Acyclovir comes in tablet form or as an ointment with brand names such as Abreva or Zovirax. Acyclovir in tablet form can only be issued by prescription from your doctor.
Acyclovir issued by your GP will typically be given for more serious outbreaks, or as a suppressant for people that suffer repeated attacks of the virus.
Acyclovir as a topical ointment is widely available under a variety of brand names. A 2g tube of the ointment usually contains 5% acyclovir. The ointment does work in quite a number of cases, but it is essential that you catch the outbreak at the tingling stage. More often than not, the cream will not stop the outbreak, just lessen the symptoms and the healing time.
My personal experience of the tablets is that they do lessen the severity and length of an outbreak, but the higher dosage can make you feel sick or generally unwell. As for the cream, I have had mixed results, the cream will generally lessen the symptoms of a face herpes outbreak somewhat but wont lessen the frequency that the virus occurs. As I have said before, some treatments work better for some than for others, so if you feel the tingling coming on, it is worth a try.
Abreva cold sore and fever blister treatment cream tube - 2 gm