Night Coughs

Yes, this is normal for many of us! I had asymptomatic and untreated bronchiectasis (seen on ct scans) for many years. Once I started having chronic dry night time coughing, a new primary care dr felt my "regular" pulmonologist wasn't being aggressive enough and I eventually ended up in a specialty bronchiectasis & Mac center where I was found to have Mac.
There are many similar stories here. The phlegm in our lungs moves around and triggers cough when we lie down, even if nothing comes up.

Night time coughing seems to go with the territory. When I am stable I have less coughing at night. Have you dropped off a sputum sample to see if you have anything brewing? Also, airway clearance in the evening before sleep might help. If you cough when you lie down, try lying down during airway clearance, which might help to bring up gunk before turning in.

@scoop Thanks Scoop. I guess you can say I am stable about 85 to 90 percent of the time. Is that about normal for people like us?

@picartist Are you practicing GERD precautions? I don't generally cough at night, but if I did, and I wasn't having some form of exacerbation, I would be questioning whether it could be GERD/silent reflux. GERD/silent reflux is known to cause coughing when lying down. If you haven't had a full GERD work-up, its something to consider. IMO everyone with BE should have a full GERD workup, but I know that doesn't always happen. Just food for thought.

A lot of my issue is post nasal drip. I've tried everything from nasal sprays to antihistamines and cough meds.
I don't have a current MAC infection but the bronchiectasis is alive and well. On my last visit my dr told me to take 1 Chlor-Trimeton right before going to bed. I couldn't find it under that name, but the generic is chlorpheniramine maleate.( OTC) I have been pleasantly surprised how well this works. It can make you drowsy - like Benadryl. I don't notice because it's literally the last thing I do before going to bed. I also take meds for GERD but it's pretty much under control at this point.
Let us know what finally works for you!
Karen

@bayarea58 I guess a simple way to check would be to try something like Pepcid. My doctor has prescribed that OTC for my wife who has some Gerd. My only symptom of that would be chest pain, none of the other typical symptoms apply to me.