Cold sores / fever blisters

ctx57

Does anyone suffer as I do from cold sores/ fever blisters? I try to avoid foods that are said that can trigger outbreaks, nuts, oats etc. I don’t want to eliminate these foods, but I also don’t want outbreaks. If anyone also suffers can you tell me if you have changed your diet.

debrakgoogins

Diet makes no difference for me. Stress and exhaustion lead to them for me.

ThatJuJitsuWoman

I get cold sores when I’m run down and not eating well. I haven’t changed my diet specifically to get rid of the cold sores, but I get them less often when I eat plenty of fruit and veg and keep my stress levels as low as possible (not always possible I know!).
I’ve never heard the theory that nuts and oats trigger outbreaks, but I eat both and I haven’t noticed a link.

seltzermint555

debrakgoogins wrote: »

Diet makes no difference for me. Stress and exhaustion lead to them for me.

Same for me. And getting a fever. I've had them on and off since childhood, usually 2-3 times per year.
This is probably NOT advisable...but it's been a game changer for both me and my best girlfriend. When I get one I burst it ASAP and soak the skin with rubbing alcohol. Hurts like the dickens but it goes away about 70% faster. YMMV

MarcyMavin

Stress and sun do it for me. Get a prescription for Valacyclovir. Won’t prevent them , but will stop it from getting larger if you take it as soon as you feel it coming on.

ThatJuJitsuWoman

seltzermint555 wrote: »

This is probably NOT advisable...but it's been a game changer for both me and my best girlfriend. When I get one I burst it ASAP and soak the skin with rubbing alcohol. Hurts like the dickens but it goes away about 70% faster. YMMV

Logically I feel like this should work. Unfortunately I tried it once when I was about 15 and ended up with sores all over my face. 😱 Fairly horrifying for a shy teenager in high school!

iheartmyyorkie

Where did you see or hear that certain foods trigger outbreaks? Doesn't seem plausible. Stress is definitely a trigger. I get a cold sore maybe once a year. I rub ice on it for about five minutes. Cold inactivates the virus. Instead of lasting a week or more, it's gone in a day or so. Give it a try.

ctx57

Google says a diet high in arginine rich foods can activate a cold sore🙁 so I’ve been trying to avoid these foods

seltzermint555

ThatJuJitsuWoman wrote: »

seltzermint555 wrote: »

This is probably NOT advisable...but it's been a game changer for both me and my best girlfriend. When I get one I burst it ASAP and soak the skin with rubbing alcohol. Hurts like the dickens but it goes away about 70% faster. YMMV

Logically I feel like this should work. Unfortunately I tried it once when I was about 15 and ended up with sores all over my face. 😱 Fairly horrifying for a shy teenager in high school!

Oh no!! I've been doing this for maybe 4 to 5 years and I love that it's worked for me because instead of a gross scabby and/or spreading-out mess on my lip for 7-10 days, I just have a painful raw looking small spot for like 2 days.

I have had a cold sore that spread all the way to my nostril though. So gross. I was treating with a prescription cream that just seemed to keep it moist and awful. Yuck.

ctx57

I’m from the UK & was visiting Florida about 10 years ago when I had a cold sore break out. I went to a local Walmart & asked about a treatment, the pharmacist said to take Lysine pills & avoid food that contained arginine. So I’m now paranoid about eating foods high in arginine 🙁

nooshi713

They are triggered by stress. If you get them frequently, Valtrex will help. Also, oil of Oregano.

JustSomeEm

seltzermint555 wrote: »

debrakgoogins wrote: »

Diet makes no difference for me. Stress and exhaustion lead to them for me.

Same for me. And getting a fever. I've had them on and off since childhood, usually 2-3 times per year.
This is probably NOT advisable...but it's been a game changer for both me and my best girlfriend. When I get one I burst it ASAP and soak the skin with rubbing alcohol. Hurts like the dickens but it goes away about 70% faster. YMMV

OMG, ouch @seltzermint555 - my husband does something similar when he gets poison ivy (except with bleach not rubbing alcohol). I can't bring myself to give myself that amount of pain.

I get cold sores when stressed or sick - diet doesn't have anything to do with it for me. I've found Abreva stops them in their tracks if applied as soon as you feel the tingle. If you apply soon enough, the sore stops growing (stays tiny), and heals really rapidly. You can buy a tiny tube of abreva for about $25 at any pharmacy, but they last forever and are totally worth it.

BarbaraHelen2013

Cold sores are a symptom of a virus known as Herpes Simplex.

It’s the same family of viruses as Chicken Pox and Shingles as well as several others including genital herpes.

All these viruses are endemic within your body once you’ve contracted them at some point in your life. They lie dormant and may never reoccur.

But they can recur in certain circumstances such as lowered immune system (such as the common cold), physical and mental stress as mentioned above by many.

Anti virals (Aciclovir is the one I am prescribed for shingles outbreaks) can help reduce severity and longevity of outbreaks if taken in the first 72 hours of that very first ‘tingle’.

I get a shingles outbreak every single Christmas due to the stress of organising everything and the high expectations of everyone around me!

The virus can be spread only by direct contact with open sores (hence the experience of picking a cold sore and spreading it elsewhere on the body!. You can also spread the virus person to person in the same way.

DancingMoosie

My husband takes lysine as soon as he feels a little tingle. I've never seen him with a full blown sore.

LyndaBSS

debrakgoogins wrote: »

Diet makes no difference for me. Stress and exhaustion lead to them for me.

This ^^^^^

I take lysine tablets at the first sign of an outbreak. Works miracles.

I have not changed my diet and have found no food triggers.