Hydrocodone Chlorpheniram susp. Ask your doctor. It's very strong and we only use it in cases likes yours. One or two doses at bedtime and it's over.

Try sucking on cough drops (preemptively) during periods where coughing may be disruptive. I keep cough drops going all night when I get this kind of cough.

Also, I'll take a generic tylenol-based cough/cold syrup through the worst of my symptoms. A dose every (4) hours is typical until symptoms ease ...

Be careful of medications with TUSSIN (as in Robotussin), ... as this ingredient is designed to actually help you to COUGH UP congestion which can develop. Check the label of any medication you are using to make sure that it DOESN'T contain TUSSIN, ... (unless you ARE TRYING to COUGH UP congestion).

Finally, try significantly ELEVATING your HEAD/CHEST during SLEEP hours (with pillows,etc.). In the midst of these colds, ... excess fluids will collect upstream into your sinuses/throat unless you position yourself so that the drainage flows the other way (i.e. downstream into your digestive tract).

Take heart ... I'm just getting through one of these colds.

The cough (as managed) ... wasn't so bad this time.

It will usually improve within the course of a week.

P.S. To avoid the colds in the first place, ... take a multivitamin daily and try to get in some extra vitamin C.

Also, most colds are transferred from our HANDS (which pick up the cold virus from other people) ... into our EYES/EARS/NOSE/THROAT. Keeping you HANDS washed/sanitized AND keeping them AWAY FROM these VIRAL entry-points (EYES/EARS/NOSE/THROAT) will go a long way toward avoiding these colds.

Hope this helps ...

I'm a big believer in Cold Eeze as a way to shorten and lessen the severity of colds. In fact, I take one at the first tickle in my throat and swear it has prevented my even getting them. Suck don't chew one every 2 hours.

Look for cough drops like chloraseptic as they have anesthetic in them which will help suppress the cough.

I also am a big believer in gargling frequently with the genuine, old fashioned yellow listerine. It does help keep the throat clear and fight germs. When I have a cold, the other mouthwashes just don't cut it.

Keep water with you and keep sipping it...the more fluids, the looser the phlegm will be and the water will help soothe your throat.

Also, use hot liquids, like a cup of tea, and breathe the steam in to help moisten and break up the phlegm in your throat.

Hope you feel better soon!

Is it a congestion issue or a chest issue? Or both? Mucinex is highly rated and has various concoctions to help with specific symptoms.

Hope you feel better soon.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mucinex

Ellendi -- I assume that's a prescription med.? I'm looking for something OTC to get me thru the weekend, but thank you.

Aegis, I do all the preventive stuff as a habit when anyone is sick nearby (I got this from the graduating son, who is on meds for a sinus infection but is much better now) but I think my body was really tired and worn down by stress that it just let these germs right in! This went right to my chest.

I did have tea and honey when I got up earlier (after a few hours of sleep) and did manage to go back to sleep for about an hour after that. I think I'll try alternating tea and water throughout the day today. We also have a grad party for 50-60 people in our back yard tonight so I will have a pocket full of cough drops at all times! Chloraseptic, thanks Annie.

Good advice about avoiding the tussin. There are so many varieties in the store, I never quite know what I'm looking for.

You can tell I don't get colds often! Maybe once a year but I just had this dam cough thing in the winter. That time, DH had it, then I had it, so were sleeping in separate bedrooms for about two weeks!

Oh gosh, I've been there in your situation. The worst was in a Church. lol.

OTC - Robitussin DM, but take an extra half dose. It loosens the stuff in your chest.

Prescription either something with hydrocodone or codeine. Hydrocodone is the best though, but really hard to get these days.

I agree about sucking on cough meds during the service. And try to breathe out of your nose if you can to keep air from going down the throat which starts the dreaded tickleing sensation. :)

Robitussin, and many other IIRC,do not stop you from coughing, they make your coughs more "productive".

I am pretty sure the evidence shows that none of the medicines reduces the incidence of coughing.

Water, rest, and the passage of time are your friends. Good luck!

Our go-to OTC self-medications are:

Neo-citran for colds before going to bed.

Benylin cough medicine. For us it seems to be the only thing that works.

Advil for cold and sinus.

Sleep sitting up with lots of pillows. I agree that really seems to help me.

Take a bottle of water and cough drops with you. Don't buy so called candy cough drops but something with some oomph behind it like Fishermans. or ask the pharmacist.

Just for kicks and grins chew a couple of Tums and see what happens.

Go to the Minute clinic in CVS and they will prescribe a cough medicine with codeine. That works like a charm.

Sipping hot water or hot lemonade helps a lot.

Anything with codeine in it--doesn't have to be a cough syrup so if you have some leftover RX's of Tylenol or aspirin with codeine, take that.

I would suggest adding lemon juice to your tea and honey.

Cough drops with menthol help me with allergy related coughing.

If you are able to get to a drug store clinic,Tessalon Pearls are wonderful!

I was going to suggest Tessalon Perles as well. You should be able to get them at a Minute Clinic or Take Care Clinic where an appointment won't take too much time. Cough medicines with codeine may make you a bit drowsy. If you happen to know a physician or nurse practitioner, you may want to call in a favor and see if they will give you a prescription. Its a very benign medication so they should be willing. My friends hit me up all the time!

Research studies have shown that a spoonful of honey is more effective at soothing a cough than cough syrup. Time is the only cure, though.

Honey mixed with cinnamon works as a natural cough syrup and it's claimed it will stop a cold faster.

I no longer get colds but years ago used to make ginger, lemon, honey tea which is soothing and works well to eliminate the virus faster.

Eating raw garlic is useful also as it's a natural antibiotic. I use it daily in a smoothie and can hardly taste it. If one uses it often one no longer smells of garlic as it reduces toxins. Even my massage therapist finds it difficult to believe I do not smell of garlic altho use it daily. Likely why I don't get colds.

My surefire no-fail cure for the common cold is the Sammich of Death: 1 heaping tablespoon each of chopped garlic, chopped ginger, and Chinese mustard (the kind made fresh at a Chinese restaurant is best). The garlic and ginger are from jars sold in the produce section at grocery stores. Put all three ingredients on a slice of bread and eat it. Your head will explode. But the explosion will clear out your sinuses, allowing you to breathe again and exposing any nasty anaerobics to oxygen.

Do it again about four hours later if need be.

My theory is that these ingredients make your body so unpleasant that any viruses promptly either die or leave.

The only problem is that you probably don't want to be too close to anyone for awhile.

For coughs (the dry, itchy kind) I find either licorice (the real stuff), horehound drops, or Pine Brothers cough drops work best for me.

Dextromethorphan, available in many OTC forms, is a cough suppressant. Read the label as the mg vary greatly (5, 10, 15 mg) depending on the brand.

Otherwise, Rx codeine is an excellent cough suppresant.

This post was edited by mdln on Sat, May 31, 14 at 23:10

I've heard Tessalon Perles is great but our pharmacy doesn't sell it. I may check online.

Mtn, Robitussin DM *does* stop you from coughing. It has a cough supressant along with something to break up the mucus in the lungs. All you have to do is clear your throat and you can tell it's breaking up, coming up, and back down to the tummy. Gross. lol. No coughing necessary.

Some Tussins have antihistimines in them, and other things. You have to get the right Tussin to treat the exact symptom.

OTOH, sometimes a cough needs a narcotic.

I'm an expert on cough meds, I'm sitting here with a Hernia from coughing.

I would go to an Urgent Care Center and get a prescription rather than waiting until Monday to see your doctor.

Blackberry brandy. Seriously, one of the brands with real blackberry flavors. Sip about as much as you would a cough medicine (not enough to make you tipsy). If sipping out of a flask at graduation makes you uncomfortable, figure out a medicine or opaque water bottle to use and just take a little sip when needed. It seems to immediately relax the cough response.

This is probably too late, but just to chime in on the discussion.

Guaifenesin is the generic name for a common expectorant. Expectorants loosen and thins mucus and make it easier to cough it up, or let it drip down into your digestive tract.

It is found in the Tussin cough syrups and Mucinex. You need to drink lots of water when you take it.

Dextromethorphan helps to suppress your cough. A lot of cough syrups have both dextromethorphan and guaifenesin in them. Many have other ingredients as well, so you have to read the packages carefully.

Cam you get the prize for best info! Boy is there a wealth of info in this thread!!

The perles are by prescription.

Sue, how are you feeling today? Is a visit to the dr. in your future, or are you better? Hoping you are and that you were able to enjoy the graduation festivities.

tina

Just popped back in to agree with tinam61 that there is so much good info here and it was helpful to me, and hope it may have been helpful to someone else as well.

I went to the dr. this morning and I have pneumonia! Glad I went! Caught it early, which is good, and I am now the happy owner of some cough syrup with codeine so maybe I can sleep for the first time in about 4 nights, and also have antibiotics of course. Now that I survived our wild weekend, I can focus on resting up and taking my meds because on Sat., we leave for the Galapagos Islands.

Most importantly, my DS had a wonderful graduation weekend and I only had one coughing fit in the middle of the salutatorian's speech...

I swear by this stuff, and buy it for my kids/grandkids and myself. I buy it at an oriental market for $5, way cheaper that the online price. I buy 5 bottles at a time so I always have a bottle or 2 to give away.

Here is a link that might be useful: cough syrup