Effective OTC Cough remedies

[DoraBora]

Dd (19) has a cough that is keeping her (and me!) awake at night.  She went to an urgent care clinic on Sunday with a fever, sore throat, slight cough, upset stomach, etc.  Tests for strep and flu were negative.  Her fever is long gone and she has otherwise improved, but the cough worsened considerably last night and she is sore and exhausted.  I looked online and the clinic is closed today.

I haven't had great success with OTC cough remedies.  Does anyone have a recommendation?

[mmasc]

I’m so sorry for your dd. That sounds miserable. The best otc I’ve found for cough is Delsym. It doesn’t always help, but maybe! 

I personally like NyQuil liquid for myself. It does have cough suppressant, plus antihistamine (which can help if drainage is the cause), and alcohol in it though. That, along with sleeping propped up, helps me. I also usually drink a cup of sleepytime tea with a heavy dose of honey right before taking the meds and going to bed. 

Hope she feels better!

ETA: did they X-ray to check for pneumonia?

Edited November 22, 2018 by mmasc

[Pawz4me]

If you have no problems with a little booze, then a hot toddy works by far the best of anything we've found.

And sometimes a spoonful of honey helps. One study found honey to be as effective as most OTC products.

[DoraBora]

15 minutes ago, mmasc said:

I’m so sorry for your dd. That sounds miserable. The best otc I’ve found for cough is Delsym. It doesn’t always help, but maybe! 

I personally like NyQuil liquid for myself. It does have cough suppressant, plus antihistamine (which can help if drainage is the cause), and alcohol in it though. That, along with sleeping propped up, helps me. I also usually drink a cup of sleepytime tea with a heavy dose of honey right before taking the meds and going to bed. 

Hope she feels better!

ETA: did they X-ray to check for pneumonia?

Thank you for the quick reply.  She has been using Delsym, but it's not helping enough.

They didn't do an x-ray.  Her cough was minor at the time.  I think it might be that she is working all of the congestion out of her system(?).

[DoraBora]

3 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

If you have no problems with a little booze, then a hot toddy works by far the best of anything we've found.

And sometimes a spoonful of honey helps. One study found honey to be as effective as most OTC products.

I hadn't thought of Nyquil.  I don't have a problem with alcohol...  I need to look up the ingredients in a hot toddy.  

I had a new container of honey that I opened this morning and realized the inner seal was broken.  Grrrr.  The grocery stores are open today, so I will get more of that.  If it doesn't help the cough, it might at least ease her discomfort in a cup of tea.

Thank you for the reply!  I know everyone is probably quite busy this morning.

[wintermom]

Is the fluid building up from upper respiratory (runny nose, sinuses)? If so, avoiding laying down flat can help. Steam can also help (taking a shower, using a humidifier). I believe that most cough meds try to suppress the cough, rather than deal with the actual cause of the cough.

Edited November 22, 2018 by wintermom

[maize]

Antihistamines can help for me, something like Benadryl that both seems to counteract the tickle sensation that makes me cough and also makes me drowsy.

[DoraBora]

9 minutes ago, maize said:

Antihistamines can help for me, something like Benadryl that both seems to counteract the tickle sensation that makes me cough and also makes me drowsy.

That is interesting.  She had been taking Sudafed, but she stopped when her head-congestion eased...

Thank you for answering!

[DoraBora]

15 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Is the fluid building up from upper respiratory (runny nose, sinuses)? If so, avoiding laying down flat can help. Steam can also help (taking a shower, using a humidifier). I believe that most cough meds try to suppress the cough, rather than deal with the actual cause of the cough.

I don't think she currently has congestion build-up.  She has been propping up and taking showers.  I know that the cough is there for a reason, but she can't sleep at night an it's wearing her out.

I think I may actually have a humidifier someplace.  Good idea...  thank you!

[Moonhawk]

Mucinex DM with the 600mg guaifenesin and 30mg dextromethophan Hbr has worked well for me. I never had luck in the past with cough syrups really helping much, doctor recommended this the last time I got a bad cough.

Then honey lemon tea (1 tbl honey, juice of half a lemon, hot water) as well. 

[maize]

7 minutes ago, DoraBora said:

That is interesting.  She had been taking Sudafed, but she stopped when her head-congestion eased...

Thank you for answering!

Sudafed is a decongestant but not an antihistamine.

Here is a report on one study of the effectiveness of diphenhydramine (generic term for Benadryl) for cough:

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/resource-centers/cough-cold/otc-diphenhydramine-for-cough-the-evidence-is-in

Edited November 22, 2018 by maize

[happi duck]

Another vote for mucinex 

[DoraBora]

2 minutes ago, maize said:

Sudafed is a decongestant but not an antihistamine.

Here is a report on one study of the effectiveness of diphenhydramine (generic term for Benadryl) for cough:

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/resource-centers/cough-cold/otc-diphenhydramine-for-cough-the-evidence-is-in

You are right...  and I do have some Benadryl on hand.  Thank you.

[DoraBora]

13 minutes ago, Moonhawk said:

Mucinex DM with the 600mg guaifenesin and 30mg dextromethophan Hbr has worked well for me. I never had luck in the past with cough syrups really helping much, doctor recommended this the last time I got a bad cough.

Then honey lemon tea (1 tbl honey, juice of half a lemon, hot water) as well. 

 

7 minutes ago, happi duck said:

Another vote for mucinex 

I can add mucinex to the list for dh to get at the store this morning.  She will have to choose one of the medicinal remedies for the night...

In olden times, we always had a prescription cough medicine with codeine.  It warmed you through whenever you took it and I have never found anything else that works as well.

Thank you both for replying!

Edited November 22, 2018 by DoraBora

[City Mouse]

 

1 hour ago, DoraBora said:

 

I can add mucinex to the list for dh to get at the store this morning.  She will have to choose one of the medicinal remedies for the night...

In olden times, we always had a prescription cough medicine with codeine.  It warmed you through whenever you took it and I have never found anything else that works as well.

Thank you both for replying!

 

Perscription cough Medicaid with coding still exists. I got some when I had pneumonia a couple of years ago, but in my state doctors are much slower to prescribe it than in years past.

[mominco]

Could she be dealing with inflammation? Dh had this and the urgent care dr asked him to try 2 days of Advil it helped a great deal,he did take nyquil but advil finally took care of it.

My cousin had the same type of cough a few weeks ago she had to go on steroids for 5 days along with cough syrup.I hope she feels better soon.

[MercyA]

Liquid NyQuil. The capsules don't contain alcohol, which helps you fall asleep. I personally can't take NyQuil-D (with added decongestant), because it keeps me up at night.

Or, my mom's remedy: 1.5-2 oz. of whiskey plus a splash of lemon juice plus honey to taste. Warm in a mug in the microwave. Good stuff. 😊

 

[ktgrok]

10 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

If you have no problems with a little booze, then a hot toddy works by far the best of anything we've found.

And sometimes a spoonful of honey helps. One study found honey to be as effective as most OTC products.

Hot toddy (honey, lemon juice, whiskey, hot tea) and then vapor rub on the chest and a vaporizer (the cheap Vicks brand one) with some of their menthol liquid in the water plus some vapor rub in the little cup thing at the front. Or the pads that they sell to put in there, either way. But that camphor really does suppress the cough more than anything else, and the steam helps keep the airway from drying out. 

And a nice dose of benedryl to help her sleep. 

(and I am not saying I'd do this, but hypothetically, if you have leftover medication containing codeine in the house, it also works as a cough suppressant.)