I had a lingering cough and cold in February. I did well on Mucinex during the day and Niquil at night. For me, it was important to be drugged enough to sleep well so that I wasn't totally miserable during the day. With enough sleep, I can endure most things. Add sleeplessness and illness and I don't do well.

Take the drugs.

BTW - my SIL and her mom are anti modern medicine. My brother is a nurse and he'll take just about anything. It's a odd marriage, but it works.

A home remedy that I've used is to crush and dissolve a real 325 mg aspirin in a cup of quite warm to hot water. Stir well, gargle well, and swallow. That will ease the throat ache.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Go see your regular doc. You'll probably get a cough syrup with codeine. Your throat may be too irritated to heal, you've got to stop the cough.

Good luck, hope you feel better soon.

lol they don't give out that stuff like they used to a dose of that and a shot you sleep like a baby

Lick a frog's belly from right to left, while standing on one leg, facing south and winking your left eye, during the second quarter phase of the moon, roll it in a whole wheat tortilla, feed it to the first dog you see.

That sounds entirely organic, sigmonkey. I'll suggest it to Mrs.

I find different people have different results with OTC cough medicines. They don't all work. When you have gone days with no relief then it is time to move up in strength and codeine works well. I have a preference though and will ask the MD to prescribe Tessalon Perles. No codeine but I find that the benzonatate suppresses the cough reflex well.

I'd follow the doc's advice including the cough medicine, presumably a narcotic. If you're having a painful cough, you're not going to sleep without some extra help.

And oh yes, Go Hokies!

Very nice to hear from you, Dr. T!

Take it to get a decent night's sleep. Some coughing is good-- clears out mucous. I usually only Rx non narcotic cough medicines, but for either tell my patients to use it for obtaining some decent rest.

I was stuck on a flight once and over the course of about 2 hours got hit by a horrible cold - sore throat, cough, the whole 9 yards. I had no cold medicine with me. Made a hot toddy with hot water, a pack of sugar (no honey on the flight) 2 wedges of lemon and a 50 ml bottle of Maker's Mark. It's the only thing that got me through the rest of the flight.

When cold men's are available, I am a big fan of Mucinex-D.

quote:

Originally posted by vthoky:
Mike, I like your suggestion. At the risk of derailing my own thread, would you like to recommend a particular whiskey? (I know dirt about whiskey. So far.)

For a cough I reccomend a smooth Canadian whiskey. Crown will do in a pinch. Canadian Club maybe. The nuances of the more complex sippin Whiskeys are lost when you are hacking.

All you need to know...

-Tom

Opioid cough syrup WORKS.

But it's next to impossible to get a Dr to prescribe it these days.

I haven't had a bad, post nasal drip, all night cough for a year or two...but when I do, that stuff is the only thing that will let me sleep.

Way back when, both my wife and I had the worst cough of our lives, I think from influenza. We were prescribed Hycomine. I think that's the first narcotic high I ever experienced. Funny, it didn't work so well after a while....

I do not agree with your wife. Btw, thank your doctor for not prescribing antibiotic like candy.

quote:

Originally posted by sjtill:
Way back when, both my wife and I had the worst cough of our lives, I think from influenza. We were prescribed Hycomine. I think that's the first narcotic high I ever experienced. Funny, it didn't work so well after a while....

I have to admit, I LOVED Hycomine HC (as in synthetic heroin and codene. I got it back about 1979 the fist time, when I had the worst cough I ever had. I went to work and by the time I finally left, my eyes were cherry red, I had a nose bleed, and I would grab my head every time I coughed from the pain, and go, "Uhhhharggg!". The doctor gave me the script and I remember it was a big bottle for like $7. I took it as soon as I got home and the cough stopped instantly, and the hallucinations soon began. The first thing I saw was huge bugs on my walls, all different colors. I found this beyond amusing. Then came the sensory distortions, my yellow Lab Joe's muzzle looked to be about 6 feet long with tiny eyes way back there. When I stood up, I seemed to be about 20 feet tall, my feet appeared tiny. This was scary for a minute or two, but eventually, I thought this was funny too. I found that I could get all the effects of the syrup, no cough, the hallucinations, etc, by taking less than half the normal dose. It was a fun week. About a year to the day after I got it the first time, I got it again. The third and last time I had the horrible broncitis, I got the "revised" Hycomine, worked great, but no more hallucinations and/or distortions. The "real stuff" is supposedly still available in Canada, but it's banned in the US. Bastards!

Do yourself a favor and get some mild stool softener pills to have on hand.

If your body can't kick something in a week, it's time to go to the doctor and get a prescription because you're not going to get better. Not to mention you don't want to go around infecting other people. Wholistic methods are great and all, but the average age people lived to was only into their 30's until modern medicine came along.

Definately meds. I had a friend not take anything for 3 weeks. Lungs got infected and filled with crap near to the top. It required surgery and he could have easily died as is O2 level was below 90%.

I agree with your wife. After all, just look at how much higher life expectancies were when doctors only knew how to brew tea and drill holes in your head.