Does anyone have a remedy for bad cold sores (family remedies, medicines, pain relievers...)?

I keep getting multiple cold sores in my mouth that are extremely painful. Does anyone know an OTC medicine or family remedy for cold sores?

NOTE: PLEASE NOTE THAT I HAVE ALREADY checked medical sites for cures and pain relievers. It would be best to know a family remedy or Over-the-counter medicine that helps cold sores. Thanks!

Yes, I know it's herpes, but I've heard that many other regular household items can help.

L-Lysine. It is an amino acid. It comes in pill form at any place that sells vitamins. There is also a lip cream that you can buy that has the same stuff in it called Herpecin-L. I swear by L-lysine. I take one 500mg tablet once a day and when I do have an outbreak (which is about every 6 months or longer) I take a double dose right when I feel it coming on and then later that day take another double dose. Everyday after that until they are gone I take a double dose once a day. If they are in your mouth you could also try gargling with sea salt and warm water, which seems to help. If you are getting them on your mouth, then try that Abreva stuff and always carry it with you. A few days before I was supposed to get married, I felt an outbreak starting. I was pregnant so I called my doctor to see if it was safe to take the L-Lysine. They said they weren't sure but I could use Abreva. I rushed to the store. By the time I got there you could see little bumps forming all over my lips, both on the lips themselves and around my lips, on my chin, and around my nose. I said to my soon to be husband that I was going to be breaking out bad and if I did I wasn't going to get married looking like a cold sore monster. Well, I got that Abreva and put it on like the package said. It completely stopped the break out. I didn't even get one cold sore. And if say you don't have Abreva when you first break out but apply it after the sores are there, they are gone in just a few days.
Oh and by the way, without the L-Lysine, I breakout about once a month.

sleep, 48 hours, and dental hygeine. don't be fooled by people's alleged cures

herpicin L helped me. no family remedy will help at all, you do know its herpes simplex virus dont you???

http://www.abreva.com/

Abreva is over the counter and kinda pricy but it works really well for me. if i get it early the cold sore will never take head or will go away real fast.

If your cold sores were on the outside I would say Vicks Vapor rub,, this stuff is great for cold sores, but I dont think you can use it internally. The menthol is what helps cure the cold sores so if you can find something with menthol it will at least soothe your mouth until it heals.

it depends on whether it is a cold sore or a canker sore. cold sores are harder to get rid of you just cover it with petroleum based product and take ibuprophen but if it is a canker sore canka is an over the counter product that is cheap and works wonders you put it on the sore and it will numb the pain and shrink the sore

Rinse with mouth wash or salt water frequently to kill whatever bacteria responsible and also check the kind of toothpaste you use to brush your teeth some might not be good for you or you will keep having them over and over again.

I heard abreva works pretty good but its expensive though

dab metholated spirits on them it dries them out nd then yhere gone in bout 2 days

Don't use Vaseline when you have an outbreak. When you spread it on your lips with an active cold sore, you'll just spread it and end up with more sores. Plus you want to dry the cold sores out first before you do anything to heal the scabs. Also, throw out your toothbrush at the end of every outbreak, keep your hands really clean and don't touch the sores (you can apply medication with a q-tip) because you can spread them to other parts of your face or to your genitals. Go see your doctor and get a prescription for an antiviral medication, like Valtrex, Zovirax, etc. And cut off the top part of your chapstick after an outbreak, use sunscreen everyday and buy chapstick with an SPF of at least 15 (to help avoid outbreaks). For an OTC medicine, try Zilactin. Good luck.

Here are some websites that might help you:
Home Remedies - Cold Sores: http://www.otan.dni.us/webfarm/emailproj...
http://www.health911.com/remedies/rem_co...
http://racoon.com/dcforum/DCForumID9/315...

*I added more info and another website

cold sores are usually on the mouth, lips. Canker sores are usually in the mouth, so what do you have... if you have cold sores take L-Lysine which is in your vitamin section. Taken regularly it helps alot and use lip gloss or chap-stick with sun block. If you have cankers, a dentist told me fruits and nuts can cause them and that's why he sees a lot of them around Christmas time because of what people eat......go to a vitamin store like pilgrims if they have them where you are or any real health food store and ask people there. Look up natural remedies and google them and you will find all kinds of stuff.......good luck