How long to use abreva if cold sore never showed up?

This would have been my first cold sore ever. I woke up from a nap last wed with a sharp tingling in my left bottom lip, that lasted about 10 min. Then it started throbbing. Well, for the next evening and thurs morning it was more like a twinge (kind of like when a pinched nerve in your eye, leg, or arm makes you have a little twinge). I went to the store and bought abreva b/c i heard that if you apply at the first sign of tingling that it may stop the outbreak alltogether. I have been applying 5 times a day and its now Mon. No sign of a cold sore yet...im wondering how many days you have to use abreva after there has been no sign of a sore. I know it says not to use more than ten days, but at what point is it ok to stop using it? Is one going to pop up if I stop using it now? If anyone can fill me in on cold sores, how long and how many days are in between each "stage", and anything else, I would really appreciate it! I dont want to overuse it...but I want to know thats its ok to stop. I also am not even sure that it was a cold sore in the making...is there anything else that can cause those symptoms? Details would be greatly appreciated! THANKS SO MUCH!