I have an upper respitory infection/severe cold I cant get rid of the cough!! I lay dwn and cough more its driving me nuts. What is the best cough medicine out there that I can by over the counter? I hve been coughing for 2 weeks now. I ve used sudafed and cepracol.
2006-09-07 02:56:04 · 5 answers · asked by 86Angel 2 in Health ➔ Women's Health
Cough mixtures bought over the counter have no proven medical benefit. The only one which does have some benefit is one called pholcodeine, which contains codeine, which suppresses the cough reflex. However, if you have any phlegm on your chest, you are really better being able to cough it up, so suppressing the cough reflex isn't the best idea.
The best thing you can do is to use the old fashioned steam inhalation. Get a bowl and fill it with boiling water. Take a towel and hold it over the bowl and around your nose and mouth so that you are inhaling the steam. Do it for at least 10 minutes, and it should really help, especially if you do it before bed.
If the cough continues for another 2 weeks, see your doctor, who may give you a salbutamol inhaler to use for a couple of weeks - severe colds sometimes irritate the upper airways and make them hypersensitive - a couple of weeks of salbutamol would sort that out.
2006-09-07 05:12:50 · answer #1 · answered by Jen 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Robitussin. Or you can try Mucinex, which is a pill(it smells and tastes bad). If you're coughing anything up, you'd want something with a D after it(Mucinex D, Robitussin D) because it'll help lossen the phlegm in your chest.
2006-09-07 15:52:39 · answer #2 · answered by Moxie1313 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it seems to me that u might have bronchitis but I might be wrong. I will check on one of my books, I have a 10 question test that will tell me what you have and therefore; it'll tell me what can you take.
I recomend natural remedies they work a lot better than drugs.
If you can meet me online on the msn or yahoo
my msn is manuelt1881@hotmail.com in that way you can take that test to find out what you have.
it is important that u start taking something for that cough before it gets worst.
manuel
2006-09-09 07:41:01 · answer #3 · answered by magio 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Anything with Detromethprophan (sp?) is the best OTC cough remedy.
2006-09-07 03:00:24 · answer #4 · answered by Charles B 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Salt water gargles.
Black pepper gargles.
And vicks vapor inhalations.
2006-09-07 02:59:25 · answer #5 · answered by weirdoonee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋