I have a cold sore and I'm wondering does the toothpaste thing work...

no, get a cold sore creme or lotion no, it doesnt

use abreva, or prescription, and DONT touch it, it will spread, and be longer no, buy Abreva at the drug store.. its expensive but worth it... I'm afraid I never found toothpaste to work.

If you catch them early (at the "tingle/itch" stage) press an ice cube to the area for 10-15 minutes at a pop, with 10 minute breaks. Make sure to use a paper towel and a plastic baggie to hold the ice. It's the only thing my doctor says works to prevent it. You can actually stop it from coming out. This doesn't work once the blister has formed.

If you have a blister already, boil some water and put a regular tea bag (plain old Tetley is fine) in a cup for about 3-4 minutes. Remove the bag, let it cool down enough that you don't burn yourself, and hold it on the cold sore until the bag starts to dry. Put the tea bag back into the warm/hot water and repeat. The tannic acid helps dry out the sore and speed up the healing process, although it will stain your lip slightly. Then use the Herpecin-L to keep it moist. Do the tea-bag thing as often as you can stand it, but don't let your lips get too chapped which could cause more sores. In between you can also try witch hazel or peroxide applied with a q-tip, let it dry, then do the tea bag/Herpecin-L thing again.

I'm afraid the best thing to do it to try to prevent them (ice, L-Lysine supplements, using SPF lip balm). Once you have them, the tea bag and any over-the-counter cream is your best bet, along with aspirin to keep the swelling down.

See your doctor if you get them regularly, and see if he/she will write you an Rx for an anti-viral cream with a few refills so you always have it on hand. It's the only thing that helps shorten the duration and lessen the ugly blister stage. I've never had any success with Abreva other than to keep the sore moist.

Good luck, I hate these things.