I get at least one cold sore outbreak monthly. they typically run 14-20 days. 5 sores right now. why is it so hard to get an oral antiviral rx?

Need New Doctor: It should be easy to get the right treatment for herpes and also to get on a treatment that suppresses outbreaks. Any physician with any kind of experience should be able to easily help you. If your physician is incompetent then you may need to find someone else.

Talk to your doc..: A typical sore outbreak lasts 10-14 days w/o treatment. If you start medication at the very early onset (some feels/knows before it comes to the skin) it may not even come through the skin, but unfortunately it often does come out despite treatment and may crust over in 3-5 days rather than 10-14 days w/o treatment. Since u have frequent attacks, consult doc for suppressive therapy. Good luck.

Cold sore?: A cold sore is a lesion on the outside of the lip. It's rare to have more than one at a time. You may be describing canker sores (aphthous ulcers), which occur inside the mouth. Unlike cold sores, we don't know the cause of canker sores. Antivirals don't help.