Contrary to popular belief, Australian researchers discovered the
herpes virus remains active in the body even when there are no symptoms. Instead of thinking the virus erupts during times of stress, we can now say cold sore flare ups occur when our immune system is weakened (eg. due to stress) allowing the virus to get the upper hand in the eternal war going on inside our bodies.
With that knowledge I found that by continuing to take L-Lysine (even after cold sores had vanished) the severity of flare ups decreased to none at all; over a period of 1-2 years I was able to reduce my L-Lysine dose to 1 tablet (1000mg) per day and eventually to 1 per week. Since L-Lysine is an essential amino-acid I will not be reducing that dose any further. I have gone 5+ years without a single cold sore.
For more information see:
Lysine, Natural Amino Acid Fights Herpes
If you're needing to take multiple tablets it's best to spread your intake evenly over the whole day.