miracle cures for night time coughing?

[mummylonglegs]

Dd's got a horrible cough that's keeping us all up at night at the moment. She's 2.4 and although she's had this before this is the worst and has gone on the longest. I've tried lots of things: We've raised the cot at one end, she's got a humidifier to make the air moist, we've got a massive range of cough medicines (none of which do a damn thing), she's got an inhaler from the GP in case it's asthmatic, her room's well aired in the day.

Last night she started coughing at 11.30pm and didn't stop until 2am. Then she coughed again from 6am until she got up at 7.30am. Needless to say we're all knackered. In the day she's not coughing much at all. She's got no fever. This has gone on now for almost 5 weeks on and off but last night was the WORST. 'Normally' she sleeps through from 7.30pm - 7.00am so you can imagine how tired she is in the day. She also coughs during her afternoon nap so doesn't really manage to 'catch up' on sleep then.

Any ideas?

[Cod]

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[Cod]

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[mummylonglegs]

Cod, that's kind of what the humidifier does. Also we can't leave the radiator on as we're in a tower block and it's sweltering even in winter.

[mummylonglegs]

Yeah, she's a junkie already with pain killers ...

[PrettyCandles]

Coughing only during sleeps sounds very odd. I don't know much about asthma, but I wonder whether it's worth investigating that route? Have you tried washing her bed-linen (including blankets and sleepingbags) in a completely different washing powder? Perhaps she's sensitive to the one you're currently using.

If she's old enough, you could try teaching her to break the cycle of coughing by holding her hand over her mouth and breathing through her nose between coughs. That might be all it takes if it's a 'tickle' cough.

[tunise]

Have you tried KARVOL varporiser plug in the wall thing? My son has asthma and when he has a cold we stick this on all night, tends to sort out the cough really quickly.(I found steam and humidifier's didn't work)
Apart from that no other ideas, just lots of sympathy. Disturbed nights for everybody, horrid.

[nutcracker]

What sort of cough is it ????

Dd2 and Ds have both got coughs at the mo. Dd is asthmatic so she is using her inhaler and i am giving them both Medised as i find it dries up their runny nose and stops it dripping down the back of their throat.

Last night i didn't have any Medised, and i eventually got to sleep at 4.20 am

[kid]

I use Vicks on my kids when they have a cough / cold. I put it on the chest and back and it seems to help.

[Chandra]

I would think it may be asthma, if you change the bed sheets, vacuum the room, leave the room free from dust and the coughing improves or disapear... may be she has an allergy.

I would do it just to be on the safe side...

[nnosam]

this sounds crazy but it worked on my ds when he had croup.

when she starts coughing, wrap her in blanket and either sit at the open back door or next to an open window, my gp told me that it help their airways, and lungs.
it does work and even now when my ds gets a cough i hang him out the window at nite and he sleeps better.

hope it works for you too.

good luck

[mummylonglegs]

I don't think it's an allergic asthma because she doesn't have it all the time, it's only been this last few weeks. Dp and I are asthmatic so we're on the lookout for it. I keep her room very dust-free because that affects my chest a lot and we don't have carpets or heavy curtains. The GP says they can't diagnose asthma before 3 years old but gave her an inhaler just in case. It doesn't seem to make a difference. It doesn't sound asthmatic to me really.

tunise, I'll try that Karvol plug in thing. And I might also try some Vicks. She's never had Medised yet, is it a lot better than Calpol?

nutcracker, the cough started weeks ago as a barking cough, the GP said it was croup. Then that got very loose and chesty sounding for a few weeks. But last night she was dry and barking again and much worse than before. Maybe she was almost over the last cough and has got another cough virus.

[mummylonglegs]

nnosam, thanks, don't think I'll hang dd out of our window though - we're on the 21st floor!!! Actually it would be difficult for us to get her outside for air without going all the way outside down the lift, although I can see how it might well help.

[Chandra]

You can't diagnose asthma before three years but that doesn't mean they don't have them until they are that old. DS have it only at some times of the year, the reasons are still obscure to me, sometimes I think is the polen, sometimes the carpet, sometimes the central heating and some others... the position of the moon against the stars. Totally unpredictable, I'm still wondering if it is really asthma...

[bluebear]

My kids cough at night if they have a slightly runny nose - it flows backwards at night (post nasal drip) and irritates, causing the coughing.
I tilt the bed (or give an extra pillow to older child) and give medised (anti-histamine containing medicine) to help them sleep through the irritation.

[mummylonglegs]

Maybe I'll try some Medised then. I've heard people mention it quite a lot on here. A trip to Boots in the morning then...

[CountessDracula]

Dd gets this, it is asthma according to our doc, but temporary brought on by cold. Get some ventolin and your sleep problems will get better!

[piffle]

Same here we've just figured she is probably allergic to our dog that arrived the week before she started coughing.
Ventolin helped, but we also took dd of most all dairy products except for two cups of goats milk at either end of the day
this cleared up the phlegm really quickly, we also found medised great for the nights when we really needed a longer sleep - it sure cleans up the nasal drip which seems to trigger the coughs.
We also put dd in with us and miracle of miracles she barely coughed! We did not sleep though

[bakedpotato]

try course of paediatric codeine -- you'll need presciption

it stopped a longterm cough (3-4mths, nights only) of dd's. everyone had assumed she was asthmatic and had told us to up the inhalers. consultant tried her on codeine as an experiment, it turned out a cough had turned into an inflammation of lungs

it's miraculous stuff.

[suedonim]

My youngest dd's asthma first presented as a night time cough, as you describe. She now gets it during the day as well, but it's controlled with an inhaler.

One thing that strikes me - you say you're giving your dd painkillers. Could she be allergic to any of the ingredients, esp if you're only give her the medication at bedtime?

[oatcake]

depending on the cough, a spoonful of honey is generally enough to help ds's cough. Tried manuka honey on thursday night and it as the first night since sunday that he slept right through with his cough.

might be coincidence, but not too bothered about that!

[mummylonglegs]

Thanks all. We already do have an inhaler and she uses it before bed and in the night. I don't think it's asthmatic though this cough because she's had 2 asthma attacks when in contact with dogs and her breathing was quite different. Also as a long-term asthmatic I kind of know what I'm looking for. Dd's cough at the moment doesn't respond to the Ventolin.

BUT, thanks to your other suggestions I got a Karvol plug in vaporiser and gave her some Medised and last night she coughed almost non-stop for the first hour she went to bed (miraculously she often isn't awake when she's coughing) and then slept all night without a single further coughing fit! So whoever recommended that, big thanks.

bp, that sounds rather scary, your dd's cough. do you think I should get that checked further with the GP? Whenever I go they're very dismissive and say they can't hear anything on her chest. How did they diagnose it?

So, fingers crossed for tonight.

[mummylonglegs]

Oh, bugger it, I spoke too soon. Dd's having her nap and has been coughing now since I posted my last message! I cleaned everything in her room this morning and hoovered and changed all her bedding too so there's not a speck of dust in sight.

Ok, am being hailed, better go.

[NatureDoc]

See a good homeopath - sounds like she needs Sulph 30c remedy. Sleep deprivation is the worst - hope she gets better soon.

[foxinsocks]

I don't really know what to suggest because dd (and to a certain extent ds) have terrible night time coughs. We have inhalers for them both but even though dd is 4 (and ds is 3) they are still saying they cannot be 100% sure it is asthma especially as they only ever cough at night (though dd does cough on exercise). Dh is asthmatic and I was as a child so we too know what we are looking for.

All I can say is that the coughing seems to go in cycles. Dd will get a cold and the cough that comes with it will linger for up to 3 months about 6 weeks of which will literally be non-stop night time coughing. Nothing seems to help - sometimes I think the brown (becotide) inhaler does more than the blue (ventolin) one as that one seems to irritate her more.

The only other thing I can suggest is to get the doc to check her tonsils. I know dd has large tonsils and the doc seemed to think that this may be exacerbating the cough at night due to her airway getting blocked. However, it's certainly not the cause. We send dd to bed with a drink and to be honest, she's got so used to coughing at night now that sometimes when I go in during a bad coughing fit, she's still fast asleep.

If you are really worried, I would suggest that codeine treatment to your doc. I remember my youngest sister having that treatment and it did work with her so maybe just breaking the cycle of coughing would be a good thing. Good luck.