Reading all of the posts relating to: neurogenic cough, larengeal spasm, chronic neuropathic cough, chronic cough syndrome and the various other names given to it, and realising how many people suffer (and it is truly debilitating) makes it hard to understand why it is not better known and diagnosed and why there doesn't seem to be an effective treatment. One of the saddest things is the number of years and tests and examinations and sometimes treatments people go through - directed by different medical departments, before they finally get an explanation about what is happening in their bodies.
Re. treatments. I went down the pregabalin route and had 6 weeks of total remission then a gradual decline in effectiveness until I gave it up and the cough won, a year later. I've not tried nerve blocks as I've not found anyone who says they are really effective - if you can recomend any treatment I would love to hear about it. I know there are new drug trials happening now for dedicated treatments for neuropathic cough - but it will be a while before they hit the market. As of now, I have found the best way to cope is using the management strategies that work for me - everyone will have different triggers and different calming strategies. For me it is staying on my feet for an hour after eating or drinking, not bending forward, avoiding certain smells, not lying on my left side when sleeping, chewing gum when driving, keeping moving, being exhausted when I lie down to sleep and listening to audio books if I wake up (yes, the cough has a physical cause but distraction helps avoid it) Doing all of the above and more is the way to NOT opening the door to that first cough that will then trigger a totally uncontrollable coughing fit. After 10 years I have managed to stop the upward spiralling of symptoms and can 'manage' the cough to a degree that makes life liveable.