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Coughs Fool Patients into Unnecessary Requests for Antibiotics

No one wants a hacking cough for days or weeks on end. But research shows that it generally takes about 18 days to get over a standard cough-based illness. Most of us grow impatient after a week or so and head to the doctor to get a prescription. The problem with that recourse, however, is that antibiotics are usually useless against typical respiratory infections that cause coughs.

A new analysis shows that even though antibiotics might be ineffective against a lingering cough, the timing of their prescription might be fooling people into thinking that the medication worked. This pattern might increase the frequency of these unnecessary prescriptions, a hazardous practice that can…

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  When a cough just won’t go away

But what do we do for patients who either do not respond to treatments for their common conditions, or for whom extensive evaluation rules out the less common causes of a chronic cough? Well, researchers are now describing a new family of breathing and cough conditions caused by nerve dysfunction.

 For a Child’s Cough, the Best Medicine Is No Medicine

Instead of over-the-counter products, pediatricians recommend comfort measures like fluids and honey.

 The Case Against Cough Medicine

Evidence is sorely lacking for the value of any over-the-counter remedy to treat most coughs.

 There’s absolutely no way to stop a cough. Here’s why.

Coughing is good. It’s there for a reason. And if we had a medicine that could genuinely stop a person from coughing, it would kill people. People taking that magic medicine would end up filled with infected mucus, and if they couldn’t cough it up — they’d die.

Articles of Interest

Health Check: do cough medicines work?

Cough mixtures will not fix the underlying reason for the cough. Unfortunately, there aren’t many evidence-based options for relieving symptoms. A recent review of clinical trials found no strong evidence cough medicines are effective at relieving symptoms in adults. Only a limited number of clinical trials for each type of cough medicine were found and the clinical trials were often poorly reported.

What's Inside: NyQuil, Fortified With Powerful Narcotics!

Dextromethorphan HBr A cough suppressant. Well, actually, in the body it becomes dextrorphan, a cough suppressant, and levorphanol, a painkiller five times as powerful as morphine. Like PCP and ketamine, DXM is also an NMDA receptor antagonist, so the National Institute on Drug Abuse lists it as a "dissociative" drug. Twelve times the recommended dose of NyQuil leads to distorted perceptions of sight and sound and produces feelings of detachment — dissociation — from the environment and oneself. For people whose bodies are unusually slow at metabolizing the drug, even low doses of DXM trigger full-blown "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" psychedelic trips.

7 Kinds of Coughs and What They Might Mean

A cough is a symptom, not a disease in and of itself, that's often indicative of an underlying condition. A cough can accompany a common cold, for instance, or be due to allergies, lung disease, or even gastrointestinal troubles.

7 Reasons You Can’t Stop Coughing

Everybody coughs; it’s the number one illness-related reason people go to the doctor, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

An App That Knows Why You Cough

Smartphone apps in development will help diagnose and manage diseases—including cough causes, sleep apnea and bipolar disorder.

Don't suffer like Theresa May. Here's how to beat a coughing fit

Theresa May didn't need to suffer through her speech. Doctors explain how to fight a tickly throat when you're speaking to an entire country.

Don’t Give Kids Under 12 Cold and Cough Medicine

Kids aren’t just tiny adults—these medicines haven’t been proven safe for them. So try these remedies instead.

That nagging cough

Cough for a minute or two, and you may think something has "gone down the wrong pipe." Cough for a day or two, and you may think you've picked up a cold or the flu. After a week, bronchitis or allergies may come to mind. But after three or four weeks, your mind starts to race, and the worry begins to mount.

The Cough That Doesn’t Go Away

When a cough doesn’t seem to be getting better, it’s worth paying attention to the pattern of coughing, and to the character of the cough itself.

These 4 Chemicals May Pose the Most Risk for Nail Salon Workers

Besides the questionable labor practices that surround the shops, glues, lacquers and dust in the workplace create their own risks for nail technicians.

Think Like a Doctor: A Cough That Won’t Stop Solved!

The Challenge: A 43-year-old man starts to cough every time he takes a deep breath. Can you help him figure out why?

What’s Causing Your Chronic Cough? 9 Diseases To Check For

When a cough doesn’t go away, it could be more serious.

Resources

MedlinePlus

Coughing is a reflex that keeps your throat and airways clear. Although it can be annoying, coughing helps your body heal or protect itself. Coughs can be either acute or chronic. Acute coughs begin suddenly and usually last no more than 2 to 3 weeks. Acute coughs are the kind you most often get with a cold, flu, or acute bronchitis. Chronic coughs last longer than 2 to 3 weeks.

NHS

A cough is a reflex action to clear your airways of mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke. It's rarely a sign of anything serious.