what to do for a really bad cough

• Causes/Attacks
  • What causes coughing?
• nineteen Natural Remedies
  • 19 natrual and home remedies to cure and soothe a cough
• Medications
  • What over-the-counter (OTC) products cure and soothe a cough?
  • What prescription drugs cure a coughing?
• Nighttime Cough
  • How can y'all go rid of a nighttime cough?
• Persistent Cough
  • When should you lot run into a physician for a coughing?
• Eye
  • Cough: 19 Tips on How to Stop a Coughing Center
• Comments
  • Patient Comments: How to Stop Cough - Feel
  • Patient Comments: How to Stop a Coughing - Experience
  • Patient Comments: How to Stop a Cough - Natural Remedies
  • Patient Comments: How to Stop a Cough - OTC and Prescription Medicine
  • Patient Comments: How to Stop a Cough - Dark
• More than
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What causes coughing?

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Man is Coughing with Respirator Infections.

A cough is a reflex that helps clear your airways of irritants. Nerves in the airways become stimulated by allergens, medical conditions, medications, and other irritants, resulting in forceful expulsion of air from the lungs.

What causes coughing?

There are numerous causes for cough. Mutual causes of coughing include:

Allergens

• pollen,
• dust,
• animal dander, and
• mold.

Irritants

• smoking,
• inhaling secondhand smoke,
• pollution,
• chemical fumes,
• perfumes, and
• air fresheners.

Medical weather condition

• mutual cold,
• upper respiratory tract infection,
• flu,
• pneumonia,
• whooping cough,
• asthma,
• gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD),
• sinus infections,
• postnasal drip,
• astute bronchitis,
• chronic bronchitis,
• bronchiectasis,
• emphysema,
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
• lung cancer, and
• center failure.

Medications: ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers.

A dry out coughing is usually the result of

• common cold and flu viruses,
• allergies,
• acid reflux,
• ACE inhibitor medications, and
• irritants such every bit cigarette smoke.

A wet cough is oftentimes caused by cold or influenza viruses, or chronic obstructive pulmonary illness (COPD).

A persistent, or chronic, cough is one that lasts more than 3 weeks and may be acquired by

• eye illness,
• asthma,
• lung disease,
• bronchitis, and
• whooping coughing.

Is a Cough Contagious?

Non all coughs are "contagious." Knowing the type of coughing you accept will help in finding the underlying crusade (infectious or noninfectious). Which of the following causes of a cough practise you think are contagious?

• Allergies
• Croup
• Secondhand smoke
• Post-nasal drip
• Sore throat
• Strep throat

19 natrual and habitation remedies to cure and soothe a cough

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Once the cause of your cough is diagnosed and you have ruled out any serious underlying medical conditions that need to be treated, symptoms of cough oft may be treated or cured with home remedies. Talk to your doctor earlier using whatsoever herbal remedies or natural supplements equally some may interact with medications you take.

1. Stay hydrated: Beverage lots of water to thin fungus.
2. Inhale steam: Take a hot shower, or boil water and pour into a basin, confront the bowl (stay at least 1 human foot away), place a towel over the back of your head to form a tent, and inhale. Stop at any fourth dimension if y'all experience uncomfortable. Note: do not do this if cough is due to asthma, every bit steam may make symptoms worse.
3. Utilize a humidifier to loosen fungus.
4. Cough drops or lozenges soothe an irritated throat (practise not utilize in young children).
5. Saltwater gargle clears mucus from the throat.
6. Use an extra pillow to elevate your head at night.
7. Don't fume and avoid secondhand smoke.
8. Avoid inhaled irritants such as dust, perfumes, or pollutants.
9. Use love. Information technology can be used solitary in adults and children over ane year of age and acts every bit a cough suppressant.
10. Ginger tea soothes throat inflammation.
11. Eucalyptus oil: Use it in a vaporizer or rub it on your chest to help break up mucus.
12. Mint: Ofttimes taken as tea, it helps loosen mucus in the lungs.
13. Menthol is commonly found in lozenges, and it tin can soothe a cough.
14. Licorice root acts every bit an expectorant.
15. Glace elm coats and soothes the throat.
16. Apple cider vinegar (diluted or mixed with honey) helps sparse mucus.
17. Turmeric may help ease digestive issues and can assistance if cough is caused past GERD.
18. Chicken soup may ease symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections.
19. Chocolate. And because we saved the best for last...relieve somechocolate! Theobromide, an ingredient in chocolate, may suppress vagus nerve action that causes coughing.

SLIDESHOW

Common cold and Influenza: Finding Fast Cough Relief Come across Slideshow

What over-the-counter (OTC) products cure and soothe a cough?

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In that location are a number of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines available to soothe or cure coughs. There are two primary types of cough medicines, 1) coughing suppressants, and 2) expectorants. These can be institute in tablet or coughing syrup form.

Coughing suppressants

• Cough suppressants also called antitussives, block the coughing reflex to relieve cough. A common OTC cough suppressant is dextromethorphan, which tin be found in products such equally
  • Triaminic Common cold and Cough,
  • Robitussin Cough,
  • Delsym, and
  • Vicks 44 Coughing and Cold.

Expectorants

• Expectorants work past thinning mucus. The but OTC expectorant is guaifenesin, institute in products such as Mucinex and Robitussin Chest Congestion.

Combinations (cough suppressants and expectorants)

• Dextromethorphan and guaifenesin are ofttimes constitute in combination products, for example, combined with each other in Robitussin DM. These medications also may be combined with other medicines that help relieve other symptoms of colds such as pain relievers, decongestants, or antihistamines. If your chief symptom is cough, it commonly is all-time to avoid products that contain antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or decongestants, such as ephedrine (Sudafed) because these accept a drying effect, making mucus thicker and harder to clear from your airways, which can worsen coughing symptoms.

Other OTC coughing medicine

• For cough due to postnasal drip, decongestants such as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) or antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) may meliorate symptoms.
• Cough that is a consequence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be helped by
  • famotidine (Pepcid, Zantac 360),
  • cimetidine (Tagamet),
  • omeprazole (Prilosec OTC),
  • lansoprazole (Prevacid, Prevacid 24-60 minutes), and
  • esomeprazole (Nexium).

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What prescription drugs cure a cough?

When the coughing is astringent, over-the-counter (OTC) medications and dwelling remedies may non exist enough to salve symptoms, and prescriptions may be needed.

• Codeine and other narcotic medications are often prescribed as effective cough suppressants. Many times these are combined with the coughing suppressant dextromethorphan, or the expectorant guaifenesin.
• If the cough is due to whooping coughing, bacterial pneumonia, complicated bronchitis, or sinusitis information technology is usually treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporins, or azithromycin (Zithromax).
• For cough due to allergies, such every bit hay fever, inhaled nasal steroids may exist prescribed.
• For postnasal baste that does non respond to OTC drugs, nasal inhalers such as ipratropium bromide (Atrovent) tin can help.
• If the coughing is a result of asthma, prescription inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled steroids help decrease inflammation of the airways. Curt-term oral steroids, which help reduce inflammation, are sometimes prescribed to relieve chronic cough.
• When gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) causes a cough, prescription medications that may help symptoms include proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), for case
  • omeprazole (Prilosec),
  • rabeprazole (Aciphex), and
  • pantoprazole (Protonix).

Your primary care provider (PCP) such every bit a family practitioner, internal medicine specialist, or pediatrician may diagnose and care for a cough. If the cough is severe an emergency medicine specialist may see y'all in a hospital's emergency section.

• People suffering from a chronic or persistent cough may be referred to different specialists depending on the underlying crusade.
• If you take allergies, y'all may be referred to an allergist. If your cough is due to gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) y'all may exist referred to a gastroenterologist, who specializes in diseases of the digestive tract.
• If you accept lung disease you may need to see a pulmonologist, a lung specialist who treats diseases of the airways.
• If your coughing is due to an underlying centre condition, you will be referred to a cardiologist, a specialist in diseases of the center and circulatory organisation.

QUESTION

Which illness is known every bit a viral upper respiratory tract infection? Encounter Answer

How can yous get rid of a nighttime cough?

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Many times coughing symptoms volition worsen at night. This may exist due to postnasal drip (from a common cold, bronchitis, or allergies) or acrid from the breadbasket bankroll up into your throat from acid reflux. At that place are some strategies and home remedies you can use to help ease nighttime cough:

• Utilize actress pillows for postnasal drip or if you have acid reflux to prop upward the head of your bed. When y'all lay flat, the fungus or acid reflux irritates your pharynx. Raising your head allows it to bleed.
• Take a steamy shower before bed (notation: if your cough is due to asthma, steam may make information technology worse).
• Use a humidifier. Moist air can assistance salvage coughing. Still, if cough is due to allergies such every bit dust mites or mold, which thrive in damp air, be careful not to make the room also moist.
• Continue your bedding clean. If your coughing is due to allergies, it is important to make sure dust mites don't have a place to sleep besides. Wash all bedding at least weekly in hot water, and dry in a dryer, non a clothesline.
• Drink decaffeinated tea with dearest before bed. The warmth of the tea will soothe a sore pharynx and the fluid will aid thin secretions. Herbal teas with ginger, peppermint, or licorice root may also soothe a cough.
• Use a vapor rub, such equally one with menthol, to help open airways.
• Keep everything you lot demand almost your bed. If you have a cough, make sure yous go along your coughing medicine, lozenges, a glass of water, or anything else that helps y'all, on your nightstand for immediate relief.
• Don't smoke.
• Avert using perfume, air freshener sprays, or other irritants in the sleeping accommodation.
• Try (OTC) cough medicines that incorporate cough suppressants (which block the cough reflex) or expectorants (which loosen fungus). Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a recommendation.

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From

Medically Reviewed on ii/8/2022

References

Chronic Cough. Medscape. Updated: Dec 05, 2018.
<https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1048560-overview>

"That nagging coughing." Harvard Wellness Publications. Updated: Feb 07, 2019.
<http://www.wellness.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/that-nagging-coughing>

Meneghetti, A, MD. Upper Respiratory Tract Infection. Medscape. Updated: June 21, 2018.
<https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/302460-overview>

"Persistent coughs melt away with chocolate." New Scientist. Updated: Nov 22, 2004.
<https://www.newscientist.com/article/1919209-persistent-coughs-melt-abroad-with-chocolate/>

"Cough." NIH. 2020.
<https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/coughing>

"Licorice Root." NIH. Sep 2016.
<https://nccih.nih.gov/wellness/licoriceroot>

"Eucalyptus grandis v2.0 (Rose Gum)." FDA. Updated: Dec xix, 2017.
<https://phytozome.jgi.doe.gov/pz/portal.html#!info>

"Slippery ELM." USDA.
<https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_ulru.pdf>

Scientific discipline Daily. "New Study Supports Chicken Soup As A Cold Remedy." October xix, 2000.
<https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/10/001018075252.htm>

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