Acyclovir topical for Cold Sores User Reviews

• Joh...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 16, 2021

Acyclovir topical "I'm from the UK, and have had cold sores all my life (40s). Zovirax is a complete waste of money. For years, I used it because I believed the marketing - and I thought that cold sores just got bigger, but about 5 years ago, I tried just leaving well alone. Without Zovirax, they crust faster, don't spread, and heal faster and more naturally. With Zovirax, I find it burns the skin, they spread (keep popping up outside the original zone), and scar for longer. I've also not really found that Zovirax prevents them if you get there during the original tingling either. Also, the tube size is a scandal."

• Dee...
• November 22, 2015

Acyclovir topical "I have been suffering with cold sores for 20 years now, they usually happen once a year. I am so horrified when they happen. I take work off and basically live in my house for 2 weeks. I came across a YouTube video after feeling a bump coming on, and that's when I came across Zovirax. I thought, what the heck, I've tried everything else. I went to my doctor the same day (thank God I got in). It cost me about $90, but it was worth it. This stuff is a godsend! My cold sore was already at the blister stage, so it was day 2. Applied the cream all day for 2 days, you can't even tell I have a cold sore! There is nothing! I wish I knew about this stuff years ago. Would have saved me a lot of agony."

• Kir...
• May 9, 2016

Acyclovir topical "I do suffer from cold sores, especially when I'm stressed. Unfortunately, I don't get the tingling stage, I just wake up to a bump on my lip. For anyone that knows me, I absolutely hate cold sores! It makes me feel so crap about myself. I used to suffer really badly to the point it would spread, and I would have 3-4 cold sores on my lips very painful! Nothing would help. Until I found this cream! It is an angel from above, a Godsend. This cream clears my cold sores up within a day!! So next morning I wake up, and it's gone, even when it's blistered, it's gone! It's expensive for a tiny tube but definitely worth it!!"

• Jem...
• February 21, 2012

Acyclovir topical "I have been dealing with cold sores for the past 10 years. I usually would only get 2 per year during an extreme weather change. I've tried Abreva, Releev, Campho, etc. Nothing really worked at all except drying the area. Well, this fall and winter season, I had 3 outbreaks, and at the 3rd, I said enough is enough. I read all the reviews online and decided to go with the Zovirax ointment. I got a prescription from my dentist the first day I noticed the tingling (prodromal stage). The meds indicate this is the best time to start applying. I applied several times the first day, and the next day I woke up and hardly saw a thing on my lip. I applied the ointment about 5 times that day, even though it seemed to be gone. 3rd day GONE!!! Miracle!!"

• Ram...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 8, 2015

Acyclovir topical "I have tried everything, from home remedies to over-the-counter cold sore treatments. Well, my doctor prescribed Zovirax, and since then I have been nothing but thankful. At the first sign, apply the ointment. It won't make the cold sore go away immediately, but by the second day it's dried up, and within four days it's gone. I love Zovirax."

• jpe...
• January 12, 2011

Acyclovir topical "I find this the only treatment that can nip a cold sore before it develops. If one does develop, it also eliminates the pain faster (2-3 days) than any other creams I've tried. I also discovered after more than five years of annoying outbreaks that cold sores in the summer actually came from sunburned lips. Once I started to completely cover my lips before spending time in the sun, they did not come back. Here, prevention is the key."

• Arj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2020

Acyclovir topical "The worst stuff I have ever used. It burnt and scarred my skin. The cold sore was almost invisible, and Zovirax burnt it and the surrounding skin. It made it look awful, and made it painful, and took three weeks to heal. NEVER AGAIN, beware!"

• Lyn...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 20, 2017

Acyclovir topical "COLD SORE TREATMENTS AND PREVENTION THAT WORK: L-lysine: You can buy L-lysine over the counter in tablet form; one a day pretty much prevents cold sores from forming. If you run out of tablets, make sure you buy more; it's like the virus sits inactive under the skin just waiting for a break from the L-lysine treatment so it can raise its ugly head. ZOVIRAX: If you feel a cold sore coming on or you have a cold sore, buy Zovirax from the chemist or supermarket; ~$17 a tube, but you only need a little bit applied 5 or 6 times a day, and the last application should be before you go to sleep (whenever you think of applying it, really). Zovirax helps heal the blisters much faster than anything else I have tried. ICE OR COLD PACK: If you don't have Zovirax and the cold sore is really burning and itchy, get a freezer bag or similar and put some ice in it or some frozen peas and apply that to the area until that nasty burning and itchy feeling eases. Avoid licking or playing with the blisters with your tongue; this tends to make them bigger. Pop the Blisters or Don't Pop the Blisters? This is a personal preference; however, I have found that by not popping the blisters, it only allows the blisters to grow bigger to the point of them sometimes joining together and becoming one big blister, which takes a lot longer to heal. Hence, I pop the blister and apply Zovirax straight away, and the majority are gone within a few days. SAFETY FIRST: DO NOT have oral sex and AVOID kissing anyone when you have an active cold sore; they do spread as quickly as a peck on the lips from someone with the active cold sore virus, and wash your hands if you touch your mouth by accident; this helps prevent spreading the cold sore virus. PREVENTION: Take L-lysine 1 tablet daily and try to avoid sudden drops in temperature, excessive sun, or wind. Changes in climate conditions and temperature drops can bring on the cold sore virus. Avoid rubbing your lips hard like we sometimes do to remove stubborn lipstick, and avoid the hard bristles of a man's beard or regrowth. Both of these things can irritate the sensitive skin on our lips. Just be mindful of the cold sore virus, and it will become second nature to prevent it from occurring."

• Col...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 5, 2019

Acyclovir topical "I'm also from the UK, and like most of the comments from the UK, the cream does not help. Again bought some, and it seems to make it spread. I'm sure if I didn't use it, it would not be as bad as it is this morning. Maybe there is a difference between US and UK. I must remind myself not to bother with this again... try something else... pity."

• Anonymous
• December 10, 2008

Acyclovir topical "When I feel a cold sore coming on (tingle), I rub it on, and it stops the outbreak. Only thing is, it tastes horrible; sometimes it's hard not to rub your lips around the mouth without getting some in."

• K-P...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 17, 2015

Acyclovir topical "Honestly, one of the best treatments for HSV or cold sores around! I start feeling a cold sore coming on (a tingling, burning sensation), and on goes the Zovirax. Instant relief from the pain, and the sore stops in its tracks! Definitely worth every penny of that."

• Ama...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 2, 2018

Acyclovir topical "Zovirax cream is amazing. I hardly ever get an actual cold sore anymore because I apply the cream as soon as I feel any tingle, and it prevents the outbreak. Well, 3 days ago, I missed the tingle because I had a huge pimple forming on my chin, just under my lip, and it was so painful that it masked the tingle on my lip. By the time I woke up and realized what was happening, my lip had already swollen quite badly. I was horrified and thought the battle was already lost, but I immediately started applying Zovirax. My lip still swelled up to 3 times its size over the next 36 hours, but then it started to recede and never even blistered! It is now 3 days after it started, and my lip is almost back to normal. I cannot believe it worked when the cold sore had already taken hold and stopped the blisters from erupting. I love this stuff so much! It cost about $80 for a 5g tube the last time I bought it, but it lasts a long time for me. I always carry it in my purse, so I am armed for battle."

• Ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 17, 2022

Acyclovir topical "I have had cold sores for 20 years. In the last few years of using Zovirax, I have noticed it makes the sores far worse, and they have been taking two full weeks to heal and leaving a red mark for months afterwards (instead of 7 - 10 days like they used to). It occurred to me that the cold sore got a lot worse after applying the Zovirax cream, including making the cold sore and surrounding skin peel really badly and go red. I have had a big outbreak on my lip less than 72 hours ago, and for the first time, I decided not to apply Zovirax cream but instead have just put a blob of Vaseline on it instead. The sore started healing straight away and is almost invisible in just three days! I cannot believe it, and I can't believe that Zovirax has been making my sores worse these past few years. I won't ever be using it again."

• Jze...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2018

Acyclovir topical "Zovirax duo honestly works wonders! As soon as I feel the tingling, I lather it on, and it’s gone the next day! There are also tablets that you can take, but they only work if the cold sore hasn’t appeared yet and you’re only getting the tingling sensation. Just ask for them at your chemist. They’re 3 pills, and you take them all at once, and the cold sore doesn’t even come up. I got my lips done and I got a cold sore the next day, used the cream, and it was gone. I went to get them done a second time and took the tablets as a precaution, and no cold sore even appeared! Love, love, love the cream!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 17, 2018

Acyclovir topical "Zovirax does work. The trick is to apply small amounts as soon as possible and as often as possible. The more times you apply, the more chances you have of healing quicker. Applying 3 times a day just isn't going to cut it. (Every hour or less if you have to)"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 16, 2017

Acyclovir topical "OMG LOL, extremely ridiculous how Zovirax cream is expensive in the USA, $700 plus! Zovirax cream costs in other countries less than $20.00. It's very sad how they take advantage of people here in the USA. Less than $20, LOL, same Zovirax cream. Have mercy on people and stop using them like this!"

• Sha...
• February 4, 2016

Acyclovir topical "Living in the UK, I doubt if the ingredients are changed in Zovirax here, but I've been getting cold sores (maybe 10-15 a year) since I was little and have always been using Zovirax and now more commonly the Compeed patches. The stuff is useless, if anything, it spreads it around, even though I keep immaculate hygiene with them, only using cotton to apply, etc. The only thing the cream seems to do is hold it at the stage it's at, and as soon as the cream is off for more than half a day, it erupts again. I can have the cream on for ten days at a time. NOT CHEAP AND NOT EFFECTIVE. HELP."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 19, 2018

Acyclovir topical "The cold sores usually don't even appear if I apply the cream at the first signs of tingling. Once, I failed to catch the tingly symptoms at the start and only realized when my lips began to harden and split. I rushed to the pharmacy to purchase Zovirax, and I managed to dodge the embarrassing process of allowing the cold sore to fully blister and crust. I bet no one even suspected I had cold sores. I don't know why everyone is comparing prices here, but it costs approximately USD $15 for a 2g tube where I come from. Just apply a little will do, I'm not sure why someone mentioned finishing the 2g tube within 3 days. It can last me two years before it expires. Read the directions that it comes with."

• Ano...
• February 22, 2018

Acyclovir topical "Zovirax works great on cold sores. I use it at the first sign for a few days, and it doesn't even blister. If I get a blister, it doesn't get big and dries up in 2 to 3 days. Abreva never worked for me. This stuff is great."

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 22, 2021

Acyclovir topical "I used this in the UK. £7 for a tiny tube. Which would have been worth it if it had worked. It advised to use 'liberally' on the affected area, which I did. The cold sore was one of the ones that's on the edge of your lip and into the inner part inside your mouth. The cream kept sticking to my upper lip. When I went to brush my teeth that night, my gums were bright red, really painful, and bleeding. I rinsed my mouth with lots of water and wiped off the Zovirax, and that calmed things down a bit. If that wasn't bad enough, my cold sore is now far worse. I would advise: don't use this product. 0/10."

• Kis...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2024

Acyclovir topical "I hate Herpes/Cold sores (I guess it's the same). I had trouble with it for many years. I always scratched it, or accidentally damaged it with my teeth. I always freaked out when I felt that tingling on my mouth, then I saw the herpes. About a year ago, I found this Godsent cream, and man, it's awesome. It penetrated the herpes in like 3 days. That was a year ago. Now, about 2 days ago, I noticed that I would have a herpes (it hurt and was ready to be visible, so it was in an early stage), so I quickly bought one, and just one and a half days later, BOOM it's gone. It hasn't even popped, and it was really ugly in the morning. I use it every 3 hours and man, this is a lifesaver. It's completely gone. I recommend this epic cream, it will save SO much time. Where I live, it's really affordable (in USD like 5-6$). I guess if you are allergic, you can't use it well, but if you don't (like me), this will kill herpes in 2 days. Totally awesome!"

• uka...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2020

"Everyone is saying how expensive it is: $250, etc. Why don't you buy a UK version and have it delivered to the USA? Here in the UK online, you can buy Zovirax (active ingredient 5% acyclovir) for like £5.00, which will be like $7.50."

• End...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 13, 2015

"I always get cold sores. I tried everything, and nothing worked better than this. And the cold sores don't come as frequently after using Zovirax. Gone within 2-3 days if you catch it while it's tingling, it wouldn't show at all."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 23, 2022

Acyclovir topical "I have used Abreva in the past with no luck. I started using Zovirax on day 3 of my outbreak, so a blister had already formed. This stuff is great! It stopped my cold sore from getting worse and started healing it right away. Now that I have it, I'm hopeful it will work even better if used right away at the first sign. My only complaint is that this stuff is EXPENSIVE. Without insurance, it's $700 for a 30g tube. With insurance, it was still $171. Honestly, it's been worth every penny."

• DB1...
• December 22, 2016

"I find that Zovirax doesn't prevent the cold sore from appearing (even if applied at the tingly stage). But what I do find is that once the cold sore appears, it's very small compared to not using it. I supplement the treatment with lysine tablets, and it keeps the blister/scab very small (about 2 mm in diameter as opposed to 5-6 mm) and is usually gone within two to three days rather than 1-1.5 weeks."