What to do if the cough doesn't go away?

Cough is a normal reaction of the body to any external or internal irritant, which can be associated with both irritation of various groups of receptors and the presence of pathology (inflammation, sputum or defect of a section of the respiratory system tissues), which impedes the free passage of air, and, therefore, creates a problem with normal breathing. It is thanks to coughing that it is possible to remove the sputum that accumulates there from the bronchi and lungs. But if such attacks bother you quite often and continue for two to three months, this may be the main factor indicating the presence of some serious disease. But what to do if the cough does not go away for a long time? Let's try to understand this issue in this article.

What should I do to get rid of my cough?

There is probably no person on Earth who has not at least once experienced a cold, inflammatory disease, especially those living in areas with a cool and damp climate suffer from them. Cough, general weakness, high temperature, pain when swallowing, runny nose - all these symptoms can bother a person for some time after recovery, especially when it comes to cough. But the month is running out, what to do if the cough does not go away?

A natural reflex reaction of the body to any irritation, a foreign body. Coughing can also occur if a person chokes or, having inhaled sharply, ordinary household dust gets into the respiratory tract. During the infectious and inflammatory process, such a response of the body makes it possible to cleanse itself of phlegm - a breeding ground for various microbes. Therefore, cough should not be perceived as a complication of the disease. On the contrary, it is a method of self-treatment, laid down by wise nature, allowing to bring full recovery closer.

What to do to make the cough go away? But effective therapy is not the one that tries to rid the patient of this symptom, but the one that tries to make it more productive. And if the disease is stopped, then the cough will go away on its own. Another question is if the attacks are so severe that they do not allow a person to rest normally, bringing the body to the point of vomiting reflex. With such a clinical picture, it is simply necessary to take all measures to reduce the intensity of the attacks.

It is also worth remembering that a lingering cough is a factor indicating the presence of a more serious pathology in the body, such as:

• Pneumonia.
• Adenoviral infection.
• Tuberculosis infection of the lungs.
• Chronic or acute bronchitis.
• Whooping cough.
• Gastroesophageal reflux is the return of stomach contents back into the esophagus and pharynx.
• The presence of a malignant tumor affecting the respiratory system.
• Bronchial asthma.
• Heart failure.
• Flu.
• Respiratory syncytial virus infection.
• Smoking can also provoke these symptoms.

Therefore, answering the question of what to do if the cough does not go away? We recommend that you definitely seek help from specialists. It would not be superfluous to see an otolaryngologist and a phthisiologist. And before answering the question of what to do to make the cough go away? First, you should undergo a full examination. Only after receiving a complete picture of the patient's condition and making a diagnosis can we talk about adequate therapy, which should lead to the relief of pathology and elimination of irritation.

Self-medication in this situation is not recommended. To make a diagnosis, the patient must undergo a comprehensive examination, which usually includes:

• Fluorography.
• If necessary, X-ray. By analyzing the resulting image, a qualified doctor can obtain information about the nature and location of pathological disorders, which significantly narrows the range of possible disease detection.
• Analysis of urine and feces.
• Blood test for antibodies, determination of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This is a non-specific indicator of inflammation of various origins.
• Sputum analysis to identify the pathogen is possible.

Very often, with a prolonged cough, the disease relapses and accompanying symptoms appear again, such as:

• Swelling of the nose.
• Belching of sour masses.
• The appearance of blood streaks in the sputum.
• A feeling of dryness in the mucous membrane of the back wall of the pharynx.
• A tickling sensation and a feeling of mucus running from the nose down the throat.
• Heartburn.

Once the diagnosis is made, we can already talk about prescribing treatment. If the diagnosis reveals tuberculosis or cancer, hospitalization and adequate treatment corresponding to the diagnosis are mandatory.

But the most common pathology that can cause a prolonged cough is bronchial asthma, the accompanying symptoms of which are mainly wheezing that occurs during inhalation and exhalation, shortness of breath, and a feeling of inability to take a full breath. But accompanying factors may also be absent, manifesting the pathology only by coughing.

There are frequent cases when a lingering cough is observed after treatment of acute respiratory infections. Such a picture is possible if a sluggish infection is taking place in the patient's body, or the respiratory tract is irritated and reflex attacks appear. In this case, prolonged reflexes do not allow a person to sleep or rest normally, which leads to a weakening of the body, dizziness, excessive sweating and headaches may appear. A prolonged cough can provoke urinary incontinence and even in some cases lead to a rib fracture.

The "three main medical pillars" of infectious and inflammatory process therapy will help to alleviate the patient's condition - a large amount of liquid drunk throughout the day, inhalation procedures, as well as drugs that work to liquefy viscous sputum, which facilitates its easier removal. There may be such mucoregulators (expectorant drugs) as ambrobene, marshmallow syrup, ambroxol, bromhexine, mucaltin and many others. The range of these drugs is quite wide.

Althaea syrup (Althaeae sirupus) is administered to the patient orally. Teenagers over twelve years of age and adult patients are prescribed one teaspoon three to four times a day. Children under twelve years of age - one teaspoon three times a day. The duration of the course of treatment is from ten to fifteen days. A longer period of administration should be agreed with your doctor. The drug should not be prescribed to patients who suffer from hypersensitivity to the components of the drug.

Mucaltin is recommended to be taken with a sufficient amount of water before meals. The administered dosage is from 50 to 100 mg, taken three to four times a day. For small patients who find it difficult to swallow medicine in tablet form, it is permissible to dissolve the tablet in a third of a glass. The duration of therapy is from one to two weeks. Mucaltin is contraindicated only in case of increased individual intolerance to the components of the drug, as well as in case of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer in the anamnesis.

Ambroxol is taken orally with food, washed down with a small amount of liquid. Teenagers over twelve years of age and adult patients are prescribed the drug at 30 mg three times a day (the first two to three days). Then the same single dose (30 mg) twice a day or half the dose (15 mg), but taken three times a day. Children who are already six years old but under twelve years of age - 15 mg (half a tablet), two to three approaches during the day. The duration of the course of treatment is from four to five days, longer therapy should be agreed with the attending physician.

This group of drugs liquefies phlegm, which allows you to spend less energy on its removal, and also activates the intensity of the ciliated epithelium, helping it to renew itself.

If the focus and pathogen of the disease are not established, then symptomatic relief is practiced, which allows improving the patient's condition. In such a situation, menthol, camphor or others are usually prescribed. These drugs suppress cough quite well.

Menthol is used mainly in the form of oil or essential drops. The oil form is used to lubricate the throat and nasal passages (1-5% oil solution), the liquid (0.2-0.5% menthol solution) is used for instillation into the nose, five to ten drops. Inhalations using a 1-5% oil menthol solution and water are also effective.

This drug is not recommended for use in cases where the patient has a history of individual intolerance to the components, thrombophlebitis (for external rubbing), extensive itchy dermatosis, as well as for small children, since there is a high probability of blockage and respiratory arrest.

If a diagnosis of bronchitis, bronchial asthma or asthma is made, the patient is prescribed drugs that are classified as bronchodilators.

Fenoterol is a drug belonging to the pharmacological group of drugs beta-2-stimulants. The tablet is taken orally one to two units, four times a day. The maximum amount of the drug taken is no more than 8 tablets per day.

This drug is contraindicated for use in glaucoma, hyperthyroidism, placental bleeding, diabetes mellitus, infection of the birth canal, moderate to severe cardiovascular diseases, placental abruption, individual intolerance to the components of the drug and fetal malformations.

The method of application and dosage of the effective anticholinergic ipratropium bromide is prescribed by the doctor strictly individually, depending on the patient's age and level of sensitivity to the drug. The quantitative component for adults and children over three years old is two to three doses (for preventive purposes, one to two doses) three times a day. One dose corresponds to one press of the dispenser.

Inhalations with a solution of this drug are recommended for patients who are already six years old. Inhalations can be done three to five times a day.

Contraindications to the use of ipratropium bromide are hypersensitivity to the drug and children under six years of age.

Non-selective alpha-stimulant and beta-stimulant adrenaline is administered to the patient parenterally (mainly subcutaneously, less often intravenously or intramuscularly). For adult patients, the dose is from 0.2 to 0.75 ml, with the maximum daily dose being 5 ml, and a single dose is 1 ml (with subcutaneous administration). For small patients, the dose is from 0.1 to 0.5 ml.

In case of an asthma attack, adults are given 0.3 to 0.7 ml subcutaneously. If cardiac arrest is detected, an injection of 1 ml is administered directly into the heart.

The drug is prohibited for use if the patient has a history of hypertension, closed-angle glaucoma, aneurysm, pregnancy, severe atherosclerosis, hypersensitivity to the drug, thyrotoxicosis, diabetes mellitus.

We should not forget about the means that have been tested for centuries by our ancestors. It is worth noting that any medicine, even traditional medicine recipes, should be introduced into therapy only with the permission of a doctor, especially if pharmacological drugs of chemical or plant origin are taken in parallel.

1. The most popular among the people are inhalation procedures carried out using various herbal decoctions. In our case, mint, pine buds, and fragrant thyme will do.
2. If the patient has difficulty coughing up mucus, to prevent an undesirable development of the situation, it is worth preparing a drink from fresh natural lingonberry juice, sweetened with a small amount of honey and sugar. It is necessary to drink one tablespoon several times throughout the day and the viscosity of the mucus decreases, which contributes to its faster and easier removal.
3. If the cough is particularly intense, baked pears or melons, which are used warm as a food product, will help greatly.
4. If you have a dry cough, to make it softer, you can drink warm apple compote little by little throughout the day (it is not advisable to add sugar). Freshly squeezed white cabbage juice, slightly sweetened with sugar, will be effective in this situation. Tangerine peels, which have been infused with medical alcohol, also show good results.
5. Freshly squeezed juices from blackcurrant or viburnum berries are effective. If you add a little honey, the juice will taste better and be healthier.
6. If an intense cough prevents you from sleeping, try eating as many fresh leaves of any salad as possible before going to bed. Fortunately, this product is not a problem to find even in winter.
7. Our grandmothers noted the high efficiency of rinsing the mouth and, especially, the throat with beetroot juice. This is an indispensable medicine for chronic lingering cough. To carry out an effective procedure, freshly squeezed juice is slightly warmed up in a water bath. The liquid should be moderately hot. The rinsing procedure is carried out for two minutes. The juice can be safely swallowed. Rinsing is repeated until the liquid runs out. Our ancestors believed that in order to finally recover, removing all the symptoms, you should rinse the juice that was prepared from 5 kg of red beets. Naturally, this entire volume should not be washed down in one go.

After the lingering cough has subsided, you should not relax, it is advisable to avoid contact with people with colds or viral diseases for the next one or two months, and avoid public places. It is advisable to take immunostimulant medications during this period. For example, this could be apilak, recormon, imunorix, kagocel, leakadin, prodigiosan, broncho-vaxom, isoprinosine, glutoxim and many others.

Immunorix is prescribed to adult patients in a dosage of 0.8 g of pidotimod, which corresponds to two vials. This amount of the drug is divided into two doses, which are administered either before or after meals. The maximum dose of the drug taken during one day should not exceed 1.6 g. The duration of therapy is 15 days.

Children who are three years of age and older are given one bottle of the drug per day, which corresponds to 0.4 g of pidotimod (the active ingredient of the drug in question). The maximum dose of the drug taken in one day should not exceed 0.8 g.

Depending on the patient's age and severity of the pathology, the dosage and duration of administration may be adjusted. The maximum duration of treatment with Immunorix should not exceed three months (or 90 days).

The drug is contraindicated for use in children under 3 years of age and in case of hypersensitivity to the components of the drug. Particular caution should be exercised when administering to patients with hyperimmunoglobulinemia E syndrome, as well as if the patient's body is prone to allergic reactions.

Isoprinosine is administered to the body after meals with a small amount of water. For adult patients, the daily dosage is six to eight tablets, divided into three to four doses, and for children over three years of age, the amount of the administered drug is calculated at 50 mg per kilogram of the small patient's weight, which is approximately half a tablet per 5 kg of body weight, divided into three to four doses.

In case of severe pathology, the dosage of the drug can be increased to 100 mg per kilogram of the patient's body weight. The duration of the treatment course is from five to fourteen days.

It is not recommended to prescribe this medicine if the patient has a history of urolithiasis, chronic renal dysfunction, gout, heart rhythm disturbances (both bradycardia and tachycardia), as well as increased sensitivity of the patient's body to the components of the drug and children under three years of age. In this case, the child's weight is from 15 to 20 kg.

A nagging cough that lasts for quite a long time. "What should I do if the cough won't go away?" - this question should be asked to a qualified specialist, having settled in a polyclinic. After all, it is not always possible to quickly and effectively cope with this problem on your own. And the doctor, having conducted a systematic examination, is able to correctly determine the root cause and source of the disease. And if you know who your "enemy" is, it is easier to fight it. Do not brush off such a problem as a cough, letting it develop on its own. After all, it can be a bell with which your body signals about an existing problem and it can be quite serious.