Cold sore

[sacredpoz]

Ok this may sound very silly but I have had this cold sore for like 7 months now and I have tried everything including Abriva. IT keeps coming back, It annoying me and I am wondering if its because of my HIV, or if anyone has an idea on how to get rid of it. Its not one of those gross looking ones but on the other hand its not pretty either. Is this common to have it this long?

[Ann]

Hi SC,

"Cold sore" is another way of saying herpes. It's common to get more recurrences than normal when you are also hiv positive. There is an excellent lesson on herpes which you can read by clicking here

Talk to your doctor about this and ask if you can use acyclovir. Acyclovir is discussed in the lesson I linked you to above.

Ann

[J.R.E.]

Hi There,

Where's this cold sore located ? Is it on the outer lip, inside the lip, or someplace else. I don't beleive it's normal for a cold sole ( fever blister) to last that long. Keep bringing it to the attention of your doctor. Most cold sores don't last much longer than a couple weeks. 7 months is much too long.

Are you on, or have you used acyclovir or Valtrex ?


Ray

[Bucko]

I agree with Ann & Ray. Herpes is easy enough to treat, and I've personally never had a cold sore last longer than about 10 days.

Talk to your doc, get some meds, and find out what it is.

Brent
(Who has never seen an attractive cold sore in his life)

[sacredpoz]

its on the outside of my lip kind of in the crease of the upper and lower lip. More than anything its getting on my last nerve. I stopped taking my meds awhile ago and I probably should not have, I was just sick of being sick and tired. Yesterday I had a feeling I was not feeling well and my stomach ached all day and low and behold this morning I have been sick and am making trips to the bathroom every 10 minutes. Not fun.

[J.R.E.]

Hi,

When was the last time you had bloodwork done, and what were those numbers. I imagine that when you decided to quit your meds a while back, you did so without talking to your doctor. I think its probably time, to get talking with your doctor again, let him know whats going on, and decide on a new regimen.
It's difficult for me at times to read all the post. How long have you been HIV positive, and how long were you on treatment, before you decided to stop it? What regimen were you on ?


Take care--------Ray

[J.R.E.]

Ps : Are you having any problem accessing treatment or medications ?


Ray

[whizzer]

This is not a cold sore you are having.  It has lasted far too long to be recurrent Herpes simplex, which is what a cold sore is.  From the location you describe - corner of the mouth, where the upper and lower lips meet - you most likely have Angular Chelitis. 

Angular Chelitis is a fungal infection caused by Candida albicans.  Yes, the same C. albicans that causes Thrush.  Having stopped your meds and develped Angular Chelitis, I would venture a guess that Thrush will not be far behind.

All the usual Thrush remedies will work on Angular Chelitis - Nystatin rinses, Nystatin lozenges, or Diflucan- but what you really need to do is go see your doctor and get your numbers checked.  As opportunistic infections go, this one is quite mild compared to some of the other nasties out there.

Go see your doctor, get your numbers checked, and get on a medication regimen that you can tolerate.  Your immune system will then keep the Candida at bay.

[BobF]

Hi -- I was having a regularly recurring cold sore.   My Doc put me on Valtrex as a suppressant, tho I take more of it when a cold sore pops up.   He said there's a concern that too much Acyclovir on a regular basis could cause me to become resistant -- hence the suppressant.

[sacredpoz]

Just wanted to say whizzer was right and it was Angular Chelitas and it is clearing up with medicine.. Thanks everyone and thanks whizzer.. hugs keith

[J.R.E.]

Just wanted to say whizzer was right and it was Angular Chelitas and it is clearing up with medicine.. Thanks everyone and thanks whizzer.. hugs keith

Glad to hear that your on the mend !!


Take care-----Ray

[BT65]

Glad that cold sore is clearing!  I'm curious, like Ray, to know what your numbers are though......