Cold sores—aka oral herpes—affect up to 80% of adults. Dr. B helps you treat and prevent outbreaks with a discreet online consultation and prescription cold sore medications.
Tell us about your condition with a $15 online consultation. No video calls necessary.
If a cold sores prescription is recommended after a medical provider reviews your treatment, it will be sent to your pharmacy.
Pick up and pay for the medication at the pharmacy of your choice. Or, get it delivered.
Dr. B offers online consultations for $15, which is less than most co-pays. If a cold sores prescription is appropriate, your out-of-pocket cost for your medication will depend on your insurance and where you decide to get your prescription filled.
Medication
Dr. B offers several treatments for cold sores. We’ve highlighted a few of our most popular and affordable options below, but you can also choose others, including both brand and generic medications.
Valacyclovir is a generic prescription drug that treats genital and oral herpes. The drug slows production of the herpes virus, relieving symptoms and speeding the healing process. It can be taken daily for long-term treatment or as a multi-day course for short-term outbreaks. It is the generic version of Valtrex.
Prescription length:
90 days, 0 refills
Application:
Tablet, once daily
Typical pharmacy prices:
Valtrex is a brand medication prescribed to treat outbreaks of both genital and oral herpes. An antiviral medication, Valtrex slows production of the herpes virus, resulting in pain relief and the prevention of future outbreaks. The medication can be taken daily for long-term treatment or as a multi-day course for immediate short-term treatment.
Prescription length:
90 days, 0 refills
Application:
Tablet, once daily
Typical pharmacy prices:
Valacyclovir is a generic prescription drug that treats genital and oral herpes. The drug slows production of the herpes virus, relieving symptoms and speeding the healing process. It can be taken daily for long-term treatment or as a multi-day course for short-term outbreaks. It is the generic version of Valtrex.
Valtrex is a brand medication prescribed to treat outbreaks of both genital and oral herpes. An antiviral medication, Valtrex slows production of the herpes virus, resulting in pain relief and the prevention of future outbreaks. The medication can be taken daily for long-term treatment or as a multi-day course for immediate short-term treatment.
Prescription length:
90 days, 0 refills
Prescription length:
90 days, 0 refills
Application:
Tablet, once daily
Application:
Tablet, once daily
Typical pharmacy prices:
Typical pharmacy prices:
Looking for a different medication? Here are some options.
Complete a confidential virtual health assessment to learn more.
“Cold sore” is another name for oral herpes, a very common condition that affects 50-80% of U.S. adults. Cold sores are painful blisters that form on or around the mouth and last 1-2 weeks, though prescription medication can help speed recovery. Some people never experience an outbreak and don’t know they have the virus, while others can experience mild to severe outbreaks that require ongoing treatment.
Cold sores/oral herpes are caused by two viruses: herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2). Typically, sores from HSV-1 (cold sores/oral herpes) are on the mouth and HSV-2 (genital herpes) are on the genitals, but they can switch locations.
Cold sore/oral herpes symptoms can include tingling, itching and/or burning for about a day before blisters appear. These fluid-filled blisters usually show up on and around your mouth, and sometimes on your fingers, chin, neck, nose, cheeks or inside the mouth. When the blisters erupt, they ooze and crust over, typically healing in about two weeks. An outbreak usually lasts about 2-4 weeks total.
Symptoms of a first-time cold sore/oral herpes outbreak can also include: fever, painful gums, sore throat, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. Some people only experience a single outbreak, while others may have recurring outbreaks. Generally, symptoms lessen over time.
The virus is contagious and can be spread via skin-to-skin contact with infected areas–most commonly by kissing or touching.
While there is no cure, antiviral treatments can provide both immediate symptom reduction and help prevent future outbreaks and transmission to partners, allowing you to live life normally. Common oral antiviral medications include Valacyclovir and Valtrex.
Common oral antiviral medications include Valacyclovir and Valtrex for both short-term symptom reduction and long-term prevention to lower the risk of future outbreaks and transmission of the virus to others.
For outbreak treatment, patients take Valacyclovir or Valtrex when they first experience symptoms of an outbreak. A second pill is taken later that same day. If taken at the beginning of an oral herpes outbreak, Valacyclovir and Valtrex can help decrease symptoms and length of an outbreak. These medications also can help lessen the likelihood of passing the virus onto others.
Patients suffering from six or more outbreaks a year may opt to take Valacyclovir or Valtrex as preventive treatment, which can prevent oral herpes outbreaks up to 80% of the time. Taking Valacyclovir or Valtrex every day also can help reduce the possibility of passing herpes onto others. Daily Valacyclovir or Valtrex treatment is FDA-approved for genital herpes, while a daily treatment of Valacyclovir and Valtrex for oral herpes prevention is considered “off label.” Medical providers can write off-label prescriptions if it is concluded that they are safe and necessary.
Dr. B is a convenient way to get a cold sore prescription online. To get started, you'll complete a virtual health assessment covering your medical history and current symptoms--no video call required. A vetted doctor or medical provider will review your answers and if a cold sore prescription is appropriate it will be sent to any pharmacy you choose for pick-up. Cold sore prescriptions include several different brand and generic options.
Consultation: A virtual medical consultation for cold sores costs $15.00, which is lower than most doctor co-pays. Currently we don’t submit medical consultation claims to insurance companies, but you can use insurance for any resulting prescriptions at your pharmacy.
Medication: Dr. B only charges for the medical consultation. When medications are prescribed, we enable you to choose the most affordable or convenient pharmacy to get the prescription filled. Prices for your medication will vary depending on your insurance coverage and whether the drug is a brand or generic.
At this time we don’t submit medical consultation claims to insurance companies, but you can use insurance for any resulting prescriptions at your pharmacy.
We’ll send you a reminder for an online assessment when it’s time for your next refill.
The whole team at Dr. B has been so helpful, making sure I got the best-suited medicine and checking up to see how things are going.
Kristin, Los Angeles