There are several different kinds of cold sore medicines to choose from, but there is only one over-the-counter cold sore medication that has been approved by the FDA to speed up healing time: Abreva.
Abreva is a creme that can be purchased at any local pharmacy or grocery store.
It comes in a small bottle, but don't be deceived by the size because this medicine is very powerful-- it can help you to quickly get rid of cold sores and improve your healing time.
There are other types of over-the-counter cold sore medicines that you can purchase, but most of those are geared towards treating the symptoms and not slowing the progress of the sore.
Many of the other over-the-counter cold sore medications simply treat the pain or keep the sore soft in order to prevent cracking.
If you want to effectively stop your cold sores from progressing, then you need to apply Abreva to the affected area IMMEDIATELY when the symptoms begin.
Even if the tingle and swelling has just started, it is a good idea to apply the creme because it can help to stop the advancement of the sore.
Using Abreva right at the beginning of the sore may help to keep it smaller and more manageable, which will improve your healing time.
Continue to use the creme on a regular basis during the lifespan of the cold sore, following the directions on the package.
Abreva helps me to stop my cold sores every time, so I like to keep it with me in case of emergency.
You never know when a cold sore is going to start, so it's a good idea to keep it available in order to treat any unexpected cold sores!