Website intended for a NZ health professional readership
SAM IS GOING to a wedding in three days and asks you for the best product to treat cold sores. You can see she has quite a large, noticeable, crusted blister on her lower lip, which she says she has had for the past two days. They seem to recur every six months or so, and she thinks it might be because she has been a bit stressed out in her job.
1. The New Zealand Herpes Foundation. Facial herpes. https://www.herpes.org.nz/herpes-patient-info/facial-herpes
2. Fookes C (Tech Ed). Cold Sores. Healthcare Handbook 2021–2022. Auckland, NZ: The Health Media Ltd; 2021.
3. Cleveland Clinic. Cold Sores. December 2019. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21136-cold-sores
4. Medsafe. New Zealand Data Sheet: Valtrex. 6 December 2018. https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/Datasheet/v/valtrextab.pdf
5. New Zealand Formulary. 13.10.3 Antiviral preparations. NZF v119; 1 May 2022. https://nzf.org.nz/nzf_6575
6. Hammer KDP, Dietz J, Lo TS, Johnson EM. A systematic review on the efficacy of topical acyclovir, penciclovir, and docosanol for the treatment of herpes simplex labialis. EMJ Dermatol 2018;6(1):118–23.
7. Karlsmark T, Goodman JJ, Drouault Y, et al. Randomized clinical study comparing Compeed cold sore patch to acyclovir cream 5% in the treatment of herpes simplex labialis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2008;22(10):1184–92.
8. Mailoo VJ, Rampes S. Lysine for herpes simplex prophylaxis: A review of the evidence. Integr Med (Encinitas) 2017;16(3):42–46.
9. Griffith RS, Walsh DE, Myrmel KH, et al. Success of L-lysine therapy in frequently recurrent herpes simplex infection. Treatment and prophylaxis. Dermatologica 1987;175(4):183–90.
In this article, Sue Frankland looks at the global problem of wastage of medications, including causes such as overprescribing and non-adherence. She also presents information from her master’s dissertation on how people understand, and respond to, medication expiration dates
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