Hello,
Thank you for your query at DoctorSpring.
So it appears from your query that you have chronic cough. There can be a few explainations for this: tobacco use, post nasal drip, asthma or gastro esophageal reflux disease.
If in the past year, if you have had increased exposure to smoke, even for example by hanging around people that smoke or a recent change in living environment, your cough could be in response to the irritation by tobacco or air pollutants.
Post nasal drip is a condition where your sinuses produce excess mucus which drips down the back of your throat and irritates it.
Even if you have never had asthma as a child, you can develop asthma when you become older which can show up as a cough. Asthma would have a tendency to follow either a change in season, or follow an upper respiratory tract infection or even exposure to certain fragrances.
Reflux disease is a condition happens when the acid from your stomach flows backward up your esophagus and irritates your throat.
These are some of the common causes for chronic cough. If you chose to post a reply, it would also be helpful to know whether you bring up any junk (sputum) when you cough and if yes, what is its color? Have you had a fever or chest pain whenever you have these episodes of cough?
Hope this helps, feel free to ask any fruther queries that you may have,
Regards

Hello,
Thank you for the follow up.
The cough that you're having seems to be an allergic manifestation, in response to an environment irritant. It could be the excessive smoke that you have been subjected too, or could be the weather. There is no sputum ( junk ) and that rules out infective or other bronchial causes.
I will advise you to use Syp. Codeine for a period of 2 weeks, 2 teaspoons twice daily and Tab. Montelukast Sodium once daily 10 mg, at bed time.
This will relieve the bronchial secretions if any, and will also reduce the allergic response to the irritant. Kindly continue the medicines for about a week and update me on your symptoms.
Regards.

Hello,
Yes Montelukast is OTC.
However codeine can be used when you get cough.
The issue with an allergic stimulant is it really can't be treated but can be prevented and suppressed.
So you can leave codeine as of now, if there is no cough at present. But i want you to try the Montelukast because at times bronchial secretions won't come out and that can intermittently keep causing cough. So with a course of one week Montelukast in case there are any trapped secretions they will come out and there will be lesser episodes of such intermittent cough in the future.
Regards.