Tips on How to stop coughing needed..ASAP - Asthma Message Board

engineer1961 · 05-05-2009, 10:26 PM

Hello...it's midnight and i've been awake and coughing my lungs up non-stop(it feels like) for about 36 hours...I've pulled muscles in my stomach and chest and thereis small amounts of blood in my saliva ...all from the force of my cough. I'm so tired I just want cry...my asthma is acting up (obviously)and I have broncitus on top of it ...I just want to sleep but between the coughing and the wheezing that isn't going to happen tonight...but if anyone has any tips on how to stop this coughing ...that would be great!! FYI I have been to both the Emergency and my plumologist and neither have been able to stop this ...They gave me steroids galore and Tussonex (a super strong cough suppressant ) but neither are doing the trick.........wow lack of sleep really makes my spelling suck..but i'm to tired to care..

Titchou · 05-06-2009, 05:06 AM

Try this - it works for me. Pour a small amount of campho-phenique on a hankie/kleenex and hold it to your nose. When you go to bed at night, lay with it infront of your nose so that you inhale the fumes as you sleep.

engineer1961 · 05-06-2009, 07:20 PM

Thanks Titcho I'll try anything at this point!!

MountainReader · 05-06-2009, 11:06 PM

Does steam help at all? Occassionally it helps me a bit late at night.

Do you have any allergic triggers for your asthma? Is so, try washing your linens in hot water to help decrease the dust.

Sometimes it works in reverse, but a humidifier helps me a bit.

I coughed for over 3 months straight at one point. I was in the same boat that even the steroids didn't help at that time. (They do help most of the time though.) The pulled muscles can really really hurt and make things even worse. I'd end up sleeping in fetal position because it hurt my muscles when I stretched back out. A heating pad for the muscles helps them feel better for a bit. Doesn't help with the coughing though.

During this particular bad flare, I tried the Tussionex too. It didn't help me sleep or with the cough, but did cause me to "zone" during the day. I was also maxing out on my use of the Albuterol in addition to my daily preventatives.

Howitt44 · 05-12-2009, 07:24 PM

Engineer,
I hope you're feeling better by now. I got sick about a month ago with an asthma flare-up, so I know what you mean about coughing until your ribs hurt and your head throbs. My doctor put me on a medrol pack. The 4 mg. steroid pill where you take 6 pills the first day, 5 the next, etc. etc. I took all of those and it didn't help my breathing and coughing. So I had to get on the big time 20 mg. Prednisone 3 x a day. I was also using my albuteral - 3 puffs 4 x a day. I have never used my inhaler that much and it made my mouth, tongue and gums really sore. I still have a little tickle cough, but not much at all. My lungs were so congested and I couldn't cough it out. I put Vick's mentholatem on my chest and under my nose, so that I inhale it -that helped my cough somewhat. I drank tons of water. That would loosen the gunk in my lungs along with Mucinex. When I had trouble breathing in between puffs, I drank hot strong coffee. All because I thought I had to go out and do the yard work under the cedar trees! I'll never do that again!