Cough Matters Simplified

Posted by DrVolcanoe on July 4th, 2007 filed in Health Info

Is it true that if my cough has almost no phlegm or is colourless, the doctor wont be able to prescribe anything?Nope…Are cough suppressants good for all type of coughs?Nope again…

Lemme expand on this. There’s two categories of cough.1/ Productive – its when you cough out something…usually phlegm/ mucous, but can even be blood!2/ Non-productive – also known as dry cough, hardly any secretion is expectorated

Productive cough can be further divided according to the colour of the phlegm.White is usually suggestive of VIRAL origin…meaning you don’t need antibiotics!! Its self-limiting, usually lasting between 5 -10 days. Yellow/Green - bacterial in nature…this’ when antibiotics play a role in treatment.

More about antibioticsAntibiotics are antibacterial. They are either bactericidal (kills bacteria) or bacteriostatic (makes bacteria non-viable), depending on their groups. The much talked about side effect of indiscriminate usage of antibiotics is RESISTANCE! As such, these drugs should be used judiciously…only when there’s clear indication of infections of bacterial origin.Cough accompanied by high grade fever of more than 38ºC, redness of the tonsils, or exudates from the tonsils are all suggestive of bacterial cause. Bacterial cause is more common in children, as such antibiotics are used…one tell-tale sign would be palpable lymph nodes at the neck. Even if its viral in origin, the chances of developing a secondary bacterial infection is higher in kids, elderly, and the immunocompromised.

Now…back to the Qs:Is it true that if my cough has almost no phlegm or is colourless, the doctor wont be able to prescribe anything?In the event of non-productive cough/dry-cough, we need to ascertain the cause of cough. Besides the most common smoker’s cough, other forms of irritants such as smoke/dusty environment might irritate the tracheal lining and lead to cough.The type of medication prescribed to you will depend on the productiveness of your cough…For productive cough, EXPECTORANTS work wonders. Along with MUCOLYTICS (which dissolve the phlegm and help it ascend the respiratory track), most people would find relieve. The commonest side effect of expectorant is however sleepiness.Are cough suppressants good for all type of coughs?When cough is viral in origin, and if there’s no phlegm (non-chesty cough)…a group of cough medication known as ANTITUSSIVES (cough suppressants) are used. This’ your common codeine kind of cough syrup, and what we call symptomatic treatment (as we’re not treating the cause, but merely providing some relieve to patients).It stops the cough – but this group of medication should never be used when there’s chesty/sputum producing cough. This would defeat the purpose of our body’s natural cough mechanism which serves to bring out the mucus in the respiratory track.Cough MixturesMost of the cough mixtures prescribed nowadays are a combination of the different group of cough-medications…consult your doctor to get the best medicine for your cough ya!And did I mention that codeine has been banned from the shelves due to its ‘addictive’ properties. For those who are in the blue…it’s a morphine derivative!DISCLAIMER: All info/advice provided here are very general in nature. We are in no way responsible for any ‘harm’ that might occur due to information posted here. Do not regard it as a substitute to your doctor’s advice. The author is open to Qs/comments/discussions on topics posted here. Do consult your doctor who would be the best person to tailor treatment according to individuals’ unique situations. TQ.