Click Here To Learn How To Get Rid of Fever Blisters Permanently

Oral herpes or herpes labialis has increasingly been popular in the recent years so that drug manufacturers have responded accordingly by coming up with the right cold sore medicine to counteract the signs and symptoms of this common infection. There is now a good number of cold sore cures and methods that can make highly improve the lives of cold sore sufferers.

Oral herpes is primarily caused by the herpes simplex virus type 1, or hsv-1, and the virus manifests itself through cold sores and fever blisters which are usually found on the lip or the mouth area.

Cold Sore Treatment Through Medicines

Cold sore medicines are sold either as over the counter drugs or prescription cold sore medicines. Over-the-counter medicine for cold sores include analgesics and anaesthetic ointments that can relieve pain and discomfort that accompanies cold sores or fever blisters. They also include lip protectors and moisturizers that are effective in accelerating cold sore healing.

Prescription cold sore medicines include antibiotics which prevent further infection, as well as anti-viral drugs. The anti-viral prescription medicines acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir) and valacyclovir (Valtrex) are relatively new medicines for cold sores. They inhibit the growth of the herpes simplex virus but unfortunately still do not have the ability to permanently eradicate the HSV-1 virus from the nervous system.

List of Medicines for Fever Blisters and Cold Sore Treatment

Below is a table that lists down the most widely-used and marketed cold sore medicines along with a comparison in terms of cost, convenience of application and comments on efficacy.

• Valacyclovir (Valtrex) - $35 - Twice a day for 1 day - Most convenient
• Famciclovir (Famvir) - $120 - Twice a day for 7 days - Most expensive, no proven advantage to date
• Acyclovir (Zovirax) - $45 - $85 - Twice a day indefinitely for prevention - Only for prevention, not for treatment
• Penciclovir (Denavir) RX - $24 - Every 2 hours for 4 days (waking hours) - Not very expensive, may be more effective even for delayed treatment
• Docosanol (Abreva) OTC - $16 - Five times a day until sores heal - Cheap, but a little less effective
• Benzocaine (Banadyne-3) OTC - $10 - Three to Four times until sores heal - Cheapest, and seems to be one of the most effective
• Viroxyn OTC - $35 – Once - Can be expensive for one time application

Based on the table, Benadyne-3 cold sore treatment and other benzocaine-based topical medications may perhaps be the best OTC treatment for cold sores. Not only are they affordable and cheap, but they seem to be the most effective in managing cold sore symptoms and shortening its onset.

There are a variety of cold sore medicines available that can make cold sore treatment easier than it has always been. Gone are the days when you have to wait two weeks for a cold sore to disappear. The efficacy of these cold sore medicines varies from one person to another, and finding out which one will best work for you would require some efforts and trials.