Help! Literally can't stop coughing.... All tips, tricks, remedies welcome!

[Bilsonate]

I've got what I think is a post viral type cough. Felt hideous at the start of the week but the temperature/flu like symptoms have gone but now I have a cough.

And dear God. What a cough it is.

I have quite literally coughed non-stop since 8pm last night. I've thrown up, wretched, my throat is the most painful it's ever been and I've not slept at all. I'm completely broken.

What will fix this?!

Feel for you OP, that's the absolute worst! Do you have any vix? I often put a huge blob into a boiling bowl of water and leave it on my bedside table also pillows propped up so I'm almost sat upright.
Get yourself off to the GP this Morning, sounds like a Chest infection and you may need antibiotics. Do you have Asthma?

My mum had this for 3 months and only now its abating.

She did a steam with vicks before bed for about 5 minutes

She has honey in her porridge
And ginger and honey tea.

These 3 steps put to bed what all otter syrups and pastilles couldn’t

My go to for a cough that won't shift is buttercup syrup. The taste is... acquired. But it works every time within a few days. Of course, the cough might have taken its natural course. But it helps me!!

Vicks on the sole of your feet, then put socks on

Covonia or fisherman friend type lozenges, they taste awful

I second the Vicks - rub it on your chest if you can bear the smell.
Also strong cough lozenges (fisherman's friend).

You need to cough to clear your chest but taking the above measures to loosen it will ease the actual coughing.

I have just gone on a half hour walk with the dog (both of us wrapped up warm) and returned to a good loose coughing fit which cleared what had accumulated overnight!

I will try all of these things, thanks.

I doubt it's a chest infection @Gogoyoyo I've had them before and the cough has always been more "productive". This one is dry, tickly and constant. Will defo try the Vicks thing tho!

@App13 3 months?! Your poor mum! I really hope mine doesn't last that long - I'll be insane by then!

@ruby1957 I wish i had the energy to walk. I'm completely exhausted 😕

That depends if its a productive cough, lots of these coughs after viruses are just scratchy irritated coughs that are dry and hacking with nothing to come up, its upper respiratory not anything to do with the chest

They're terrible and make you sick. Ive had it for decades unfortunately, chronic cough.

Honey is a brilliant expectorant. I usually buy acacia for cough.

Get plain glycerin from the chemist and put some in a glass of water. Sip it if you start to cough or your throat feels dry . It seems to help as does old fashioned steaming with Vicks . Try and cough the mucus up .

I had similar and used otc co-codamol as codeine is a cough suppressant. After weeks of disturbed sleep taking one at night suppressed my cough enough for me to sleep. I used it nightly for three nights and it worked wonders.

I had a cough that lasted a year 😱 and almost drive me crazy so I feel your pain! Like you it would stop sleep, make me sick etc... took a combination series of antibiotics to get rid of it in the end. So when I got a fit of coughing the only thing that helped stop it was lemon and honey Jakeman's lozenges (no other brand would do). For general help I echo buttercup syrup, lemon and honey tea and drinking LOTS of water... always have some to sip by you so that whenever you feel even a slight tickle you can drink it immediately to damp it down. And deepest sympathy! Good luck!

Beconase nose spray used religiously if it's post nasal drip.
Jakemans lozenges for short term relief/trips to the theatre 😬

Broncho stop in the day, Night Nurse at night.

menthol rub on your chest, throat and bizarrely soles of feet eases a cough. Sleep propped up on pillows, semi sitting up.

Bronchostop works for me.

Pholcodine medicine from the chemist is a game changer, it is a cough suppressant and helps me massively when I'm in this situation! It's cheap too, I feel you, i really suffer with coughs and like you end up coughing til I'm sick and can't get a wink of sleep.
The only thing is they won't give it to you if your cough is chesty/productive...

Some good tips here - I too have been kept awake by this horrible cough for at least 10 nights now, it's really impacting upon my sleep. I've never had a cough like this so it's helpful to hear others have had it and some of the tips.
It's like a bloody dog bark!!

Soluble cocodomol which you can get over the counter. It's codeine and years ago GPs used to prescribe it for coughs like these. It's only meant to be used for max 3 days but I find after taking it for just one day, everything calms down and I can rest and sleep.

Oh if you do get them, don't get the solpadeine brand as they have caffeine in them and that'll keep you wide awake.

Sympathies OP, I have it too - even Night Nurse didn't knock me out last night.

I've been doing Vicks, had honey, lemon and ginger last night, but no luck....my head hurts from all of the coughing and I sound like a seal. Worst cough/cold I've had for a very long time.

Prop yourself up on pillows. Keep warm, if you can mamage it get your face under the covers so you beathe in warm air.

I had similar, only just stopped coughing (the original virus was mid-December).

My remedies: steam inhalation, as often as you can, and lemon/honey/ginger drink (I use fresh lemon juice, steep the rind and some fresh ginger in the boiling water, teaspoon of honey, and a glug of whisky if you fancy it).

Sleep on lots of pillows, or sitting up if you can.

It triggered my asthma, which is usually very mild, and I had to triple my inhaler dose until it settled down. If you're not usually asthmatic, you might need to get inhalers from your GP for a while.

Sherry. Viscous and alcoholic! Probably not all day though. 😉 I had a bottle of cooking sherry instead of rice wine at uni and discovered it in desperation.

You can buy a steamer at a pharmacy, probably online att Argos/Boots/Amazon etc. they were a lifesaver overnight when the kids were small with coughs. Cost about £15.

Give up sugar for a few days. That's what got rid of mine when nothing else worked.
There's a link between coughing and inflammation.

This recipe was given to me by a GP years ago, and is very soothing. Take a bit of fresh ginger the size of your thumb, chop up, put in a pan of 500ml water, and gently simmer for an hour. Strain. Use this hot ginger water to make a drink with 2 teaspoons of honey and the juice of half a lemon. It won't cure a chest infection (please see your GP if you suspect this), but it will ease your throat, and damp down the coughing. You can drink as much as you like of it. Why not make a big batch and keep in a thermos? Get well soon 😀