Determining the cause of chronic cough is crucial to effective treatment. In many cases, more than one underlying condition may be causing your cough.
Medications used to treat chronic cough may include:
- Antihistamines, corticosteroids and decongestants. These drugs are standard treatment for allergies and postnasal drip.
- Inhaled asthma drugs. The most effective treatments for asthma-related cough are corticosteroids and bronchodilators, which reduce inflammation and open up your airways.
- Antibiotics. If a bacterial, fungal or mycobacterial infection is causing your chronic cough, your doctor may prescribe medications to address the infection.
- Acid blockers. When lifestyle changes don’t take care of acid reflux, you may be treated with medications that block acid production. Some people need surgery to resolve the problem.
Cough suppressants
During the time your doctor is determining the reason for your cough and beginning treatment, your doctor may also prescribe a cough suppressant to try to speed your symptom relief.
Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are intended to treat the symptoms of coughs and colds, not the underlying disease. Research suggests that these medicines haven’t been proved to work any better than inactive medicine (placebo). More important, these medications have potentially serious side effects, including fatal overdoses in children younger than 2 years old.
Don’t use over-the-counter medicines, except for fever reducers and pain relievers, to treat coughs and colds in children younger than 6 years old. Also, consider avoiding use of these medicines for children younger than 12 years old.
Lifestyle and home remedies
Follow the plan your doctor gives you for treating the cause of your cough. In the meantime, you can also try these tips to ease your cough:
- Drink fluids. Liquid helps thin the mucus in your throat. Warm liquids, such as broth, tea or juice, can soothe your throat.
- Suck on cough drops or hard candies. They may ease a dry cough and soothe an irritated throat.
- Consider taking honey. A teaspoon of honey may help loosen a cough. Don’t give honey to children younger than 1 year old because honey can contain bacteria harmful to infants.
- Moisturize the air. Use a cool-mist humidifier or take a steamy shower.
- Avoid tobacco smoke. Smoking or breathing secondhand smoke irritates your lungs and can worsen coughs caused by other factors. If you smoke, talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit.
- Sip on warm liquids, such as tea or broth, to soothe the throat.
It’s important to consult a doctor to determine the underlying cause of a cough and receive a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. If you are currently smoking, your doctor will discuss with you your readiness to quit and provide assistance to achieve this goal. If you’re taking an ACE inhibitor medication, your doctor may switch you to another medicine that doesn’t have cough as a side effect.