Ear, Nose & Throat Community

I can't answer those questions....I don't know if you need additional diagnostic tests (I can guess that you do), and I have no way of knowing why "it" keeps coming back, since I don't know what "it" is.

Coughing for several months...without an identifiable cause, and without a response to normal treatment, is a clear reason to seek further diagnostic care, including seeing a pulmonologist (lung specialist). A reason must be found....as well as a solution, so you will need to keep working with your doctor until that happens.

I can't answer those questions....I don't know if you need additional diagnostic tests (I can guess that you do), and I have no way of knowing why "it" keeps coming back, since I don't know what "it" is. There can be hundreds of causes of cough....

Coughing for several months...without an identifiable cause, and without a response to normal treatment, is a clear reason to seek further diagnostic care, including seeing a pulmonologist (lung specialist). A reason must be found....as well as a solution, so you will need to keep working with your doctor until that happens.

I don't have any help for you unfortunately, but my daughter and I have had the same problem. Cannot get rid of the cough. We were both advised to take Claritin since it was such and ordeal just to get our prescriptions filled for anything doctor prescribed. Our insurance said it was because fo the cost of the meds that they wanted us to try other avenues before resorting to using the expensive meds. I cough every morning and every night. I have a lot of post nasal drip but never a runny nose, same for my daughter. This has been going on since the middle of February. I have always had this cough as soon as pollen shows up, but never this long. My daughter before we got her on allergy medicine and mucinex was coughing till she throws up. I cough so hard I can't catch my breath.

For both posters -- if you regularly cough at a certain time of year, you could very well have allergic asthma. You should get it checked out by an allergist to get appropriately diagnosed and treated.

Also, for heppetwo, I just read an article in the last day or so indicating that children who cough so hard they throw up probably have asthma. (It was an article on Medscape reporting from a March 2009 meeting of one of the professional allergists' associations.) An allergist who is an AAAAI member will be familiar with the article.

Hope this helps. Take care & good luck. Judy (allergies + allergic asthma, also son age 13 with same)

I have had the same problem for years. An Ears, Nose & Throat specialist sent me for a CT of my sinuses, everything was normal. He said maybe I drink to much water (I do drink a lot about 1 11/2 gallons a day) but I found that ridiculous. I went to a pulmonary specialist. All she did was order me numerous tests. I was checked for sleep apnea, I had it, I had all kind of asthma tests, nothing showed up, she sent me to an allergy specialist, I had no allergies. Since she could not find anything she put me on antihistamines which worked well, but I had to take 3 times a day. I began having problems with my memory and my primary physician told me to stop taking them. Bottom line, I spent thousands of dollars and I still have a bad post nasal drip , that when I lay down at night, I feel like I am drowning, I cough and cough till I throw up. In the morning the same thing happens. Flonaise works great but I do not like the side affects of steroids. I pretty much just change allergy medicine every three to four months and suffer. I think my original problem started from either bleach exposure or second hand smoke. If anyone has a diagnosis I would sure like to know without spending any money, as I no longer have health insurance

I had the same problem with coughing. I took expensive allergy medicine unnecessarily for almost 10 years that never worked. I was feed up with my primary physician and went to an allergy specialist. I was amazed to find out that I wasn?t allergic to anything. I did not test positive for any known allergies. However he explained to me a condition called Non-allergic vasomotor rhinitis and prescribed Amdry. The name speaks for itself and it is an inexpensive generic medication. I no longer have any trouble with coughing unless I have another reason like a true sore throat, cold or flu symptoms.

I have been going through the same thing (UNFORTUNATELY) since I was very young, like less than a year. I was born preemie, which have something to do with it.. Not sure really. Anyway. My Lung Dr has done asthma tests which came back absolutely normal. But, what always happens is that like you, a couple of times a year, ill get what seems like a cold or maybe allergies.. then the cough comes on.. like a hack at first, then it really starts.. and boy oh boy do I mean does it start.. all nite long, and hard.. the only thing that helps is drs prescription cough syrup.. ive tried every kind of cough syrup possible. and its for weeks at a time. shots, pills, meds.. NOTHING.. i suggest getting a lung dr because he is definitely looking into my case. hopefully you can get some relief.

I, also, have had a chronic cough recently. In January I visited my son in South Carolina. He has a Boxer dog that stays in the house. I started coughing after I had been there a few days. I first thought that it might be caused by allergies to something in the air or maybe the boxer. I was there for 2 weeks and coughed the whole time. He had a cough syrup that I used which seemed to help a little. After returning home, I had a real bad cold which involved upper respiratory infections of the sinuses and bronchitis with phlegm which lasted for 2 weeks. After I had recovered from that, my cough returned. I discussed the cough with my local Pharmacist, he suggested that it could be a side effect of a high blood pressure medicine called Benicar HCT that I had been taking for some time. I made an appointment with my Ear, Nose & Throat doctor who told me the same thing. He checked my sinuses & throat which were clear of any infection. He prescribed a medicine called Tussigon 5 MG, a tablet which I take every night at bedtime. I have been taking it for three weeks and so far my coughing is almost non-existent. I have just returned from a weeks vacation and my cough did not bother me while I was traveling, for which I was thankful because I was in a car with other people. I have made an appointment with my family doctor to discuss maybe changing my blood pressure medicine. I understand that there are other medicines that may cause this side effect. I hope that this information helps. Southernlady79

Why the heck would you drink so much water, especially if your doctor told you not to? That's absurd. Don't drink it so much, it's as simple as that. Why must you insist on being weird and different from everyone else? Most people don't drink abnormal amounts of water; therefore, you should not drink abnormal amounts of water. Have you ever heard of hyponatremia? 1 gallon of water, or 128 oz., is right at the MAXIMUM level of water commonly recommended by doctors. Are you trying to flush drugs from your system? Do you enjoy constantly going to the bathroom? Are you an extreme athlete? Do you consciously replace salts in your body?

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