I can’t stop coughing and I’m becoming exhausted

[Jinglebellsoncake]

I have had a cough for 2 weeks.
I have become much worse in the last 3 days. I cannot stop coughing. I keep having violent coughing fits where I physically cannot coughing. I am not unwell enough to see a doctor though. (No temperature)

I am covid negative.

The coughs are partly dry and partly phlegmy.

I have tried ibuprofen, citirizine, warm drinks, steaming my face. I am getting a bit desperate- can anyone suggest anything else?

Pholcodine

I have the same cough! My chest rattles when I breathe and I cough so much I get dizzy. I'm shattered.

My best suggestion is honey and lemon, and continuous flow of the stuff. Fishermans friends. And rest

Is it a tickly cough? I use difflam throat spray to numb the tickle if that makes sense. Helps me sleep at least

Prop yourself up with lots of pillows and do speak to a doctor. I sympathise op I was like this with covid and it was horrendous

I get that sort of cough as a post-viral thing. I agree it's appropriate to see a doctor at this point.

My mainstays now to see off an irritable cough are pholcodine and reasonably strong cough sweets - I like Jakemans original myself. Menthol/Eucalyptus etc is what you're looking for.

If you have a history of asthma then treating this should be helpful. Mine was, several years ago, treated as a possible asthma variant but this didn't help and eventually was proven non-asthmatic. But I was still advised that a short course of oral steroids wasn't inappropriate if I ever got that bad again. (had had to have them a couple of times by then) You're probably not nearly at that stage at the moment.

Good luck, I hate how utterly exhausting that kind of cough can be.

At night, night nurse is the only thing to help. I think for me it’s post nasal drip so the antihistamine dries it out a bit. Gross but there you go!

When I had pneumonia I coughed all the time, especially through the night, sometimes til I threw up. And I felt exhausted, and short of breath just walking up the stairs. But I didnt have a temperature or have any other particular symptoms. So I'd say you should see a Dr since your symptoms have persisted and are getting worse

I’ve heard on here Vicks on feet - don’t slip though! Maybe socks over to stop slip risk :/

Hope you are better soon

And yes to seeing doctor

Thank you ask for your replies pholcodeine sounds like it might help. I’ll go to boots tomorrow!

i do have some oral steroids (i have an auto immune disease and these are my emergency pack) in the cupboard. I thought about taking them, but was worried I may suppress my immune system further by taking them?

The thing that helps me most when I have a stubborn cough is chewing gum...sounds mad, but works for me. Really hope you get some relief as I know how awful it can be.

Doctors can prescribe a cough suppressant- like an inhaler. My DH got one for his post Covid cough. It did help - took a couple of days. So don’t discount the gp

I had v similar last winter, went to the gp and it turned out to be a nasty chest infection and early stage pneumonia. Needed antibiotics to sort it out, maybe head to the GP? Hope you feel better soon.

Vicks on feet (no idea why it helps but it does) and a blue inhaler are the only things that help with that kind of cough here. You need to talk to your GP really.

You should see a doctor. If your cough persists and you can't get rid of it/have had various tests you could ask to be referred to a cough clinic.

I had a chronic cough so I know what it's like. Hang in there!

That is helpful to know mummabubs.

I’ll have to wait until Monday to call end gp,
, I’m not confident they will give me an inhaler, but I will try anything. I’m absolutely exhausted from it. My back tummy and ribs feel line I’ve been beaten up from this coughing!

The out of hours GP gave me an inhaler for this. Really helped.
I’m now using it for my Covid cough! I had the other virus for 5 weeks (GP said Adenovirus), then got Covid 10 days later! Been horrendous.

Ring 111. They might prescribe you an inhaler and can give you advice about the steroids.

I rang 111. Wow they called me back within a couple of mins and sorted a prescription for an inhaler and antibiotics for me!

I have tried inhaler and it seems to definitely be helping. I won’t take the antibiotics unless I don’t feel any better tomorrow.

Thank you for all your help!

I had this 4 winters ago and it lasted 4 months. I was at the GP 3 times (I never normally go to the GP) and told viral each time. I wasn’t given anything for it but was using one of my sons blue inhalers at night and pholcodine syrup as it was so awful. I was convinced I had something nasty. However it did, eventually, go on its own. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. It’s one of the reasons I’m scared of getting Covid.

I’ve been off work with a virus, bad cough, fever, body aches, swollen glands for 14 days now it’s embarrassing . Can’t shake it off sympathise with you with the coughing hurts my back and I’m exhausted. I got some antibiotics as coughing up Green stuff at the weekend but they don’t seem to be working as of yet taken for 48 hours.
I can’t remember ever feeling this ill. Any advice

My chronic cough was caused by silent reflux and was much worse after eating chocolate. It took a while to work out what it was with help from the GP. For me Omeprazole, not eating before bed and loosing some weight helped.

@Cb700 I came down with a virus exactly a month ago today, which sounds very much like the one many people on this thread have had/got and it's taken me a month to start to feel better. I've been coughing for three weeks and coughed up buckets of green stuff, but finally today I'm feeling a lot better. I started taking Berocca on Monday and my recovery appears to have coincided with that (but I don't know if they're linked - I wouldn't swear to it!).

If you've already got antibiotics, I would probably give them another day or two to work. I never had fever, chills, etc and if you've had those symptoms for 14 days then you probably have some kind of infection. Hopefully the ABs will knock it out, but do call your doctor back if they don't. Otherwise, rest, fluids and gentle exercise. I've exercised throughout, even when I've felt terrible, and I honestly think it's helped.

Gosh it’s miserable isn’t it!
Give me covid any day (I had covid mildly compared to this!)

Finished the abx 👍👍so hopefully they have knocked it on the head. I’m functional- able to work today. A little embarrassing having to pre warn my clients beforehand about my cough! But it’s not as violent as last week!

@Jinglebellsoncake glad you are feeling better.
dod anyone get breathlessness or is that part of the infection? I’ve got neck pain too but think that’s having to sleep sitting up and stress.
I’m starting to worry now it’s something more (I had breast cancer last year - all ok now though).
tried work today - not a good idea im
a teacher throat hurts.