Compare telehealth services prescribing antivirals for cold sores, where starting treatment within hours changes the outcome.
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Turnaround time is the deciding factor. Antivirals work best when started at the first tingle, so compare how quickly a service reviews intake and gets a prescription to your pharmacy, and whether it offers a supply to keep on hand for future outbreaks.
Complete a short intake describing symptoms and outbreak history, have a licensed clinician review it, and receive an antiviral prescription for the current outbreak or as an on-hand supply.
Oral antivirals such as valacyclovir, acyclovir and famciclovir are the standard treatment. They shorten an outbreak most effectively when started during the tingling or burning prodrome, before the blister appears.
Cold sores are usually caused by herpes simplex virus type 1, which stays dormant in nerve tissue after the first infection and reactivates periodically. Common triggers include illness, fever, sun exposure, stress and fatigue.
People with frequent recurrences can be prescribed daily suppressive antiviral therapy, which reduces how often outbreaks occur. Sun protection on the lips and managing known triggers helps for those with milder patterns.
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