Customer Rating:
Summary: The first time I've gone to battle with a cold sore and won...
Comment: I have been getting cold sores about once a year for as long as I can remember. I have tried many different over-the-counter products, with no proof that they did anything to help the cold sores. I have also tried prescription medications, including Zovirax (Acyclovir) and Valtrex. Though I like to convince myself that the prescription meds helped, they didn't do much. Part of the problem is that you'd like to treat as soon as you know a cold sore is coming, but you may have to call a doctor to get a prescription, and it takes a while for the medicine to build up in your bloodstream, and by the time it starts taking effect you've got an angry cold sore on your hands.

Christmas Day 2008, I wake up with a Christmas present to myself, the visible start of a cold sore on my upper lip. Yuck. Usually my odds are better if I catch a cold sore in the "tingling" phase, and if I don't notice it until it's visible I'm in deep trouble. Since my prescription had expired and I had no chance of getting it renewed in time, I headed to the drugstore. Abreva seemed to set itself apart from other products. Small tube in a big package with a big price. Oh well, it's worth a shot...

Anyway, after three days of applying this product whenever possible, the cold sore is on its way out! I can't believe it! The sore never erupted or became ulcerated. The whole process usually takes 10 days to two weeks, and includes an ugly scab at the end. This time, the sore just tested the waters and got a little hot, then the Abreva scared it away. Hurray Abreva! Anyway, I can't guarantee it will work as well for everyone else, but I finally feel that I have found a product that will keep my cold sores under control.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: from a born skeptic, this stuff really works!
Comment: This stuff is expensive but it's worth it because works really well. I didn't even catch my cold sore at the first tingle.

It had been tingling and itching for a day a half, my lower lip was noticeably swollen, and the site was red and puffy at the eruption site. I knew it was a only a matter of time before the hideous cluster of weepy bumps appeared.

I took a chance and purchased Abreva because I had nothing to lose (sans twenty bucks). My discomfort was relieved almost immediately and the swelling started to subside after a few hours.

It's a day and a half later and my cold sore isn't even detectable. And a little goes a long way!

I officially love this stuff.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Wish Abreva Had Been Available 35 Years Ago!
Comment: I'm 45 and have had severe cold sore outbreaks since childhood. Surely the amazing results I've had with Abreva are *NOT* a mere placebo effect - When I first tried it, I simply had no idea or expectation that it could work so amazingly well!

Because catching an outbreak early is key, I've learned to notice the first tiny tingling sensations and to immediately apply Abreva. I've also learned that occasionally an attack of *sneezing* is actually a symptom of an impending outbreak just inside or near a nostril.

Nothing else I've tried has worked even half as well as this stuff. With Abreva, cold sores are now a very brief and minor annoyance; Before Abreva my outbreaks lasted weeks and made me dread leaving the house. I only wish I'd had it 35 years ago!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: don't believe the hype
Comment: Little or no change in size and duration. Very expensive despite delivering the same lack of effectiveness of other retail remedies.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Abreva works great
Comment: Abreva works great on cold sores. If you can apply when the first sensation starts, an outbreak can sometimes be avoided.

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