# Any remedies for a nagging cough?... mine just won't GO AWAY!!!



## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

When I say cough imagine coughing at least once every other minute! And the cough itself lasts about 10-20 seconds! Please let me know if any of you have tried something that *REALLY* works!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Ricolas...  but even they don't always work.  Hope you feel better soon!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Mucus relief DM cough.  I have the Walgreens brand.  OMG, it works great.  
My job requires me to sit in the front of a court room full of people.  And if
I'm coughing the whole process has to stop because I'm not getting any testimony.
I finally found this product and it worked really well for me.
deb


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Susan in VA said:


> Ricolas... but even they don't always work. Hope you feel better soon!


  Check out my current Snackage... 


drenee said:


> Mucus relief DM cough. I have the Walgreens brand. OMG, it works great.
> My job requires me to sit in the front of a court room full of people. And if
> I'm coughing the whole process has to stop because I'm not getting any testimony.
> I finally found this product and it worked really well for me.
> deb


Just told my MIL we had to stop at Walgreen's on the way to the parades! Now I can get some relief  ... maybe...


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Robitussin DM as mentioned by Drenee.  Store brands that do similar usually have "DM" in their name and will do fine.  The key is that it also says "Expectorant and cough surpressant" on the label.  My father was a pharmacist and recommended this to me decades ago, and it is still a winner!

This will work.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Warnings for those who take "DM" style medication:

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/robitussin-dm.html

The most important one is if you take something called an "MAO inhibitor" (I have no idea what that is). Alcohol or caffeine pills also aren't a good idea, though they are less serious.

If you're having this now, chances are it is from allergies, so taking an antihistamine like Claritin or benadryl will probably help also, especially if you are wheezy.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> Robitussin DM as mentioned by Drenee. Store brands that do similar usually have "DM" in their name and will do fine. The key is that it also says "Expectorant and cough surpressant" on the label. My father was a pharmacist and recommended this to me decades ago, and it is still a winner!
> 
> This will work.


Thanks so much for your help sir... are you going to the Meet up next Saturday? We are looking forward to seeing you! I am on the way to the store right now! I already take Claritin 10mg. daily... I have asthma and a LOT of allergies!


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## Trilby (Jul 26, 2009)

I used to get a terrible cough, especially in the Fall. It was so bad that even while eating I'd start coughing. It would just come out of nowhere! Then I found Bryonia, which is a Homeopathci remedy and it worked!


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

I get nagging coughs about once a yr-sometimes they last for weeks.  I found that Chestal (made by Boiron) works very well.  It's honey based and tastes great if you like honey!  I get it at Whole Foods and/or Wegmans, but I've also seen it at Rite-Aid.  Retails for about $10-11.    Hope this helps!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Thanks so much for your help sir... are you going to the Meet up next Saturday? We are looking forward to seeing you! I am on the way to the store right now! I already take Claritin 10mg. daily... I have asthma and a LOT of allergies!


I'm still expecting to be there, after a couple of busy weekends, I have this weekend to rest up. I will probably make a weekend of it and visit some of the museums in DFW area also.

I don't have a ton of allergies but I am badly allergic to cedar pollen and a few other things so a few times a year I stash bottles of Robitussin DM (or generic equivalents) at work, in my car, and sometimes in my jacket pocket if I'm going to be out and about for awhile. This will go on for a couple of weeks till the source of the pollen (or whatever) gets out of mating season!


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## Pawz4me (Feb 14, 2009)

The nagging cough I had for years went away when I got my acid reflux under control.  I never even realized coughing can be a symptom of acid reflux until I eventually developed the other, more typical symptoms and went to the doctor.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

A nagging cough can also be a sign of something else--as Pawz4me said, one possibility could be acid reflux.  In my case, I ended up diagnosed with adult onset asthma--in spite of having absolutely NO allergies, no family history of it, and no other obvious trigger.  For years, I'd get a cold, it would develop into what the docs said was bronchitis, they'd treat that with weeks of antibiotics and inhalers, and it would finally be gone.  Only, as it turned out, it was gone because of the inhalers, because it was never bronchitis to begin with!

Thankfully, what I have is mild and doesn't require anything daily.  It tends to trigger due to colds and any kind of particulate in the air (dust and kitty litter are the two that get me most frequently).

My doctor's rule of thumb:  If the cough after a cold doesn't go away within two weeks after your other symptoms are gone, it's time for a doc visit. Because whatever you've got, it's no longer a cold!


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## loca (Jan 3, 2010)

Look for Miracle Mineral Supplement online.  Cured my allergies and cough is gone.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Careful...don't let that turn into something else; like GOD FORBID pneumonia...

MY REMEDY:* Pure Guaifenesin...found in Musinex or that of the like. It is an expectorant which breaks up phlegm. and...EmergenC *immune defense powder supplement (works great...pure vitamin C...reduces the duration of the cough/cold. I swear by it.

*THEN:* Go to your sink; run the hottest water you can (lots of steam) and tent yourself over the steam using a lg towel to block the steam from escaping. Take the deepest breaths you can in through the nose hold it for a few secs; out through the mouth. You'll probably cough a whole lot doing this...but 3 times a day...works wonders.

BE CAREFUL...If a cough persists...it could be bronchitis, pneumonia or other...
Keep us posted and feel better.

I know you don't like Margaritas...so I can't suggest that cure all as your fix...lol.


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

sjc said:


> Careful...don't let that turn into something else; like GOD FORBID pneumonia...
> 
> MY REMEDY:* Pure Guaifenesin...found in Musinex or that of the like. It is an expectorant which breaks up phlegm. and...EmergenC *immune defense powder supplement (works great...pure vitamin C...reduces the duration of the cough/cold. I swear by it.
> 
> ...


Whaaaaat? Me NOT like Marge & Rita? Did ya forget i am in N'Awlins... with my FIL??  Ya know I gave up eating certain foods... but by my rules... I can drink whatEVER I want!  I have not as of yet, drank anything... buuuuut I took in to account that St. Patty's Day and N'Awlins were on my itinerary before I made my call on what to give up for Lent. I am just trying to eat healthier and a drink or two in the 40 some odd days will not hurt... My doctor did call in a prescription for me buuut it is in Texas and I am in NO and am trying OTC drugs for now. Thanks for the suggestions, I shall try them right away.


Cobbie said:


> A good night's rest always helps us so we keep a supply of NyQuil on hand. We like the cherry cold and flu one that is for pain and fever, cough and has an antihistamine in it. We've tried generic brands with the exact same ingredients but don't feel they do as well as the brand name one does. Probably all in our head.
> 
> Pluueeze get well before our meet-up. It won't be the same without you and DD.


AND ya don't want me there coughing all over ya either huh?


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Thanks so much for your help sir... are you going to the Meet up next Saturday? We are looking forward to seeing you! I am on the way to the store right now! I already take Claritin 10mg. daily... I have asthma and a LOT of allergies!


Claritin is not an MAO inhibitor. MAO inhibitors are sort of old fashioned and are usually used as anti-depressants. I don't see them prescribed very often these days; the SSRIs are more popular.

If you have asthma and lots of allergies, that might be part of the problem, as VictoriaP said. I'd suggest a trip back to your primary care provider for a re-eval of your asthma and meds, given the nagging cough.

L


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Leslie said:


> Claritin is not an MAO inhibitor. MAO inhibitors are sort of old fashioned and are usually used as anti-depressants. I don't see them prescribed very often these days; the SSRIs are more popular.
> 
> If you have asthma and lots of allergies, that might be part of the problem, as VictoriaP said. I'd suggest a trip back to your primary care provider for a re-eval of your asthma and meds, given the nagging cough.
> 
> L


Oh, I know that Claritin is not an MAO inhibitor... I did not realize that I made it sound like I thought it was... just saying as allergies and asthma goes I do take Claritin... because he did mention it at the end of his post and I take Singulair 10mg. as well... I take Flovent and Proventil also for my asthma. I have seen my PCP three times in the last four weeks... She did call in Tesselin (sp?) for the cough but the Rx was not approved by the time I left town. I am a teacher and over half of my class was out at some time or another last week. And since the KB is always here for me I decided to see if anyone may have had something that worked...  
BTW, the Mucines DM has worked wonders! I started coughing really bad after the parade and realized that it was time for another dose. We go to church @ 7 so I hope the stuff continues to work for me. My inlaws threatened to sit on another row!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

sjc said:


> Careful...don't let that turn into something else; like GOD FORBID pneumonia...
> 
> MY REMEDY:* Pure Guaifenesin...found in Musinex or that of the like. It is an expectorant which breaks up phlegm. and...EmergenC *immune defense powder supplement (works great...pure vitamin C...reduces the duration of the cough/cold. I swear by it.
> 
> ...


Did the steam. It helped a lot! Now after church FIL is fixing me a Hot Toddy!Thanks my friend BTW, how was your B-Day? Sorry I missed it... I knew it was coming up but kept falling asleep on the sofa all week, not much posting.


Cobbie said:


> lol...no, that's not what I meant. I want you to _feel_ well enough to come...coughing is optional.


Yea, but seriously... I sound like a dang barking seal!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Pawz4me said:


> The nagging cough I had for years went away when I got my acid reflux under control. I never even realized coughing can be a symptom of acid reflux until I eventually developed the other, more typical symptoms and went to the doctor.


Oh, thanks for that suggestion. I do have GERD and but this I know is something else because my students have all been sick too. We were missing 7 of 16 teachers this past week at school. I usually just get over it eventually. But right now I am trying to get it gone quick! I did Zicam, Vitamin C, Zinc, Echinacea, Airborne etc. trying to keep it away but miserable pre-schoolers need close attention, therefore I got EVERYTHING they have and MORE. Because I do have asthma and really bad allergies things seem to double up on me. I also found out about GERD because of a cough that occured after rest. It got bad when I would go to bed...


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

> Whaaaaat? Me NOT like Marge & Rita? Did ya forget i am in N'Awlins... with my FIL?? Wink


Ooooops!...am I bad? It's Susan that doesn't like my two friends, Marge and Rita. Sorry 

Birthday was good...thanks for asking; I lay low; I would rather fuss upon someone than the reverse. I don't like fanfare when I'm the fan being fared.

The steam thing does work great...but you really have to tent tight and the breathing has to be good and deep...faithfully 3 times per day... one really good one before bed. Glad you tried it. My kids hate that remedy...but my dd called me a couple of weeks ago and said as much as she hates to admit it....bla blah blah... In other words: Mom told you so!!


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## OliviaD (Jul 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> She did call in Tesselin (sp?) for the cough but the Rx was not approved by the time I left town. I am a teacher and over half of my class was out at some time or another last week.


Hey, Meredith! My doctor gave me those tessalon (sp?) pearls when I was in the hospital in '08 with P-numoneeahhhhh! They work extremely well on coughs. I took them religiously for about eight weeks after my lung surgery for that pnuemonia. Whatever it was, did not respond to meds and I had to have a laparoscopic (sp?) surgery to clear it up. Don't let that happen to you! Get them and get to taking them, girlfriend. And stop with all the Nawlins stuff! I'm jealous.


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## Deb G (Jan 18, 2009)

Whenever I get a bad cold and can't stop coughing (especially when trying to sleep) I use an Old remedy of my mother's and it works every time.  Try laying a COLD washcloth over your throat, I swear it works every time, I stop coughing and I can get some sleep.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> My doctor did call in a prescription for me buuut it is in Texas and I am in NO and am trying OTC drugs for now.


I'd assumed this was allergies, but from what you said in other posts, it sounds more serious. I'm 99% sure that your doctor can call in a prescription to a national chain such as Walgreen's or CVS, and you can pick it up in other stores in the chain. I'll admit I've never done it out of state, but I'm pretty sure this is solvable, even if you are out of state. I'd let your doc know your situation if you need a prescription!

Glad the Mucinex DM and steam is helping!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I'd assumed this was allergies, but from what you said in other posts, it sounds more serious. I'm 99% sure that your doctor can call in a prescription to a national chain such as Walgreen's or CVS, and you can pick it up in other stores in the chain. I'll admit I've never done it out of state, but I'm pretty sure this is solvable, even if you are out of state. I'd let your doc know your situation if you need a prescription!
> 
> Glad the Mucinex DM and steam is helping!


Yes, only SERIOUS because it is making my lungs ache... and wiht asthma I do worry about that... plus I am trying to get well for Taos and Santa fe on MONDAY!


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## Meredith Sinclair (May 21, 2009)

Deb G said:


> Whenever I get a bad cold and can't stop coughing (especially when trying to sleep) I use an Old remedy of my mother's and it works every time. Try laying a COLD washcloth over your throat, I swear it works every time, I stop coughing and I can get some sleep.


Hmmmm.... interesting... that is something I will try tonight as well. I usually only sleep about 5-6 hrs nightly, but being ill and doing that does not bode well for my old, tired, sick body! Besides I am on vacation and if I don't get well I will not enjoy it nor will I feel like going back to work on the 22nd! Thanks Ma'am!


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Meredith Sinclair said:


> Hmmmm.... interesting... that is something I will try tonight as well. I usually only sleep about 5-6 hrs nightly, but being ill and doing that does not bode well for my old, tired, sick body! Besides I am on vacation and if I don't get well I will not enjoy it nor will I feel like going back to work on the 22nd! Thanks Ma'am!


Oh, Miss Meredith, I'm sorry to hear that you are feeling under the weather. But this remedy with the cold cloth? Well, I've never heard of it for coughs, but I use it for nausea. When I am nauseous I put a cold cloth on my throat and Viola! (Sp) I am ze cured. I use Hall's mentholyppptuss which is not to be confused with hippopotamus or hippocampus. I like the honey-flavored, but they make your inner cheek numb. Maybe I should put some on my back next time it's hurting. But do get well, Miss Meredith. It could be something serious, like sycholentus deprivation syndrome. Maybe you should consider eating something processed like a double cheeseburger with jalapenos? Or a package of Hostess Twinkies. I am told that Hostess Twinkies can actually preserve the human body for eons and that the ancient Egyptians used Twinkies when mummifying their kings and queens. Maybe they are good for coughs. Guess I better go before I get in all kinds of trouble.


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

I have learned from teacher that one shod avoid menthalated (sp?) products when u have a cough and a nasal drip. The nasal drip may increase and irritate the throat more cause more coughing. I am just getting over my cough caused by allergies. Vicks infused tissues were my best friend for a bit...then the cough came


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Ummm, I think they have doctors in New Orleans....  

It's a bummer to be sick on vacation, been there, done that.  Feel better, Meredith!

Betsy


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

Hope you were able to get a good night's sleep, Meredith. 
deb


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## LCEvans (Mar 29, 2009)

About eight years ago I got a prescription for acid reflux and after I took the med a few times, I had a major allergic reaction. I did some research and discovered raw apple cider vinegar. I took a teaspoon of ACV with meals and that solved the problem. No more acid reflux. No more sore throat, no more nagging cough, no more poor digestion. I don't even take it every day or with every meal and the acid reflux still stays gone. Works for me. Also, worked for a friend who had the same problem. Anyway, hope you feel better soon.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Wish I were meeting up.  My Kindle is bored and wants to meet other Kindles.

Meredith:  Feel better; I don't want you to make the Griswolds look like world travelers!!


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