This online service is for adults aged 18 or over. Please speak to a pharmacist or your GP for advice.

A first cold sore needs to be seen by a healthcare professional to confirm the diagnosis, as a first episode can be more severe and may be something else. Please speak to your GP or a pharmacist.

Sores that look or feel different from your usual cold sores, or appear in other places, need to be checked in person. Please speak to your GP or a pharmacist. For sores in the genital area, please use our genital herpes consultation.

A cold sore cream, such as aciclovir cream, is the recommended first treatment, and you can buy one from MyChemistPlus without a prescription. Start it at the first tingle. If creams do not help your cold sores, please speak to your GP or a pharmacist about tablets.

As you get cold sores often, your GP can consider treatment to prevent them. Please contact your GP.

We cannot treat cold sores online if your immune system is weakened, as you may need a different treatment. Please contact your GP or NHS 111.

We cannot supply these tablets if you have had an allergic reaction to them. Please speak to your GP or a pharmacist.

We do not supply cold sore tablets online in pregnancy. A cold sore cream is usually suitable; please check with a pharmacist, your midwife or your GP.

With severe kidney disease, cold sore tablets need a special dose that we cannot arrange online. Please contact your GP or kidney team.

As you are already taking cold sore tablets, please finish your current course, or speak to whoever prescribes your daily tablets. If your cold sore has not started to heal after 10 days, please contact your GP.

We cannot treat cold sores online if you take a medicine that weakens your immune system. Please contact your GP or NHS 111.

My answers are true and complete. If I am ordering for someone else, they are aged 18 or over, have agreed to this consultation, and my answers are about them. I agree to identity checks and to MyChemistPlus.co.uk checking the patient's NHS Summary Care Record where available, and I accept the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

A prescriber will decide whether treatment is right for the patient and may contact me or the patient by SMS, email or phone if more information is needed. If treatment is supplied, the patient will read the Patient Information Leaflet before starting, follow the instructions on the label, and seek urgent medical attention if their symptoms are not improving or they feel more unwell.