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A variety of cold sore medicines are available, including prescription medications, non-prescription medications, and supplements.
All of the prescription medications that are approved to treat cold sores belong to a group of medications known as antivirals. Antivirals can be effective in speeding up healing and decreasing the pain and discomfort associated with cold sores.
Topical prescription medicines for cold sores (creams or ointments that are applied directly to the cold sore) include:
- Zovirax® cream (acyclovir cream)
- Zovirax® ointment (acyclovir ointment) -- approved for people with a weakened immune system
- Denavir® cream (penciclovir).
Oral prescription medications (tablets that are taken by mouth) include:
- Famvir® (famciclovir)
- Valtrex® (valacyclovir).
All of these medicines work best if used at the first sign of a cold sore (symptoms often include tingling, itching, burning, or redness).
It is important to understand that treatment with these medicines does not prevent future outbreaks. They are also not approved for use in children (except Zovirax cream and Denavir cream, which can be used in children 12 years of age and older).
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