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Persistent Cough, Mostly at Night. Asthma?
I have been coughing for more than a year, and it keeps me from exercising and sleeping. During the day time, cough drop is enough to suppress my cough, but I need to sit upright to sleep at night. Once I lie down I tend to start coughing. My sinus is blocked at night time but when I start coughing I somehow need to keep blowing my nose until eventually I feel better. When I take a nap during the day time I can lie down to sleep without any problem. I don't have any chest tightness or any unusual feeling around my lungs.
I have been seeing multiple doctors (general practitioner, pulmonary doctor, and naturopath doctor) on my persistent cough for a while. I tried multiple inhalers but stopped them after a while because I'm afraid of the side effects & I lost my voice when I used the inhaler. They think it may be asthma, but there is no definite answer. My lung x-ray was "perfectly clean" and passed my lung function test.
Does anyone have any idea what I have or suggestion on what I should do next? I would also like to find any natural cure. I have been using cough drops, honey and ginger, and anti-histamine sometimes. I'd appreciate your input!
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Maybe an antihistamine at night? I take ALLEGRA to dry up post nasal drip at night. somethimes I stick my head over a bowl or pan of boiling water and cover with a towel to get it to drain out. It's a pain in the butt to have to go through this.
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3 Reactions@heartyrainbow A persistent cough can be caused by many things, among them are post-nasal drip - mucus from the sinuses flowing down the back of the throat. Or it could be gastro-esophogeal reflux where stomach contents leak upward, an over-reactive airway, allergies, or even vocal chord dysfunction. An ENT (Otolaryngologist) or an allergy specialist may be helpful.
Have you seen one?
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2 Reactions@anna17 Thank you for the response! I've been taking Benadryl at night and it seems to help a little, but not enough. Perhaps I'll try Allegra.
I tried humidifier and Neti Pot but it doesn't seem to help much.
@sueinmn Thank you for the response! Post-nasal drip sounds about right... I'm trying to make an appointment with ENT, but I have to wait for months. I'll give it a try.
I can't use a decongestant, but I think they would work too. Allegra takes around an hour to start working and lasts for 12 hours. Might want to take it way before you go to bed.
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2 ReactionsGood to know. Thank you!
@heartyrainbow How often do you use netty pot ? Its rec to use in am and pm and consistently on a daily basis. Have you also tried azelastine nasal spray ? Sounds like it drains back from sinuses once you lie down. Have you tried to sleep on a wedge pillow , so you are more in semi- upright position.
Good luck !
Never. Prefer using salt water wash up nostrils by hand and blowing nose on each nostril on a clean towel. My pulmonologist said if you put enough salt in the water it will kill anything ( bacterial).
I do as needed.
I was sent for sinus surgery by my pulmonologist to improve my breathing twice, about 30 years ago.My sinuses were totally opacified. Cleaning that out opened them up. It helps.
The second surgery was done later on my upper sinuses after brain mapping technology was developed.
If you don’t get it out the discharge hardens and blocks the sinus cavities and air is not able to circulate through the respiratory system.
Netty pots are not as clean a way to go.
Hi, @heartyrainbow - I have dealt with a persistent cough for years. It took a lot of testing and trying some medications that did not work to figure out what my diagnosis was. It was asthma. Coughing is my main symptom. Basically, I believe I'm wheezing, and coughing is what comes out.
I have done a lot of cough drops and benzonate (Tessalon Perles). The benzonate does help with nighttime coughing. I decided that cough drops were kind of a bandage for me that was not really getting at the root of the problem. (I do still use them at times, however.) What really helped me was taking albuterol. But I knew I was not supposed to be taking that repeatedly every day.
What really helped my cough significantly was when my allergist started me on a biologic, mepolizumab (Nucala).
heartyrainbow, did you end up getting to see an ENT about your coughing?