8 year old with a cold sore?

[jdb in AZ]

Mine are triggered by sunburned lips too. Abreva seems to work better than Zovirax for me. If/when I remember, I use lip gloss with sun screen in it when I'm going to be outside for awhile.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Zovirax should work better than Abreva. But, I think it is by prescription only.

Like many virus', the key is early treatment. Once they get going, there is really no stopping them.

My husband was plagued with these...
One day a family friend MD told him that he needed L-Lysine...
He started taking a tablet every morning. And has not really been bothered since. There really is something to that. Maybe some people just are a bit L-Lysine deficient?

For canker sores in the mouth. (the only thing more painful than cold sores!!!) I have found that a toothpaste with baking soda and peroxide, such as one by Arm and Hammer, and/or a similar mouthwash, like the Listerine Whitening in the opaque white bottles... will do the trick. Used daily, of course... I haven't been bothered with these since I happened to change!

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Call your dentist or GP and ask for a prescription of Zovirax or Denavir ointment/cream. This will halt any further progression and possible swelling. As another poster stated, it's best applied at the very beginning but it still works to some degree if you get to it late. Hang on to the tube (it will work even after the expiration date) and have it at the ready for when/if it happens again.

ohhh that is so young to have to suffer with them! Poor baby!

The true miracle drug is Valtrex, bud sadly they won't give it to a young child.

I get 1-2 a year, and Valtrex literally clears it up the same day. I have never seen anything in my life work so fast as this drug. It is truly incredible. If your child continues to get them later in life, be sure to remember this drug!

I have tried all other prescription drugs and ointments mentioned in other posts. Creams are a total waste. They just come right off your lips any time you eat or drink. Kids will also bite, lick or pick at that area so that makes it even more useless.

Good luck!!!

I have suffered from cold sores/fever blisters my whole life. Finally in my 40s a doctor prescribed Zovirax cream and Valtrex pills. The Valtrex pills work immediately so I stopped using the cream. I take two pills when I first get the itchy tingle and then another two 12 hours later. I keep a big bottle in my medicine cabinet, have two in my purse in case a cold sore starts when I'm out and always take at least 4 pills on vacation with me. I will not leave home without it! Like DisneyFan said it is a miracle drug.

I have been very careful with hygiene over the years. My cold sores have stayed in the lip area and I never passed them to my husband or children. Thank God!

 

[runsandjumps]

I will have to check these medicines out as my dd gets them too. Thanks for all the tips.

 

[lolainkent]

So sorry for your DD! Cold sores (fever blisters) are Herpes Simplex Virus 1. It cause sores around the mouth. The HSV 2 is the one that causes sores on the down-there parts. While they tend to stay in their respective places, they can transfer, so it is sooo important she understand this. The virus hides and can stay dormant for years. Too much sun, stress, chocolate, foods high in Arginine can trigger the virus to 'wake up'.

I started getting them when I was 5. My daddy had kissed me when he was 'shedding' which can occur right before a breakout. It is highly highly contagious and your DD probably just drank after someone at school with a blister. Unfortunately, there is no cure and she could possibly have breakouts for the rest of her life. They tend to always go back to the original site of infection. However, she may never have another one...or only get one a year.

I wrote an article years ago about a Japanese study which said an ice cube held for 20 minutes against the tingling spot just as it's starting would reduce the severity.

Lysine, an amino acid, can help. Along with several anti viral creams mentioned. Please make sure she understands the importance of washing her hands if she touches the area, as herpes simplex in the eye is a very common cause of corneal blindness.
Hand washing is a big deal with this.

I got mine via my dad too He always had them, would put the cream on his lip, NOT wash his hands and just go back to holding my hand as we crossed the street (or whatever) and I was a nail-biter as a child.

OP, since they can lay dormant your DD will, as others have said, learn what her triggers are. For me it's stress and, oddly enough, unhappiness. I spent ages as a teen just utterly miserable and once I found a good place in life, I went from having 4-5 per year to 1. My 3 years at university were a disaster with them, especially during essay/exam periods.

My DH likes to think he's "immune" to cold sores because he's never had one, yet he fails to credit me for being SO careful when one breaks out - no kissing him, constant hand washing, changing toothbrushes and pillowcases.

Also, it's worth mentioning that is very very few cases they can spread into the eye area so that's partly why hand washing is so important - you wouldn't want her to touch the sore and then her eye.

 

[jam217]

I swear by the Valtrex pills as well. Sun is also my trigger so now whenever I go on vacation to a warm spot I always keep a prescription with me. I agree with the other posters that the pills clear it up very quickly. Plus with my insurance the pills are considerably cheaper than the prescription creams.

 

[Christine]

I just wanted to add that while I agree the pills are definitely better, I'm pretty sensitive to medications taken orally. Just about everything gives me a side effect of some sort so I avoid the pills just to keep things out of my body systemically. While the prescription cream isn't perfect, it gets rid of about 95% of the sore. That's good enough for me and I don't have to worry about side effects the pill might cause or any interactions with other things I have to take.

I also wanted to add that my cousin's son has this virus on his upper cheek. When he was a baby, someone who was "shedding" kissed him on the cheek. He now gets eruptions there and he's had to spend a lot of time at Johns Hopkins eye care department trying to make sure this virus does not settle in his eye.