Cold Sore Antibiotics
Discover how to test for cold sores, and get treatment with free and fast delivery.
Prices from £19.95
To request a treatment, fill in a brief medical questionnaire. A doctor will then prescribe treatment if it’s right for you. For test kits, you can just place an order. Once you’ve sent your sample to our UK-accredited partner laboratory, results and advice from our doctors will be ready in 2 to 3 days.
Cold sores are a types of herpes infection that affects your mouth causing sores and other symptoms. You can test yourself for cold sores using a home swab test kit.
Herpes infections can’t be cured so if you have cold sores you may need regular treatment for outbreaks. This is known as ‘acute treatment’. You may also need ongoing treatment to avoid regular outbreaks. This is called ‘suppressive treatment’.
Using a home test works in the following steps:
- Request and get your kit delivered to your door, or collect from a local Post Office (delivery is free)
- Collect your sample as per the instructions
- Send your samples to our UK based, accredited partner laboratory (postage is free)
- Once your results are available (in 2 to 3 days), our doctors will review your results
- One of our doctors will contact you, via a secure and confidential message in your patient account, to let you know your results and give you advice and support on what to do next
In some cases, the doctor may need to ask for more information. They may contact you by phone, so make sure your telephone number is up to date in your online account.
Please note, when you request a generic (non branded) treatment, the product you receive may look slightly different than what we show on our website. The active ingredient in the medication will be exactly the same though. This is because we use a range of manufacturers to ensure we always have enough stock for patients. If you have any questions, you can message our Patient Care team.
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About test kits and treatments for cold sores
Who can get cold sore test kits and treatments online?
You can request a cold sore test kit if:
- you’re over 18
- you think you’re having cold sore symptoms
You can get cold sore treatment if:
- you’re not allergic to the treatments offered
- your immune system is not suppressed
- you don’t have any kidney problems
How to get a test or treatment online
You can request treatments or test kits using the following steps.
For a test kit:
- fill out a short online assessment questionnaire
- place your request and make a payment
- your test kit will then be sent to you
For treatment:
- upload photos of your symptoms
- your treatment request will be reviewed by a doctor
- if your request is approved it can be sent to you by post or you can pick it up from a local Post Office
- if your request is not approved your payment will be refunded
How to use the test kit
Your test kit will come with instructions that should follow carefully to make sure you get accurate results. Follow these steps to use your test kit:
- Take the swab out of your test kit
- Swab the area that you think is a cold sore - if you have a sore or a blister it is best if the swab is taken directly from it. You may need to break the blister
- Place your swab into the tube provided
- Post your sample to the lab using the prepaid envelope provided in your kit
- Your results will be available 1-3 days after you sample reaches the lab
- Your results will be displayed in your patient account. For security and privacy reasons we won’t email your results to you
Common side effects of cold sore treatment
Aciclovir can cause the following side effects:
- headaches and feeling sick
- diarrhoea
- dizziness
- itchiness/rashes
- tummy pain
- fatigue
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Cold sores are small blisters that appear on or around the edge of the lips. They can split and bleed slightly which can be painful. Cold sores are common and affect men and women of all ages.
A cold sore develops when you are infected with either Herpes Simplex Virus-1 (HSV-1) or Herpes Simplex Virus-2 (HSV-2) around the mouth. This is usually contracted via direct contact with another person who has a cold sore, such as kissing, or by sharing toiletries such as lip balm. It can also be caught via oral sex with someone who has genital herpes.
Being infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2 will not always cause symptoms. Usually people who have an infection will have outbreaks from time to time but can go for long periods without any symptoms. It isn’t fully understood why an outbreak happens, but some things seem to trigger them – for example if you are unwell anyway (coughs colds, flu), if you are stressed or run down, if you are on your period, or if you spend time in bright direct sunlight.
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Cold sores can affect anyone who has come into contact with the virus. Once you have been infected, a cold sore can flare up at any time but can be managed with appropriate treatment.
You have a higher risk of catching the virus if you:
- kiss someone with unhealed cold sore blisters
- share cosmetic products with someone who has cold sores
- have oral sex with someone who has genital herpes
To reduce your risk of cold sores you should avoid direct contact with someone else’s cold sores. Cold sores are often triggered when you are run down or stressed so if you have the infection, you should avoid these triggers to prevent an outbreak of symptoms.
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The main symptoms of cold sores are visible blisters around your mouth. Development of a cold sore blister starts with a strange tingling sensation on or around the lips. Small blisters then form and can crack and bleed which can be painful.
Cold sores are not generally dangerous but can sometimes be distressing or uncomfortable.
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A cold sore test kit is a way of checking if you have cold sores without having to take a test in person.
The test is posted to your door or a post office for you to collect. It contains a swab which you use to collect a sample from the area that you think might be a cold sore. You then post this to our lab for checking.
The results of your test will be displayed in your account. You can then see whether or not you need to get treatment or if your symptoms are being caused by another condition.
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Cold sores can be treated with antiviral medication, which helps your symptoms go away faster (acute treatment) or helps to stop symptoms from coming on, if you are getting a lot of outbreaks (suppressive treatment)
We offer the following cold sore treatments:
- Aciclovir for acute treatment
- Aciclovir for suppressive treatment
A course of suppressive therapy can reduce the number of cold sore outbreaks you have over a period of time, this is usually taken for 6 to 12 months. It is usually helpful if you have more than 6 outbreaks in a year. The short course treatment therapy helps to ease a current outbreak more quickly.
Dr Kathryn Basford is a qualified GP who works as a GP in London, as well as with ZAVA. She graduated from the University of Manchester and completed her GP training through Whipps Cross Hospital in London.
Meet our doctorsLast reviewed: 22 Nov 2018
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National Health Service (2018). Genital Herpes. NHS. [online]. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/genital-herpes/ [accessed 15th November 2018].
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National Health Service (2018). How to use self help kits safely. NHS. [online]. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/how-to-use-self-test-kits-safely/#when-you-get-your-results [accessed 15th November 2018].
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Patient.info. (2018). Genital herpes. patient.info. [online]. Available at: https://patient.info/sexual-health/sexually-transmitted-infections-leaflet/genital-herpes. [accessed 15th November 2018].
