what exactly is "dry cough"?

Question

I had a sore throat a few days ago. It has gone away but now I have a horrible sounding cough. It's worse at night when I lay down. It's like a tickle in my throat and when I cough it sounds HORRIBLE. It's a DEEP, ROUGH cough that doesn't produce anything really. It sounds terrible!!! I can't sleep because of the urge to cough all the time. Is this dry cough?? help!

I've taken Robitussin and NyQuil no help!!
This is only the second day if it's not much better tomorrow I'm going to get a humidifier.

Answer 1

It sounds like one to me.

Coughing is the body's way to expel something from the lungs. When you have an allergic reaction and hystimine is produced by your body then there is a build up of mucus. A wet cough therefore produces mucus (phlegm ).

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough
"One of the common presentations to the medical practitioner is dry cough. The common causes of chronic dry cough include post-nasal drip; gastroesophageal reflux disease; cough variant asthma; drugs, such as beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, which should be investigated in people above 40 years; Post viral bronchial hyperresponsiveness; and habitual cough. When cough lasts for more than a few weeks multiple causes are likely and only when all the causes are treated will the patient be symptom free.

Cigarette smokers often have what is referred to as a Smoker's Cough. This takes the form of a loud hacking cough and often results in the expiration of phlegm."

"Treatment:
Coughs can be treated with cough medicines. Dry coughs are treated with cough suppressants (antitussives) that suppress the body's urge to cough, while productive coughs (coughs that produce phlegm) are treated with expectorants that loosen mucus from the respiratory tract.

A recent study indicates that, because of the presence of theobromine in chocolate, 50 grams of dark chocolate may be an effective treatment for a persistent cough.[3]

Gargling with salt and warm water can also be very helpful by cutting phlegm and reducing inflammation

Centrally acting cough suppressants, such as codeine and dextromethorphan reduce the urge to cough by inhibiting the response of the sensory endings by depolarization of the vagus nerve."

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough_medicine
"Cough suppressants may act centrally (on the brain, and specifically the vagus nerve) or locally (on the respiratory tract) to suppress the cough reflex.

Centrally acting suppressants include dextromethorphan (DXM), noscapine, ethyl morphine and codeine.

An expectorant (from Latin ex- "out" + pectoris "of the chest") is a medicine or herb which increases the expulsion of tracheal or bronchial mucus through expectoration or coughing. In over-the-counter preparations, guaifenesin is often used. The effectiveness of expectorants in cough medicines has been questioned; however, water is an effective expectorant and drinking adequate water thins the mucus and enables it to be expelled more easily.

Cough drops or throat lozenges are tablets which people can suck to soothe the throat or to alleviate excessive coughing. They are usually small, sweetened (often with artificial sweeteners), and contain an oral anesthetic, such as menthol, which anesthesizes the receptors in the throat that cause the cough reflex. The occasional use of "lozenge" (first used in 1530, according to the Oxford English Dictionary) is due to the original lozenge shape of cough drops. Popular brands of cough drops include Ricola, Fisherman's Friend, Halls, Vicks, Strepsils and Luden's."

Peripherally acting substances include local anaesthetics, which reduce the sensation of nerves in the throat, and demulcents, which coat the oesophagus. One category of peripherally acting substances is vapor-administered, such as Vicks VapoRub. Camphor is an active ingredient (along with menthol) in vapor-steam products and it is effective as a cough suppressant. Although it is commonly claimed that liquid cough medicines must coat the throat to be effective, there is no evidence that it is possible to control coughing by this means.

One might think it unwise to suppress the cough reflex (the mechanism for expelling mucus from the respiratory tract) but severe coughing may lead to lung irritation, causing a vicious cycle. The cough reflex is also very strong and cannot be completely suppressed. However, a dry cough (without mucus production) or a cough that is exhausting and prevents sleep should be treated with suppressants.

Recent studies have found that theobromine, a compound found in cacao, is more effective as a cough suppressant than prescription codeine. This compound suppresses the "itch" signal from the nerve in the back of the throat that causes the cough reflex. It is possible to get an effective dose (1000 mg, though 500 mg may be sufficient, according to PMID 15548587) from 50g of dark chocolate, which contains 2 to 10 times more cacao than milk chocolate. Cocoa powder contains roughly 100 mg per tablespoon (5g) ."

Answer 2

You are coughing because there isn't enough humidity and you probably have some sinus drainage which is irritating your throat, especially at night. A dry cough is when you cough but bring up no secretions.

Answer 3

Yes this is a dry cough. A deep, rough cough if it sounds like a dog barking could be croop so you might want to see a doctor. My son had croop and it made it very hard for him to breath. We thought he was having an asthma attack. We had to take him to the hospital to get medication to open up his airway so he could breath properly.

Answer 4

Dry cough is a cough that doese not produce sputum. So, what you sound like is an Upper respiratory Viral infection

Answer 5

That means that you should not put them in the dryer after you wash them. I would recommend hanging them to dry out a bit and then laying them out flat on a table or clean floor; this will prevent them from becoming wrinkled. As for shrinking them, I suppose that you could try to dry them with heat, although as the tag tells you not to do this, there could be some other side affect.

Answer 6

Yes, a dry cough does not produce phlegm. It can be dangerous for your lungs. If it doesn't clear up soon I'd see a doctor. Feel better!

Answer 7

You are unable to cough up the junk in your lungs. When I had bronchitis once, I was like that and my doctor wrote me a prescription for an medicine that is now sold over the counter at your drug store. It is sold under the name Mucenix. (SP?) Go to the cold section of the drug store.

Answer 8

Dry cough is just a cough without flem.

Answer 9

Yes, dry cough is when you are coughing but nothing is coming up, such as phlegm or mucus.

Answer 10

a cough without phlegm.