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Many folks eat high lysine foods prior to or during a cold sore event, and avoid high arginine foods. For many folks, healing cold sores fast has been as simple as taking 1,000 milligrams to 3,000 milligrams of lysine in capsule supplements during an outbreak. High lysine foods to eat are most meats and dairy products.
For pain, you can apply ice to the area or take over-the-counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Take 4 500mg Lysine at first sign of a cold sore. Take 1 each morning and 1 each evening for a few days and if caught early enough it will not progress but go away completely.