Because cold sores are so common, there’s a great deal of misinformation about them. Misinformation may be spread through word-of-mouth as well as the Internet. To help separate cold sore facts from fiction, we’ve assembled a list of common myths about cold sores:
5 Common Cold Sore Myths
Myth: Getting a cold always means getting a cold sore.
Reality: While catching a cold can result in the development of a cold sore, the two events don’t always happen together. The truth is you can get a cold without suffering a cold sore outbreak, and you can get a cold sore when you’re not sick.
Myth: The only way to contract a cold sore is by kissing an infected person.
Reality: While kissing someone during a cold sore outbreak makes it possible to pass the cold sore to the uninfected person, it’s not the only way a cold sore can be passed from one person to another. Sharing cups, utensils, razors, towels, or other items that have come in contact with an infected person’s saliva or cold sore blisters can also pass the virus along.1
Myth: Only certain types of people get cold sores.
Reality: Cold sores don’t discriminate. While some people may not suffer from cold sore outbreaks as often as others – or at all – everyone is capable of developing a cold sore as a result of exposure to the HSV-1 virus.
Myth: Cold sores are the same as canker sores.
Reality: Cold sores and canker sores are very different. Canker sores are types of ulcers that occur on the inside of the mouth, tongue, or gums. The biggest difference between canker sores and cold sores is that canker sores are not caused by a virus, and are not contagious.2
Myth: There is a cure for cold sores.
Reality: Currently, there is no definitive cure for cold sores – only treatments that can help speed up cold sore recovery times, or reduce discomfort caused by cold sores.3
Prescription-strength Sitavig® (acyclovir), 50mg Muco-Adhesive Buccal Tablet is a single-dose treatment clinically proven to help ease cold sore symptoms, speed up healing, and, in some cases, even stop cold sores from forming. If you’re a frequent cold sore sufferer and Over-The-Counter (OTC) cold sore treatments don’t work to your liking, consult your physician and ask if prescription Sitavig® is right for you.
1 – WebMD.com – Cold Sores Topic Overview
2 – WebMD.com – Dental Health and Canker Sores
3 – WebMD.com – Cold Sores Treatment Overview
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Sitavig should not be used in patients with known hypersensitivity to acyclovir, milk protein concentrate, or other components of the product.
Sitavig has not been studied in pregnant women or in immunocompromised patients and no interaction studies have been performed. Sitavig’s safety and efficacy have not been established in pediatric patients.
Sitavig is a Pregnancy Category B product; therefore it should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus. It is not known if Sitavig is excreted in breast milk; however, systemic absorption is minimal.
In a controlled clinical trial, Sitavig’s most common side effects (greater than or equal to 1%) were: headache (3%), dizziness (1%), lethargy (1%), gingival pain (1%), aphthous stomatitis (1%), application site pain (1%), application site irritation (1%), erythema (1%) and rash (1%). In the same trial these side effects ranged from 0%-3% for placebo.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch.com or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
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