Acyclovir vs Denavir

I've used Denavir for a number of years, but yesterday morning I started to feel the tingle so I immediately started the treatment, trying to catch it early. I don't know what's happening here. First off, I get coldsores on both sides of my upper lip, but never at the same time, until yesterday. As I was treating my left side, I noticed the skin of my lip on the right side was becoming incredibly smooth (which for me is always a sign of an upcoming sore, even if there's no tingle). So I applied the cream to that side as well, and I've repeated this every two hours. I woke up today and these look like they're going to be the worst cold sores I've ever had. They're huge (about 50% larger than typical, painful and red, though they haven't started to blister, yet). I've applied more denavir but I'm concerned that it's not working at all this time. I have no idea what to do. I researched some home remedies like vanilla extract and tree oil, but I'm still skeptical that these would work better than the highly praised Denavir. I'm just in a corner now, unsure of what to do. I'm going to keep applying the Denavir, though, as it's come through for me in the past. I have no idea what made the virus so angry this go around. By the way, I've found that if you DON'T squeeze the tube and simply open it, there will be enough pressure built up to make enough of the treatment come out for an application. I squeezed my tube for the first application and haven't since as the cream slowly oozes out on its own in about a second) I waste nothing!

Both my mom and I have dealt with cold sores (usually a few a year) all our lives. We've tried everything from home remedies and Lysine to over-the-counter medicines, but nothing helps the way that Denavir does! It truly stops cold sores dead in their tracks. The key is to begin applying it as soon as you suspect you're getting a cold sore. But even if you wait till the blisters have formed, the Denavir still shortens the size and duration of the cold sore, just not as well as if you catch it early. My mom used to get cold sores so bad that her entire lip would swell up and she'd look like she'd been in a fight, but no more now that she has Denavir. One more thing that really helps: ICE. At the first sign of a cold sore, put an ice cube in a paper towel (to catch the drips) and press the ice directly over the cold sore. Hold it there for about 20 minutes or till the ice cube melts. Do it about once an hour if you can. Then once you get Denavir, apply the Denavir every 2 hours as directed, and only apply ice shortly before it's time for your next dose(so that the ice doesn't wash off the Denavir). The ice really keeps the swelling down and the blisters small, and combined with Denavir provides a potent 1-2 punch...I've had cold sores totally disappear in as few as 3 days using this method. As others have mentioned, Denavir is pretty expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it, but a tiny bit definitely goes a long way and it WORKS. The 5 oz. tube I just bought today (1-14-13) was $95 out-of-pocket, but has an expiration date of June 2015, so for me $95 for 2 1/2 years of treatments is well worth it.