Our cold sore service provides you with a convenient and affordable way to treat and manage your cold sores, and empowers you to do so appropriately and safely.
You can get the care and advice you need online without having to go to a traditional doctor’s office. Our goal is to effectively treat your cold sores and reduce the frequency and severity of future outbreaks.
Cold sores are caused by a type of ‘herpes simplex virus’ (HSV) that infects the mouth and then hides out in the nerve of the face. Most people don't know they’ve been infected by the virus and you can have the virus for years before you have your first cold sore outbreak.
Your first outbreak can be quite painful with severe sore throat, swollen neck glands, and fever. Other symptoms can include neck stiffness or eye pain.
Once the virus is in the nerve, it can come back as an outbreak of small blisters or sores on or around the mouth any time. You may notice a tingling, itching, or burning sensation around your lips before a cold sore outbreak. Within a few hours to a few days, painful blisters will appear. The blisters usually heal within 1 week.
There are two types of cold sore treatment offered by Lemonaid Health with oral antiviral medications. Treatment for an immediate outbreak with acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir aims to make your symptoms go away faster. Daily preventive treatment with acyclovir or valacyclovir can reduce the frequency, duration, and severity of outbreaks.
You can use the cold sore service if you are between the ages of 18 and 74 years old.
If you’ve never had a cold sore before or if you are experiencing severe symptoms including severe sore throat, swollen neck glands, fever, neck stiffness, or eye pain, we recommend you see a healthcare provider in person. If it’s not in your best interest to use Lemonaid Health based on what you tell us about your health history or symptoms, we’ll advise you to see a doctor or nurse practitioner in person.
Our doctors and nurse practitioners can treat cold sores based on your history and symptoms. We do not need to see a photo of your cold sores. Our medical team follows strict guidelines to make sure we only treat you when it's safe and appropriate to do so. It’s important that you answer our questions fully and truthfully, and read any information we provide.
If, for any reason, our doctor or nurse practitioner thinks it’s not safe to treat you, we’ll ask you to see a provider in person.
Our providers will then follow strict guidelines to decide if treatment with medication is safe and appropriate for you.
If we prescribe cold sore treatment, we can ship your medication directly to you from our own Lemonaid Pharmacy. Shipping is discreet, fast and free. Alternatively, our medical team can send the prescription electronically to your local pharmacy.
There are risks and benefits to taking any medication. It’s important to answer our health questionnaire fully and truthfully so that our providers can help you make an informed decision about whether the benefits of a medication outweigh the potential risks.
The medications we prescribe are effective when used correctly. Please read the information we provide in your treatment plan to learn more about the risks and benefits of treatment.
If your symptoms are not controlled by our treatments, it may be necessary for you to seek in person care.
With treatment, a cold sore outbreak should go away within 5-10 days. If you experience cold sores multiple times per year, you may be a candidate for a daily preventive medication that can help you have fewer and less severe outbreaks.
Outbreaks can be triggered by exposure to sunlight, having a menstrual period, stress, injury to the skin where the cold sore appears, other illness, or dental work. Avoiding these triggers, when possible, can help reduce the number of outbreaks you experience.
Once you have the virus that causes cold sores, it never goes away. Most people experience fewer outbreaks as they get older and medication taken daily as prescribed may be effective in preventing cold sores from occurring.