To want to stop coughing

[AddictedtoStrepsils]

Dry cough due to viral illness that my whole family have had.

9 nights so far of coughing ALL night long. Am sleeping sitting up, propped up by pillows. Steamed myself last night and tonight using boiling water and a little olbas oil. Constantly have a strepsil in my mouth because it does help to prevent coughing fits.

I am miserable. The cough makes me ache so much. I am exhausted.

Is there anything I can do?

If the cough isnt productive then its not going to do damage or delay recovery to suppress the cough

Dry and not productive is exactly the cough I get post-virus that needs inhaler/steroids. I used to get them for weeks on end and get no sleep till one GP realised and gave me the prednisolone for the first time.

Thanks all for the advice. Turns out I can’t take night nurse. Gutted as was so looking forward to a decent sleep.

I’ve been drinking herbal tea all day and it has been soothing, so thank you for that advice . I’ve also taken sinutab instead of just paracetamol and I’m not sure if it’s helped or not but tonight I’ve coughed less. Dreading bed but 🤷‍♀️

Same, just had a cold colds going but cough is awful. I can hear my chest wheezing.

Week three of going through the same, now improving. I did the steam inhalation, kept hydrated and use cough drops which did help. I also got some Benolin dry cough syrup with dextromethorphan which is a cough suppressant, it really helped. You can't get it just of the shelf, it's kept behind the counter in pharmacies so you need to ask for it.

By the time I'd pulled a muscle and even breathing was painful I was prepared to try anything. Codiene based drugs will work but they may make you constipated and spaced out which the Benolin didn't do.

Hope you feel better soon.

Dr prescribed me a nasal spray last time I had persistent cough. Can’t remember what exactly it was but think it was just a basic decongestant you can buy in pharmacy. It was surprisingly helpful.

Sadly @FOJN i can’t take the
Benolin due to other meds i am on! I bought it before I realised. Was desperate and so looking forward to to a decent nights sleep!!

I have a positive update - still coughing but I bought Sinutab yesterday as my sinuses were sore and I was also feeling desperate…took 2 doses yesterday and last night felt that my cough had eased off significantly. Very bizarre - but must be linked. Still coughing, still having fits which are very embarrassing in work but far more bearable than it was.

my whole body feels battered from coughing so much 😞

Allergy tablets stop me from coughing.

Keep drinking fluids - esp hot fluids. Loosens things up a bit I think.

Have been drinking lots of herbal teas - maybe that has helped too.

Although currently awake as can’t stop coughing!

It’s very tickly tonight though.

Go /call the GP. There are prescription cough suppressants you can take that are specifically for people who are being kept awake by coughing. They may prescribe from a phone call. You can also try a private GP for not much money if you cant get to your GP. If the coughing has gone on for more than 8 weeks, its termed chronic cough and should be treated

You need the prednisolone or an inhaler. You have exactly the same type of cough I get for weeks on end after a cold unless I treat it. It is dry, tickle, far worse at night and is easily treated with the right medication. Just call your GP and ask.

Have also had fits during the day at work as you say. My team are used to it! Even they know to check if I've gone and got a new inhaler!

Thats a good point about asthma meds, there is a thing called viral induced asthma and one of the main symptoms is fruitless coughing. A short course of an inhaler might reset everything

Oh I feel you. I had a cough like this recently that lasted nearly 3 weeks. I could barely move as I had bruised my ribs, and my stomach muscles were very painful. Mine was caused by a post nasal drip. So I did find that a saline nasal spray helped to loosen off some of the mucous. Have you got a humidifier? I use one when I have a cough and I think it does make a difference as well.

2 tablespoons of honey, apple cider vinegar, water. Mix with 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger and cayenne pepper. Stir and take spoonfuls like medicine, keep it in the fridge. Use as needed.

Curcumin high dose tablets with black pepper. I have cough variant asthma, barely used rescue inhaler since daily curcumin tablets.
And go to your GP for steroids.

Or get some actual medicine. Like the steroids that will clear this up in a day or so.

I have a few puffs of the cat's steroid asthma inhaler which settles it down. In desperation I've also orally inhaled some beclometasone steroid nasal spray which I have for my sinusitis and this has helped as well.

Op, I tested positive for Covid on 11 Sept and have been coughing for the last three weeks. It's miserable but it is getting better slowly.

Can you take some time off sick? Or WFH? I've found the best thing is to dose myself up with benylin and then stay in bed for the day. Keep warm and still. A couple of days rest really helped.

Hope you feel better soon.

Drink plenty of fluids- it’s good to keep hydrated
I found camomile tea with honey very helpful with my covid cough. Honey is brilliant stuff!!
Hope you feel better soon

I've had 6 months of terrible coughing. Latest GP thinks it's a side effect of blood pressure meds. She's changed these and it definitely seems to have reduced.