Has anyone found something to help with a chronic cough?

[JumpingDizzy]

Not for me but someone related. They have mild asthma from adulthood.
No infection.
I've seen different natural things advertised but unsure of the benefit?

They do steam inhalation and use prescription inhalers.

Not particularly overweight and keep fit.

Just cough so much. GP has no answers

Is it a dry tickly cough? Could be acid reflux. Reflux can also make you feel a bit wheezy or hyperventilate. I had this and my GP never thought of reflux. Now whenever my friends have a mystery cough I suggest it and several times I've been right. Why GPs are clueless baffles me because it seems quite common.

@AudiobookListener how funny you should say that I was wondering the same thing today.

I'll get him to take something for that and see. Thanks.

My husband was suffering terribly with this. It was acid reflux. He started sleeping on his left side, got a prescription for omeprazole and is a different person since!

Has your friend had a chest x ray? I would be demanding one for a persistent cough that doesn’t go away

Yes they have thank you. I agree though.

I feel as baffled by the fact that gps are clueless about it as you are.

I recommend the book The Chronic Cough Enigma. It’s written by an American doctor, about the link between reflux and coughing. Also the book the Acid Watcher Diet.

Also, a CT scan shows up much more than an X-ray. GP’s can’t request one, your friends GP would need to refer them to a respiratory specialist to have one. Your friend could have a condition such as bronchiectasis, which is only diagnosed by a CT scan.

I get a persistent cough after every cold and find that an antihistamine can help. Also a full dose of an anti-inflamatory like aspirin if he has asthma or ibuprophen if not.

If it's effecting his sleep then an occasional dose of cocodamol can help as codine is a cough suppressant. Obvs only a temporary measure.

Cheers everyone I'll pass it on.

@JumpingDizzy
maybe his asthma isn’t as mild as he thinks? Dry cough common in asthma. Is he taking preventer inhaler everyday?

Yes he is.

I had to change inhaler from the basic brown preventative with blue ventalin for breakthrough wheezing, to a Symbicort inhaler which does my coughing. Maybe need to try different inhaler. I also had reflux but that stopped when they put me on CPap for sleep apnoea

What inhaler is he using? I had a difficult to diagnose asthma which is cough variant asthma, I use a symbicort inhaler and it’s life changing. Mine is triggered by colds.

I knew someone who struggled with this and it turned out to be a side-effect of a medication. If his GP is baffled, he should be referred on

Thanks I've passed the messages on.

Can’t for the life of me remember officially what DH has but it’s something to do with something dripping from nose down back of throat - he was given a spray, directions said to blow nose then spray, but he discovered just blowing nose cleared the ‘gunk’ and stopped it dripping down and causing the cough
so now every time his cough flares up he’s met with ‘blow your nose’ comments from everyone! Simple but it works for him! x