Is anyone else dealing with a neurogenic cough?

Please look at earlier Connect messages. Please send me a message there with your info.

Es, I have autoimmune disease

Are you taking the amitriptyline at night? I'm on 35 mg. I tried 50 and it was too much! Sounds like you have a great ENT that's willing to work on dosage to see if it helps. When I worked with my ENT the goal was an 80% improvement. My cough is not totally gone but I have a major improvement versus no medication.

Yes ! It’s horrendous and also makes it difficult for me to socialize as well. The coughing fits have been so bad that I literally have lost my voice for days. I have found that the only thing that calms it is Slippery Elm Lozenges !! My pulmonologist recommended to use them.

To all those fighting a chronic cough, I can finally offer some hope. As you have seen in past writings, I have dealt with this problem according to my doctor for 25 years. I now have a new diagnosis from Mayo that has made the difference. I have persistent severe asthma, and I started using a nebulizer and inhaler twice a day prescribed by my pulmonologist. I AM NOT COUGHING! It feels like a miracle. I don’t know why it took so long to get to this point, but the fact is my quality of life has changed dramatically. I share this info just in case it can help direct anyone else to a more healthful existence. I have done it all-sinus surgery, neck injections, ….. None of that worked but for a short period of time. I hope this lasts!!!!

I as well being dealing with chronic cough for years. Gone to all specialist and no trouble found. The latest.. my allergist wants me to try is Trezpire injections. Reading side effects I’m terrified! Has anyone tried it and did it helped? Thank you much!

I was diagnosed with neurogenic cough in 2018 when it wasn't that well known. I had been struggling with the cough for probably like 20 years before that. It got to the point where I was almost passing out from coughing fits set off by changes in environment like allergies, humidity and simply taking a shower. I was treated traditionally each time for allergies and acid reflux until after yet another unsuccessful treatment regimen, an ENT doctor said he read about neurogenic cough. I found a specialist in Boston who had done research on it and have been seeing him ever since then. He confirmed the diagnosis and initially treated me with 40mg of Amitriptyline. It was a miracle in that my coughing settled down significantly. Over the years, the Amitriptyline seemed to be less effective where I was switched to 100mg of Gabepentin which has been more effective. I still have a mild cough but it's more of an annoying cough than one that was life changing as it had been before my treatment. Hope this helps all of you suffering from this!

Hello @tf6217 and welcome to the ENT support group on Mayo Connect. I appreciate you sharing about your neurogenic cough and the help you have found with medications. It is always a relief when you find an answer to a chronic health issue.

Do you feel allergies are the prime cause of the cough? Do you take any allergy medication now, or do you only take Gabapentin?

I just found this group and Im so glad I did. I have been dealing with a chronic cough for 2 years but probably much longer. My triggers are talking, cold air, brushing my teeth and apparently sitting and doing nothing. It’s a hard barking/croupy caught that starts with trickle in my throat and the cough takes over. At least once a week it causes me to throw up. It’s painful, I sometimes sleep with a muccinex cough drop in my mouth. Things I have tried; inhalers, promethazine dm, tessalon perles, Gabapentin, Pregabalin. I was just tested for allergies and dust is the only thing that came up. My lung function is good, ct of my chest is good. I’m going back to my pulmonologist this week and I will ask for a referral to an ENT, and ask to be started on amitriptyline to see if it helps. I usually wake up 3 to 4 times a night coughing. I’m exhausted and really want to feel normal again.

@hamilde Dust can be a huge allergy. You can do a lot to mitigate it; things like allergy covers for bedding and mattresses, HEPA filters in your home, frequent vacuuming with a HEPA filtered vacuum. I spray fabric furniture with a very light mist of Hydrogen peroxide (from the grocery store) on fabric covered furniture only. Dust is a bit of everything from dirty air particulate to pet dander. Pet dander is saliva dried and hydrogen peroxide neutralizes that. Caution, it will eat holes in leather and react with soap residues on your hands if you recently washed them (burns), and must be kept in the dark which is why it comes in a brown opaque bottle. You also don't want to inhale it. It is very reactive and turns to water. Make sure furniture is dry before sitting on it, and use a very light mist in a hair salon type mister bottle so it barely gets damp. That helps me. I have found that the couch will accumulate a lot of dust and sitting on it seems to puff that into the air when I sit down no matter how clean it looks. I guess I can always take coverings off the cushions and wash them and try to clean the foam of the cushion itself. I am also very allergic to molds and I can miss things in the kitchen that start to become moldy which triggers an allergic response. It would be worth looking for other possible sources of mold in basements, etc or if there are any roof leaks or failure of grout or calking around bathroom tile. Drains can harbor mold that you can't see. I will use a brush to scrub inside the garbage disposal. I also spray hydrogen peroxide in the sink to sanitize it. Carpeting harbors a lot of dust and dirt. I don't have it in my house, only hardwood and tile floors.