Bastarding convulsive, tickly cough!!

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Dh kindly gave me his cold for Christmas. The worst of it is passing now, though I do still feel a bit shitty - but as always, after a cold, I have ended up with a convulsive, tickly cough - once I start, I can't stop and frankly my pelvic floor is just not up to it.

Apparently I coughed all last night in my sleep, and kept dh awake - but that is karma, pure and simple, for when he had the cold, and not only coughed in his sleep, but before each cough, did a strange nurghhhhhhhhh mooing noise a few times first.

Drinking water doesn't help with the tickle, and sucky sweets like mentholyptus don't dissolve fast enough to stop me coughing my guts up (and risking firing the sucky sweet at supersonic speeds at whatever happens to be in the way). Using a sore-throat spray like chloraseptic does help, because it numbs the area so I can't feel the tickle, but I don't want to use that all the time because a) I am not sure it would be good for me to have a permanently numb throat, and b) it is bloddy expensive.

So does anyone have any suggestions of things I can take, or drinks I could have handy, that might help with this? Pleeeease - my gusset can't take any more!

Maybe an anti histamine could help

Medicines with pholcodine in them can help suppress the cough reflex too

go to the doctor sdtg i know two people who have died in the night from an untreated cough......(sorry but it is true).....they actually had lung infections but just battled on with aspirin and 'sucky sweets'.....and they could both be alive now if they had gone to a doctor instead.

actually three if you count Dylan Thomas ^

I will go, if it carries on NigellasDealer, but at the moment I am reasonably sure it is not a lung infection, as I don't have any of the other symptoms of one (temperature, rattles in the chest, coughing up disgusting stuff). This is what happens to me at the end of every cold, and when I went to the GP about it last year, he muttered about a post-nasal drip, and gave me a steroid nasal spray, which was neither use nor ornament.

I do have antihistamines in the house, and will go and check what is in the cough medicines we have - thanks ilovepowerhoop.

Dear OP,

You might want to try pholcodeine linctus. I use it for my annual winter cough. It is a very effective cough suppressant. For that reason I would use it sparingly (probably just before bed) as it leaves me a bit chesty in the morning. However when I am coughing so much I am keeping myself or others awake all night I find it invaluable. Hope you're feeling better soon.

Thank you Princess - I will check what we have in, and send dh to the chemist if necessary. I am sure if I tell him he will get a better night's sleep, he won't mind going.

OP I know exactly what you mean. I have had the same sodding virus twice, the first time lasted 3 weeks, I then had 2 weeks break and then I got it again for another week.

I too was using the chloroseptic spray on a nighttime to numb my throat and when it got particularly annoying during the day.

I found inhaling menthol steam helped loads. I have got one of those inhalation cup things so I did it whilst watching the tv.

I further agree with pholcodiene linctus, just be aware that it does have a small amount of alcohol in it though.

Right - I have checked the linctuses we have, and none of them have pholcodiene in, so we are off to the chemist.

Thanks all. Posting here for advice is so much better than shoving a fork down my throat for a good scratch!