Docosanol topical and Swelling: What Users Say (Page 2)

• RSS...
• June 4, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I wish I'd read these reviews before sending my husband to the pharmacy yesterday to buy me some Abreva. I get cold sores from time to time, and this time I decided to actually buy something to speed along the healing process. BAD IDEA. I applied Abreva to my very small, barely noticeable cold sore yesterday afternoon. By bedtime, literally 4 hours after the first application, my lip was swollen to twice its normal size and what started as a tiny spot is now dime-sized. It literally looks like someone punched me in the face. Anywhere I applied the Abreva broke out into a huge cold sore. My lip looks terrible, and it hurts and itches like crazy. I am so upset! What was supposed to help made everything significantly worse! I should have just left it alone! I called the doctor, and they are calling me in a prescription for Valtrex so that maybe this monstrosity will go away! I have never been so embarrassed. Seriously... This is the worst cold sore I've ever had in my life!"

• Jda...
• June 2, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I took Abreva, and it made my cold sore worse! It started with a small cold sore, and I just wanted it to go away as I had an important event coming up, so I rushed to buy it. Instead, it made my cold sore bigger, and my lip is so swollen. I try to do cold compresses every couple of hours, but the swelling won’t go down. I watched some videos, and they recommended apple cider vinegar. My cold sore is not in the drying up/crusting stage, but my lip is so swollen, which makes it completely worse. I bought this item so it could help me, not make everything worse. I definitely deserve a refund!"

• Don...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2018

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Yesterday I noticed the tingling, and my bottom lip felt particularly chapped in the middle. Added a dab to that area and went to bed. Woke up to two enormous blisters right in the middle of my bottom lip line and a swollen, burning lip. I don't know what the purpose of this formula is, but it does the total opposite of its purpose."

• Myo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 29, 2016

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Bought Abreva on the first day, by the middle of the night, my lip had a blister, a big one. Five days later, my lip still has a nasty spot and is a bit swollen. I do believe I could have just saved my $20 and it probably wouldn't have been different. Helped with pain a bit, yeah, but healing it fast, no."

• Doe...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 10, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Same as everyone else. I used to use this product with great results, but the last two times I've used it, my face blew up and got swollen, and the medication actually worsened the blister 10 times what it normally is. Worst medication ever. Do not use."

• Abr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 18, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I just had an outbreak this morning and only got to the pharmacy this afternoon to buy the Abreva, which surprisingly was on special for $15.99 instead of $20.99. I put it on and within hours, and in comparison to earlier in the day, the three little blisters were noticeably more swollen and bubbly. It's my first time using this product, and I am truly disappointed given the rap sheet it had before. I'm looking for alternatives now."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 16, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Got a cold sore for the first time and decided to buy Abreva since they seemed like the best to heal fast. Worst decision ever! I used the cream for 10 days and my cold sore never got away, it actually got worse. Now it’s been 3 weeks, and my lips are still a bit swollen, and I have to go see my doctor since the cold sore keeps coming back. Don’t buy!"

• Apr...
• June 6, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Used Abreva in the past and had no issues. This week I started feeling tingling on my face and went and bought a tube. It’s been 3 days and my lip is now swollen and spreading. I’m happy to see I’m not the only one this happened to. Definitely will never buy again and hope some of the suggestions on here will work for me and I can get rid of this embarrassing bubble on my face."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 3, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I do not recommend this product. I had cold sores about once a year since I was a kid, but I haven’t had one in nearly 8 years. Although I remember Abreva not being effective in the past, I thought I’d try it this time. I started applying it, using clean cotton swabs, from the initial tingle. It has been two days, and this is the worst one I have ever had. My lip is very swollen, and the affected area is much larger than ever before. I can’t say definitely that the Abreva has made it worse, but it seems like there is a correlation."

• JCh...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 10, 2022

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "This medication has stopped working for me. It used to stop the blisters from even forming, and if they did, they only lasted a couple of days and were small enough to cover. I did the same thing I have always done, and it has spread from the corner of my mouth to the top and bottom lip and is swollen. I know I'm not crazy, but it almost feels like the Abreva made it worse than it's ever been."

• Cec...
• July 23, 2018

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Used Abreva because the pharmacy was out of the usual topical medication I prefer. Caused so much swelling, I ended up in the ER at 3 a.m. I had to have most of my face numbed to receive treatment. Absolutely awful. Now I'm out almost $300 and missed some work."

• Jen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 8, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Never in my life experienced the worst product ever. As soon as I started using the product, the next day it got worse. I have my lip super swollen, and it actually spread all over the lip. Don't buy it!"

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Much like others on this list, I applied Abreva at the first sign of a cold sore this morning. And what was 1 tiny spot on my upper lip has ballooned into a cluster of puffiness. I wish I had seen the other reviews before I applied it. I do not recommend this product."

• Mar...
• November 3, 2015

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I purchased this tube in 2014, and it worked. Come 11/2015, I felt the tingling and put this on immediately in the morning when I noticed. Every time I noticed, the ointment penetrated my lip, so about 6x throughout the day. I will never use this again because it made it worse; the bottom half of my lip is completely swollen. I thought maybe it expired, but not until 8/2016. I think the expiration time is wrong. I should've just stuck to my old lemon and salt method; it would've been gone in 2 days. Never repurchasing. Waste of $18."

• Iwa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 26, 2017

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "I've been getting cold sores once or twice a year for the past 20 years, and they've always been the same size, so I know my personal cold sores. I felt the signs of getting a cold sore, so having heard Abreva actually worked, I thought I'd give it a shot. At this point, the cold sore was a tiny bump no bigger than a pinhead. After trying the pump bottle, my cold sore got a little bigger, but I didn't think anything of it at first other than that I must not have caught it in time, so that's why it grew more, and I kept using Abreva. THIS WAS A TERRIBLE THING TO TRY. This cold sore is now the biggest I have ever had in my life, has spread to HALF of my upper lip, and it is so swollen and painful! This is because of Abreva. DO NOT USE!"

• no...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• September 25, 2022

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Abreva was my no. 1. Always when I felt a cold sore coming, I made sure it was in my bag, so no matter where I was, I had it with me at all times. But lately, their formula changed. Now it does not work, I get full-blown, swollen, hurtful, painful blisters. WHY, what did they change? It lasts for 2 weeks."

• Anonymous
• September 5, 2018

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "This is the worst thing I have ever used! I’ve never had a cold sore on my lip before, so I did a little research (obviously not enough) and rushed to get Abreva since it was what everyone was suggesting. Throughout the day, it started to swell up more, and I was like, oh maybe I should just keep using it, and I would ice it as well. I woke up at 3 a.m., and my lip was huge! Going to see my OB in the morning since I am pregnant, but man do I regret using this."

• Anonymous
• April 14, 2018

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Please do not use this!!! I wish I had read the reviews on here beforehand. I woke up with a small section of redness and put Abreva on it to get ahead of the virus (which I never do, but I have a trip coming up). Within the day, my lip was swollen with not one, but two huge blisters. It's the worst breakout I've ever had, and I wish I had never used this stupid cream. Stay away!"

• Anonymous
• December 29, 2016

For Herpes Simplex (HSV) "From my experience, Abreva is expensive and does not work. It has caused me to have additional outbreaks, which I have never experienced before. However, Campho Phenique is cost-effective and does work. When I have run out of Campho Phenique, I have used calamine lotion because it contains zinc, along with a multivitamin, vitamin C, and I have incorporated eating avocado and yogurt. By the second day, no more pain, my swelling has gone down, and I'm on my way to feeling confident."

• Tem...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2019

Docosanol topical for Herpes Simplex (HSV) "Doesn't work at all. I applied it at the first sign and woke up with a very swollen lip and a cluster of super sore blisters."