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Cough that does not subside

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I've had 'cold' symptoms for about 3 weeks now. I have an extreme cough that started about a week and half ago and I chalked it up to allergies but now, it's so bad it's effecting my sleep and work. The coughing is my main concern. It gets painful, it makes me tired, and sometimes I vomit from it. It's affecting my sleep as well. I will only sleep 30 minutes at a time then wake up out of nowhere with this extreme cough. I do smoke, but haven't since this coughed started. Sometimes the cough is dry; sometimes I'll cough up clear or very light green mucous. I've been taking OTC meds, cough syrup helps a little. I've also been having loose BM's. I don't know if that means anything or not. I also haven't eaten in the past 3 days, the coughing makes it hard to eat and I'm also just not hungry. Please help me try and figure out what's going on. I cannot live like this. This is affecting my husband now. I'm messing up his sleep and I'm worried he'll catch whatever the heck it is I have. Thank you!

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Category: Family Physician-GP
 22 Doctors Online

Hello, I understand your concern. With reference to your query regarding the cough that you are associated with, let me clarify certain details about cough. Cough is only a symptom not a disease where your body's way of removing foreign material or mucous from the lungs and upper airway passages of reacting to an irritated airway. Cough may be productive or non productive. If it is productive, it produces phlegm or mucous which may be due to viral (especially when you have cold), infections like pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, or TB or COPD, or GERD or Nasal discharge (Postnasal drip) and lastly due to smoking or often tobacco use; whereas Non productive cough is mainly due to viral illness (after a common cold), Bronchospasm, Allergies (allergic sinusitis), medicines used in high blood pressure, or asthma or blockage of airway. If it is due to viral, antibiotics should not be used because it will alter the cause of viral infections and also exposes you to the risk of an allergic reaction. Usually cough occurs with bacterial or viral respiratory infections. So it is better you get it checked from your GP in detail about the cause and get relief from it. Thank you.


Dr. John Monheit
Category: Family Physician-GP
Experience: 
Residecny: North Colorado Family Medicine
Medical School: The Chicago Medical Center
Dr. John Monheit and 4 other Medical Specialists are ready to help you

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