I have a cough. I’ve been coughing every thirty seconds for a week. My doctor’s appointment is on Monday. So far cough suppressants work for about five minutes and then stop.
Any suggestions about what to do in the meantime? The doctor’s office is closed and I feel silly calling this annoyance an emergency.
I find citrus Nice cough drops are good. They are sugar free and not as nasty tasting as some. Plenty of menthol and having something to suck on keeps the troat moist. Sipping on liquids, including I love Lemon tea. An OTC combo cough suppressant and expectorant containing containing Guaifenesin can be helpful.
Tea with lemon, honey and a little brandy is a good home remedy for a cough. Just sip on it. The drops for a cough help sometimes as does just sucking on hard candy. Drink lots of water, don’t talk a lot and don’t mouth-breathe. You want to keep the back of your throat moist. You didn’t say what kind of cough you have. If its a productive cough you shouldn’t really suppress it too much with OTC meds. If you go back to the pharmacy ask a pharmacist to help you pick one based on the type of cough you have.
Some meds can cause cough. ACE inhibitors and Beta blockers, commonly used for hypertension can cause an irritating cough. Some migraine and glaucoma meds are also Beta blockers. Don’t stop taking it, but be sure and remind your doc if you are on one when you go on Monday. There are other meds that could be used instead.
I would try hot tea with honey (an antibiotic) and lemon. If you have some bourbon in the house add a little of that. Try to get a good nights sleep.
A cough?!? It’s a deadly, contagious disease! running around Get her to quarantine! Call the hospital! Call the Coast Guard!
(Get rest, don’t strain your voice, drink water, take care of yourself, and you’ll be fine. ;))
In the past, I’ve found that if I suck on cough drops continually, it helps the cough, but tears up the roof of my mouth; so here’s a little trick I learned from a friend: dissolve two honey-lemon cough drops in a cup of hot tea. Add sugar or sweetener to taste. For the bedtime cup, add an ounce of bourbon.
This won’t really help you til you se the doctor but… I’m very prone to coughs and bronchitis. I even got walking pneumonia one year from a cough I didn’t do anything about. I think it’s because I used to smoke. Anyway, I had a really bad one something like four years ago and the doctor prescribed me a bottle of cough syrup with codeine in it. That stuff is amazing. It knocks me out and totally steps on the cough. The bottle he prescribed was far more than I need and I’ve been hoarding the stuff ever since. I start getting a cough, I just take a sip and it’s gone. (yes, I know all about the throwing out of old prescriptions but I’ve never read anything that says codeine will expire…)
Codeine itself may or may not “expire,” but it the solution can become stronger over time due to evaporation. (Not a doctor or pharmacist, just going on what I’ve been told by same.)
Try gargling with warm salt water. Yes, it tastes nasty, but it really helps-especially if you have all that gunk in your throat-it helps bring it up.