I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas on how to help my husband who has had this dry hacking cough for about 6 weeks now. I have had him to the doctor who says it's most likely post nasal drip because his lungs are clear, no fever and he says he feels fine. We have tried prescription cough medicines, sudafed, benadryl, over the counter cough medicines, saline spray, anything I could think of or what the doctor recommended. He is a smoker (I know--bad) but I've tried to cut back his smoking as much as possible to no effect. For instance today he's only had 2 cigarettes. It's driving me crazy and it can't be much fun for him either. Somedays he hardly coughs at all but today he hasn't stopped since he got up.
As anyone had any experience with this, and found something that works. I think I might have to contact the doctor again.
i find using a humidifier in the bedroom helps with dry coughs. ours is allergy related. and i have hepa type room air purifiers thru the house to help. change furance/a/c filters regularly dust can cause dry coughs too.
DH has been on Lisinopril for several years - never had a cough, until the last couple of weeks. Now he coughs for a few minutes when he wakes up in the morning, and sometimes during the night. It's getting worse,but I didn't think of Lisinopril.
No, he's not on any high blood pressure medications. He takes cymbalta, aricept, namenda, pravastatin and seroquel. I didn't find any information on any of these having a side effect of coughing.
My hb also has been having this dry cough for the last few weeks. He has his bag of cough drops sitting by him. Maybe it is something going around. I also started back with the antacid a couple weeks ago - put it with his morning pills, and this seems to have helped some. Now it is mostly when he gets up in the morning. He has had GERDS in the past and galantamine, as with aricept, causes more acid to be produced.
I gave my husband some tums and the cough seemed to be relieved quite a bit. I don't know if this is a coincidence or not but I'm going to pick up some gaviscon to see if this helps. I googled acid reflux cough (which I had never heard of) and a lot of the articles said that gaviscon seemed to work best. I don't know if Bruce is having heartburn or acid reflux as he can't tell me but upon reading about it and having tried all the cough/cold/allergy meds this seems an easy thing to try. Lozenges have no effect either. I'll let you all know how it goes.
My hubby has had problems for the last year with an on again / off again dry cough and hoarse voice that comes and goes. After multiple tests and dr appts, the dr thinks it is acid reflux. He is on medication for it (helping but not fully improving) and dr has advised diet changes (not easy because coffee, citrus, tomato, spicy food, chocolate are all favorites) and raising head of bed. DH would sometimes wake me up in the night with a gargling, gurgling sound . . . someone told me it's best to lay on left side if acid reflux is a problem so now if the gurgling starts up, I tell him to roll over and face me and it stops! Just like that! A further sign that symptoms are likely caused by acid reflux.
I've got acid reflux caused by a hiatal hernia. When diagnosed they handed me an Rx and said, "Here. You'll need to take this for the rest of your life." No thanks - I found that if I am very careful not to eat anything after 7:00 PM (4 hours before bedtime), I have no problems. So you may want to consider limiting nighttime meals/snacking. Also, my condition is much worse when I am overwieght - if your DH has put on weight that may contribute.
Be careful with excessive use of antacids; they can interfere with other meds, and cause problems of their own...
Well this morning when he got up the coughing started all over again. I gave him a couple of antacids and so far it doesn't seem to have helped. I think I'm going to call his doctor and have him checked out again. Since my husband just answers yes to any questions I ask him, I don't know if he is feeling any symptoms.
Deb..did not see if DH had tried nasal spray. If it is post nasal drip, an approach to help it would be a drug like plain Claritin ( not Claritin D) and Flonase type nasal spray. As always check with your MD. This was suggested by ENT specialist and it has worked like a charm. Benadryl is very drying as are some of the other antihistamines. Also, add humidity to the air as previously mentioned. Good luck!
I went to visit my DH yesterday (Sunday) at 7:00 p.m. to find charted in the care aide's communication book that he had "a frequent, dry cough." I looked at the humidifier I had taken in for that purpose; it was unplugged and the water level seemed to be about the same as when I had last seen in on Friday evening. (I take Saturday off so that his kids have free access to visit him.) I asked the care aide who is in his last semester for his R.N. and who works weekends with DH, "When was the last time you had had the humidifier on?" Sez he, "I've never used it." THis Honestly, it does help frequent dry coughs. I don't know about the States, but here in Canada, we need a major overhaul in health care. Even middle-aged people are saying they are frightened to grow old and find themselves in our care facilities. Or maybe it's this way all over the world.
The last time I had him to the doctor flonase and claritin was mentioned but the doctor wanted to try some of the easier meds first. I have an appointment for him tomorrow morning, so I'll ask dr about it. I do have a humidifer that I should use. Doesn't do any good sitting in the garage.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll let you all know how the appointment goes.
Back from the doctor. The doctor checked my husband out and really couldn't find a cause for the constant cough. Said he has a little bit of post nasal drip but not enough to cause the constant throat clearing cough. We are now going to try flonase and an acid reducer medication to see if this helps. The doctor seems to believe that this just may be a new behavior from his FTD like a nervous tic. I hope that's not what it is because the constant clearing of his throat and coughing are making me nuts.
Also, he ordered a swallow study for my husband to rule out any problems with aspiration. He also has a neurologist appointment on Thursday so we'll see what he says about this.
My husband had his swallow test this morning and there is no problem with his swallowing. For that I am grateful. It seems that this cough is probably a new behavior that we will have to deal with. I hope it doesn't last a long time. It seems that this coughing is pretty common in people with FTD.
How about nose blowing? My DH is constantly blowing his nose and I have tried everything out there...pills, sprays and anything else that is supposed to work. He uses at least 2 hankies a day. If anyone has anything I can try please jump in!
DH has the coughing first thing when he gets up every morning; rarely anymore throughout the day or night. Also blows nose a lot, Jean21. Haven't found anything for that either.
Jean, my husband uses a prescription spray called Atrovent for his runny nose. He takes 2 sprays four times a day. It helps a lot, although it doesn't entirely get rid of the problem.
My hb does the coughing bit - lives on cough drops and sneezes. Use to be 3 at a time now can be 6 or more. The coughing he had when we were up north, the sneezing has just started the last week about the time the winds started blowing more. They have died down so we will see.
Charlotte, I think that observation that the wind blowing increases his sneezing points to allergens. Here, in Vancouver, Canada, it would mean that the alders are coming in (usually in January) and whatever they are producing - can it be pollen this early? - is stirring up allergies.
Mary75 - if you have had the wet winter that they have in had in Washington, could be mold. We had to stop using fresh Christmas trees due to mold growing on the bark. I never thought about it but where there is moisture mold can grow. His sneezing has gone back to occasionally.
My Dh has had the habit of clearing his throat several times an hour ever since I have known him (45 years). He's loud enough that at times it actually hurts my ears! I used to find him in the stores by standing there for a minute and waiting until he cleared his throat. The kids and I all knew it wouldn't be a long wait. In the past couple of years that subsided (a good side effect of this dx?) but, like everyone else here, he has started to do it again :-(. I know that meds won't help in this case since it was probably a learned response that he is picking up again.
He is still coughing and tonight I'm really at my wit's end. He does these little coughs about every couple of seconds and every now and then he does a bunch of loud ones in a row. I think I'm going to have to get some earplugs before I go crazy. Once he dozes off or goes to sleep for the night, he doesn't cough at all! That is why the doctors don't believe it is related to post nasal drip or his lungs. He is on no meds with a cough as a side effect. We have tried meds for acid reflux, cough medicines with and without codeine, and claritin with flonase. He had a swallow test which was completely normal. It seems that it is now a tic of some kind.
He has an appointment at the VA on Tuesday for his yearly check-in with them. I'll ask them if they have any suggestions.
it may not be related to cough at all then. it could be more obsessive compulsive disorder.. they get fixated on something and it becomes obsessive. maybe the VA dr can give him a change in meds to help level it out if its not a real symptom.
divvi, my DH has had a dry cough for over a month. He keeps thinking it is allergies and asks me if there is a new pollen on the forecast. I tell him "No it is the same as last time" I think it is obsessive compulsive disorder too because nothing is working to make it better.
My husband still has a dry cough off and on. No cause was found but I have noticed he does it more when we are home alone than when we are out. Don't know if that means anything...
deb, have you tried giving him chewing gum? Works for me when I get to clearing my throat for no good reason -- which is seemingly just my default thing to do sometimes when I'm bored or don't have anything better to do.
deb112958, my DH coughs more at home than anywhere else too. At first I wondered if he was making himself cough(after he started coughing, that is) I am not sure what to think but I know that sometimes it keeps me from getting good sleep. Augggggggggggggghh!!!
cassie*, he has been coughing on and off since Dec. 2010. Everything physical was ruled out. Doctors believe it's a behavioral thing. He has FTD.
deb42657, I'm lucky he doesn't cough once he falls asleep. Some days I wish for him to fall asleep in his recliner so the coughing stops for awhile. I feel for you having to deal with this at night. I know it would drive me insane if I had to listen to it all day and all night!