Mom Needing Cough Relief

Hello,
Do you have a humidifier running in your house? Other than the one on your heater if there is one, those don't work as good as you would think. If not I would recommend getting one. A friend told me a couple of years ago that we should get a humidifier to cut down on the amount of time we had colds in the winter, because dry sinuses will cause your sinuses to over compensate mucus and produce too much which has no where to go but down the back of your throat thus causing a nagging cough. Well last year we got a humidifier when our sinuses started acting up and I swear after one night we were all breathing 100% better. Medicines will only treat the symptoms not fix the problem.
Good luck I understand mom's don't have time to be sick.
Michelle

1 mom found this helpful

Stop the medicine! I bet you didn't expect a recommendation like that. :) You are taking things that suppress symptoms not cure the virus. This will only prolong your illness as you have already experienced thus far. A fever is Gods way of helping you bake out a virus. A runny nose is Gods way to flush it out and a cough helps break up anything mucky inside. We have symptoms for a reason. I know it sounds bizarre to think along those lines especially since this day and age it is so old hat to just pop some tylenol and go. Rest is important, a humidifier is important, saline nose spray is important, replenishing your fluids and electrolytes is very important preferrably with electrolyte filled water (smart water for example which can be purchased at any Schnucks or Dierburgs) or even drinking water and eating a banana would be beneficial more so than sugar filled drinks like gatorade...though I do understand that those drinks sometimes are the only thing that goes down well as for comfort and desire. Those are some basic things that you can do at home that would help support getting well faster. If it is an option and you can find a health food store there are supplements that are natural that can help break up and drain your sinus more effectively and speed the healing along rather than trick your body into outwardly noticing a symptom. I understand your situation. I had the flu last year and had my 3 kids and hubby to take care of as well. Only 2 of them got sick too and we all hit it at different stages but from start to finish I was sick for 4 days and not too hungry on day 5 with still feeling a bit weak from having been sick. That and I suspect I was drained because I was still nursing my daughter at the time. That requires energy right there. If a fever gets too high a room temp bath usually will cool it down as will taking calcium lactate. The only cough med that is actually worth taking sometimes is an expectorant if you have mucus that needs help getting loosened in your chest. Good luck and I do hope you get well soon.

B. :)

1 mom found this helpful

I personally have never tried this brand, but I did give it to my 5-year-old for the first time a few weeks ago and it seemed to work well. I'd never heard of it but the Pharmacist recommended it over Robitussen and Triametic

I've copied this from the internet about it:
Delsym® is the longest-lasting cough relief sold without a prescription.

It’s a cough medicine doctors and pharmacists have recommended for years. In fact, Delsym® is the only over-the-counter cough liquid that can deliver 12 hours of cough relief in a single dose. That means you and your children can get the rest you need without getting up for more cough medicine.

Plus, as a cough remedy, Delsym® is also a great value. You dose less often—two times daily (every 12 hours) vs. up to six times daily for other cough syrups (see comparison chart).

Mucinex or Delsym, I would try the mucinex, I gave my son the delsym for his cough but it did not work all that great, it's supposed to work for 12 hours but it only worked for a few hours and you can only take it 2 times daily. I gave my son the Mucinex and it really worked good for his cough, hope this helps and hope you feel good soon.

Good ole Robitussin works well for me. Just look on the bottles to find the one that addresses the symptoms you're having. It wouldn't hurt to make sure you're getting some vitamins and fruits and veggies. Make sure you're drinking tons of water to flush out your system too. And as hard as it is with two little ones, you need your rest!! Can you lie down for a nap and forget the housework when they're down for a nap? Or even let them curl up with you in bed or on the couch and put on one of their favorite movies, and you snooze while they're mezmerized? It sounds like even though you're trying to get better, you're so busy that you're not giving your body enough time to recouperate.

I'm now editing my response after reading all the others. If you keep spending money on all these remedies, you will have spent as much as it would have cost to go to the doctor in the first place!! First off, it does sound like you're using too many things. When like one person said, you need to let your body do the work. I would try to lay off the medicine during the day and use it mostly at night when you really need it to help you rest, and stick to ONE medicine. Like I said before, find one that specifically addresses only the symptoms you're having, instead of something like nyquil or tylenol cold. Those are like "bombs" with tons of medications in them, and if you're taking something for a symptom you don't have you're just putting something else in your body that it's going to have to process. That's only making it do more work on something besides your illness which is the priority! SO, eat well, drink TONS of water and SOME juices/gatorade. Then take something at night to help you sleep. And again I say REST. Otherwise this cold/flu will keep returning!

If you have drainage then that is what is causing your cough (as you thought). Benadryl will clear up the the drainage and stop your cough. If you need to take sudafed to breathe and tylenol for the headache thats fine. Delsym will work during the day to help keep the cough at bay. But a couple of nights of benadryl and you should be much better.

My favorite cough relief is either a bit of Marshmallow Root (liquid tincture) in a small glass of room temp or warm water. Marshmallow root is a natural herb and can be found at any health food store in a dropper bottle. Works instantly and can be used with children. You can also find the dried herb and make a tea with it.

Another remedy I like is a homeopathic remedy called Cough & Bronchial Syrup by Boericke & Tafel. It can also be found at health food stores. I like to get the 99% Alcohol Free variety as my 6 year old is prone to bronchial problems. She gets coughs regularly during the cold weather and, since it's mostly tasteless, she takes it well. It can also be mixed with syrup or honey! :)

I hope you are feeling better but thought I'd give my 2 cents. I always keep these products on hand, especially in winter or anytime I know a bug is going around.

I have used a nasal spray called Zicam to help me get over my colds quicker. It won't really help with the cough, but it may help you get rid of the cold altogether. You can buy it over the counter at any pharmacy or drugstore. Also, when I have a cough I find that lots of steam several times throughout the day helps!! Get well soon, K.

Try using Mucinex DM. It really does help break up the congestion.

Hi J.,
Back in the day, we use to use HOT TODDIES. GET A HALF PINT OF OLD GRAND DAD, A LEMON, HONEY AND A LITTLE WATER AND HEAT IT UP. DRINK AS WARM AS YOU CAN TAKE IT. DRESS IN A WARM JAMMIE AND COVER UP AND GO TO SLEEP AND SWEAT IT OUT. TASTE GOOD TOO

Hi J.,
My name is J.. I have had the same problem but I work with a bunch of Dr.s to help me out. You have to be careful on that sudafed and other sinus meds. because you want it to drain from your sinuses. But a good cough med you can buy over the counter is Robutussin DM. or the old fashion way if you want a home remedy my grandmother taught me and it helps the coughing is take some honey and put a little lemon juice in it and heat it up. It will coat your throat and help you stop that nagging cough. It really does work if you can get past the taste of the honey. Hope you get feeling better.

Musonex Dm works very well. It is a little expensive, but well worth it. It gets rid of the junk that causes that lingering cough. Get well soon.

You can get a bottle of codeine cough syrup from you phy. It is a little known secret. It's about 8.00 for a little bottle, but since you have no health insurance anything will help. Go to your phy. and tell them you would like a bottle of codeine cough syrup, because you have a terrible cough and do not have any health insurance. It will help with the pain in your throat and sooth the nagging cough. :-) Hope this helps. Do not take it while your baby is awake. It is a powerful drug, so take it with caution. I noticed you were feeling better tho, so maybe keep it in mind for future coughs.

J.,
try leaving your house a bit on the cooler side. Germs LOVE heat. My son has asthma and when he gets that nagging cough i have to make sure that he is in a cool place. Also, at night try running a HUMIDIFIER. COOL MIST one. You can get them anywhere. they ususally run around 30.00 dollars. It may be dry in your house so you need to put some moisture back into it. Drink LOTS of water. More than normal. and limit milk and soda and juice. good luck and i hope that this helps.
B.

Hey

This is no time to be sick! Tis the seasons you probably have tons to do and don't feel up to any of it. I know when I'm sick it seems as if the entire house falls appart. I am sorry to hear you are feeling so bad.

I am not a dr. of any sort, but If I were you I would be careful taking so many over the couner meds especially if you take then to close together. There have been deaths reported from people mixing and taking over the counter mends to close together. If the Sudefed works and tylenol works try finding a 2 in one combo of tylenol cold or Advil cold then you will be down to 1 pill w/ both. As far as adding the caugh syrup on top of all of that make sure it does not have any more sudefed in it, that would be dangerous. Since you can feel it driping it sounds like sudefed might not be the right thing or the only thing you need to hep the caugh. Sudefed will or should dry up your nose, so it may not be runing out, but it is runnng down your though making you caugh. It sounds to me like you need an expectorant. That will losen what ever is in your nose and lungs so you can caugh it or blow it out. That should help you stop caughing some. I would talk to the pharmacist about your symtoms because there are lots of combinations of meds that will losen phlem with the expectorant, keep it from running into your lap w/ a sudafed, and help aches and pains w/ advil or tylenol. The name of the stuff that works as an expectorant is guaifenesin. I would think that will help your caugh a lot. I also like it because for me it has no side affects like sudafed.

Well good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Trace

Try Mucinex, or Mucinex DM. I had bronchitis a lot last year, and I just couldn't get rid of it. I took Mucinex while I was sick, and then I continued to take it for about a month - even when I started feeling like the cold was going away, and it seemed to clear it up. Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

This may sound a little different, but try childrens Benadryl allergy sinus. That's one thing my Dr. recommended to me. The allergy medication plus the decongestant should help stop the sinus drainage. Once the drainage stops the cough should stop. Worth a shot.

The childrens medication has the medicine you need, but not all the other junk you don't. That's why my Dr. recommended it to me.

Try Mucinex DM - it's a cough suppressant. It's an over-the-counter medication, and while it's not cheap it's worth it's weight in GOLD!
Good luck!

Have you tried using a humidifier? I've found that has worked for me in the past. Sometimes it's even allergies, so taking claritin/loratidine or some other kind of allergy medicine can help.

Honestly if you think mucus is contributing to the cough, I would buy some Mucinex. There is a new version out that also has cough supp. Try Target or Walgreens for the Generic version to save you money. Worked for me...good luck!

When my kids had it a couple of weeks ago (age 7 and 10), I gathered information from all kinds of sources trying to find something other than taking medicine. They usually don't work, anyhow. What I came up with for a cough is to drink lots of grape juice. It has been known to help aid as an expectorant to bring up the junk out of your lungs. Also, I loaded them up with vitamins--specifically vitamin E (for immune system), vitamin C and also B 12. It seemed to help them get well faster but it wasn't a cure. Hope this helps!

I am having a nasty cough to as a lasting effect of pneumonia. I was prescribed an inhaler for when my cough gets really bad, but it doesn't do much to help. I also have been using Chloraseptic cough drops as well as their Thin Strips. They don't relieve my cough for very long at a time, so I have to use them more frequently, but while they are lasting, I feel better than with anything else I have taken. I hope you feel better soon!

I have the same thing. I am almost over it just have the cough left. I have had since just befor Thanksgiving. I also got a tummy thing with the cough. I could keep food down for a week. All I can suggest is wait it out. I take chlorasepitic cough drops they are the only thing that works for me. I also take really hot baths right before bed so the steam helps clear me up. I have a 27 month old. She has done really well with me being sick. She actually took care of me. She would bring me her stuffed animals to cuddle. She would tell me night night and give me kisses pat me on the back. Just lay with me. She does go to a sitter during the day. I work full time and did all but one day when I the - as I call it - crud. I hope this helps some. It does go away it just takes some time. My husband also had the cold part of the crud and his cough took about 3 weeks to go away. Other than that all I can suggest is when you husband gets home go to bed and leave him with the kids while you get better. :)

My Dr. gave me Tessalon Perles its a gel capsule works wonders and does not have the nasty taste of cough medicine liquids. Bronchitis has been running rampid around this reigon and well also my doc has my kids on a nebulizer taking Xoponex and pulimacort these have ben helpful but the Tessalon works longer. I think its worth asking for from the doc and does not make you drowsy

S.