, and it prevents me from getting it at all.

You can try talking to a doctor about a prescription for Acyclovir. You can get it as a pill or a cream (Zovirax is one brand). The cream may be more visible, but it can also help with the pain associated with it.

If your son can recognize the symptoms early on (like tingling lips) and then start treating at that time it can reduce the cold sore intensity/size/duration. I find that applying ice to the affected area can also help with the pain and decrease the recovery time and swelling. If I can catch it early enough sometimes it's barely a blip and no one but me notices it's even there.

Also, if you can figure out under what circumstances they might start to show up, you can try to address that as well. For myself, I tend to get them if I'm not drinking enough fluids and/or my lips get irritated by contact with something. For example, it's not uncommon for me to have a problem after going to the dentist because my lip gets irritated from the hands/gloves rubbing up against my mouth while they do my cleaning. I also put vaseline lip stuff on my lips every night and occasionally during the day to help keep them lubricated.

Whatever treatment he uses, have him be really careful about not touching his cold sore. It's relatively easy for the virus to get transmitted from one place to another and if he transmits it to his eye, it can be more problematic. I tend to use a q-tip (or tissue) to apply anything to my lips when I have a cold sore.

For treatment, you can use Abreva works well, but I combine it with Oil of Oregano both orally (tastes terrible) and topically (burns) also using rubbing alcohol before applying any of the above to help dry it out (also burns).
However, if you want to help him avoid getting cold sores, I would look into adding an L-lysine supplement to his daily vitamin intake. I started taking one 1000 mg L-lysine supplement daily after my 2nd baby threw my hormones for a loop and I got 4 cold sores in 6 months (before that I would get one maybe every 2 years). My son's pediatrician told me she was getting them all the time after one of her children was born and recommended I start taking the L-lysine. You can buy it at any drug store with the vitamins/supplements and can cut a pill in half, depending on how big your son is. My cold sores completely stopped after I started taking it and that was over a year ago! Best thing I ever did!

My MIL takes some pill she gets prescription form from her dr. Don't remember the name. Sorry

I've heard that tea tree oil works great!! Also, I agree with taking a look at his internal health. The outside reflects the inside always...

http://www.pbhealthcenter.com
Dr. Tom Bayne is amazing with children. He has three of his own...

Put some Tea Tree Oil on it as soon as he feels the tingling start.

I found this one out by accident. I could feel the cold sore coming but didn't feel like getting out of bed to get the blistex, so I took a cotton swab and dabbed a little Tea Tree Oil on the spot and in the morning it was already dried up.

General boosting of the immune system by improving his diet-face it, we can all improve something about our diet, also there is a supplement called l-lysine that is supposed to help.

Valtrex, the moment the tingling starts or within 24 - 48 hrs of one appearing. Amazing stuff. Ask his pediatrician or dentist about whether he's old enough to take it and for a prescription if he is. My doctor will always write several refills on it so that I can get it when needed even if weekend or outside office hrs.

Lysine supplements also help