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Original poster

Toddler coughing every night

74 replies

Aftereights91 · 21/03/2019 20:38

He's had a cough for the past six months. He'll cough for hours at a time. Doctor thought asthma but inhaler isn't helping, was given steroid tablets to try, that's not helping either
He doesn't get out of breath or wheeze, it's just this persistent cough.
Could it be an allergy?
I can't listen to anymore of his coughing, it's killing me that I can't fix it and the poor sod just wants to get a good night's sleep

OP posts:

Solasum · 21/03/2019 21:37

When he gets a bit bigger he will
Understand that it helps him breathe and that aspect at least will get better.

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 21/03/2019 21:37

@Handay he has had throat infections etc quite often that result in coughing till he throws up, usually the cough would go when the infection went, but it went last time and about a month after was when the coughing start. The doctor said he had no lingering throat infection. Could it be that his throat got so irrated it's caused the cough? How would they even fix that?

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cliffdiver · 21/03/2019 21:38

We had the same with DD2.

She had a cough for well over a month.

She was prescribed and took a blue inhaler for 2 weeks - no difference.

GP prescribed a 1 week course of antibiotics on Monday (no obvious cause for cough, no signs of infection) and she's finally stopped coughing.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Babies & sleep Children's health Children's sleep General health

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 21/03/2019 21:38

@Solasum yes still coughs if he's in with us. We've just bought new bedding for our bed this week though so will be interesting to see if that continues

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Handay · 21/03/2019 21:39

So anyway, after going through similar with ds I'd say ring asthma UK, get them to advise you what to say at your next appointment, they can listen to him cough over the phone (honest, they will!), and get referred to the asthma nurse.

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 21/03/2019 21:41

Brill I'll do that thankyou @Handay

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cindersrella · 21/03/2019 21:42

It could be an allergy to dust mites. Have you tried antihistamines before bed?

Handay · 21/03/2019 21:43

@Aftereights91 it's not his throat that's irritated but his airways. There's something got into his airways - could be literally anything but yes could have come from a viral infection like a throat infection - and they're reacting to that. That's why cough medicine isn't helping because it's not a 'cough' as such ie it's not to do with his throat. Honestly though you'll go nuts trying to work out what it is and I'd advise against doing so when he's been coughing for six months and so needs the irritation to be treated as a priority.

Onefootforward1 · 21/03/2019 21:53

My son has had the same thing since he was 1. The blue inhaler (Ventolin) only works to immediately relieve a wheeze. The brown inhaler (Clenil modulite) is a preventer and the GP didn’t tell us but the pharmacist explained the child has to take it morning and night to build up in the system and prevent a cough. Since we started doing this he hardly ever cough..

Handay · 21/03/2019 22:02

Yeah how the nurse explained it to us is that with asthma the airways get irritated. When you have an acute asthma attack they also close up. So you take the blue one to open them up again. But when there's irritation there the airways also become inflamed so lots of people need the preventer which treats the irritation as well as opening the airways up. So if you are constantly damping down the inflammation you don't get the irritation and then you don't get the cough/wheeze. Some people's lungs just do get irritated by everyday things that don't bother other people. That's asthma.

mynameissleepyhead · 21/03/2019 23:33

Could you demand a referral to an ENT specialist.

Our DS has a persistent cough at night and has had 11 ear infections since Oct, which is why we saw the ent consultant. Who also told us that he needs his adenoids and tonsils removing.

He said the cough is probably because he has a dry throat which is typical for mouth breathers, common in toddlers with enlarged adenoids.

DS's are huge apparently and is getting surgery within the next month or so.

mynameissleepyhead · 21/03/2019 23:35

Also if it is allergy related, please wash the bedding on high. I have a dust mite allergy and really notice if I don't do the bedding on a hot wash.

Has to be at least 60 degrees to kill off the dust mite allergen and regularly.

MunchMunch · 21/03/2019 23:55

I have a night time cough when I'm in bed (ok during the day) and I've narrowed it down to post nasal drip or reflux which causes the acid to rise into my throat even though I don't feel like I've got heartburn/reflux at that moment even though I do suffer with heartburn a lot!

I sometimes have a swig of gaviscon before I go to bed which I think helps calm the coughing down - at least I don't wake myself up so I'd have to ask dh if it actually works!

TwoShades1 · 22/03/2019 06:20

As a short term thing while you look into allergies and different medications could he try sleeping a bit propped up? If I have a cough I find laying flat makes it worse and having a think pillow or 2 pillows to prop me up a bit helps reduce the urge to cough so much.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 22/03/2019 06:32

Interesting, DS is 16 months and has had a cough for pretty much the whole time, been in hospital for a night for it even! He’s had 2 inhalers before, blue I think, but that was to stop a wheeze/striding breath not coughing. I know nothing about asthma, none in the family. Was thinking of taking him back to docs as it’s very stressful hearing him cough all the time. DS1 coughs a lot at the mo too, brings bugs back from nursery I think!

Bananarama12 · 22/03/2019 06:41

We had coughing until sick. We had to stop giving milk as I noticed that was when he would cough until sick so now on soya growing up milk, anti allergy bedding, and a dust mite machine (emits a sound to stop them breeding) and no more cough! We also have an inhaler which does work for us but would still cough with the milk.

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 23/03/2019 08:48

They've given us some other stuff to try, some granules, which I can pick up today. But last night he coughed so much he was sick in his bed again and instead of coming to get us he tried to clean it up himself :( so now I feel like shit

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ppeatfruit · 23/03/2019 08:56

Bananarama Is right , try cutting out dairy for a while and see how he goes it may be a common allergy to dairy! There are good plant milks on the market now. My whole family has it!

Volcanite · 23/03/2019 09:17

We had a similar experience to Handay. DD had a nighttime cough for years. Told by various GP they couldn't do anything for suspected asthma until she was six. Saw an asthma nurse who first tried blue inhaler with spacer which did nothing. She tried the beige preventer inhaler and the cough was gone within days and hasn't returned months on. I'm so cross with the previous GPs. BTW DD never wheezes but sometimes coughed after running around. Poor soul could have been treated so many years ago and had a he'll of a lot more sleep

PoptartPoptart · 23/03/2019 09:18

I haven’t rtft so apologies is this has already been mentioned..
it could be reflux. We had very similar issues with DS when he was young. I pushed the doctor for a referral to a paediatrician. We were referred to the Brompton hospital where he has some tests done. It was reflux. He had to take omeprazole (sp?) for a few months and it really helped.
Worth looking into op.

Graphista · 23/03/2019 11:24

Follow up on the asthma suggestions for sure.

But...even before you got to the post about repeat throat infections I was thinking something else entirely.

Is he a chatterbox? Fast or slow eater? Any problems with choking when eating?

When you say sometimes he coughs so much he's almost sick I take it you mean he starts gagging?

BiscuitDrama · 23/03/2019 11:28

I presume you’ve tried moisture? Probably won’t help but it would be a nice simple fix if it did. Does a steam inhalation in the night help? Wet towels on radiators etc.

widgetbeana · 23/03/2019 12:27

@Aftereights91
I was coming in to suggest montelukast which I suspect are the granules you are being given.

My dd coughed all winter and sometimes during hay fever times from age 1. She had lots of breathing issues and bronchitis. We had steroids, inhalers, different inhalers, spacers, you name it.
Then after another admittance to hospital we ended up getting rid of everything to try these 'magic sprinkles' (montelukast). If I'm honest I bought it wouldn't work. But boy was I wrong! They have changed our lives. Every cold doesn't end in endless coughing, she doesn't end up in hospital with breathing trouble anymore!

She is now nearly 4 and she only has the tablets when she has a cold.

They reduce the secretions made in the lungs, which is how they reduce the need to cough.

I really hope it works as well for you as it did for us.

P.s. it has been almost impossible for us to get the granule form for nearly a year, so we get chewable tablets and used to crush them. My dd will happily just chew them now, but just a heads up.

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 23/03/2019 12:31

@widgetbeana that's them!!! That sounds promising thank you :)

OP posts:

Original poster

Aftereights91 · 23/03/2019 12:32

@Graphista yes he's a chatterbox he never shuts up, he also dribbles a ridiculous amount even though he has all his teeth and has done since he was six months old, I'm talking literally soaking a t-shirt in an hour. No problems with eating no, but yes he coughs until he gags and then throws up

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