Zovirzax cream applied fast at the tingle stage is about the only effective remedy there is. The active ingredient in Zovirax is Aciclovir which slows the virus from replicating itself. If you put the cream on early enough, it can prevent the outbreak from erupting or speed up the time it takes to heal.
I don't know about the toothpaste remedy as suggested by another reply. I thought that was supposed to be for pimples.
What is interesting here is that you say "I have never suffered from a cold sore". So I would be very concerned about where you got it from - that is, WHO gave it to you so you don't get anymore!!
Do a little google research on the internet and you will find that a coldsore is just another name for the Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and it is very, very contagious, usually passed on to others by kissing but it all depends on where the sore is on the giver and where the sore ends up on the recipient.
For example my daughter got a cold sore on her nose from her nursery care worker who had the virus on her thumb and gave it to my daugher when she wiped her nose. This same nursery worker gave it to several other children before this woman was finally discovered as the infection source. Thank GOD the nursery policy is for staff to wear gloves when they change the children's nappies otherwise the babies would have got the virus on their bottoms from this woman.
The virus has an incubation time of approximately 24 hours so you were infected about 24 hours before you got the very first symptoms. Think back 24 hours from the time you first noticed your first cold sore outbreak and try and work out how you got it. Did you kiss anyone? Did anyone kiss you? Did you drink out of someone else's cup? (That's how my friend got hers on the inside of her bottom lip). Or did you put something in your mouth or to your face that belonged to someone else? Given the timeframe of 24 hours you should b