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Cough Symptomatic TreatmentAka: Cough Drops, Cough Preparation, Intractable Cough, Cough Management

See Also
General measures to relieve cough
1. Cough Drops
  1. Children over age 4 years only (risk of Choking)
  2. Eucalyptus oil may be best
2. Homemade cough syrup
  1. Teaspoon honey or corn syrup and 2 drops lemon juice
  2. Avoid honey in younger than 1 year (Botulism Risk)
3. Warm brews (warm liquids are usually soothing)
4. Humidifiers may loosen Sputum produced with cough
5. Mentholated ointment (e.g. Vicks)
  1. No proven benefit, but may be soothing
Avoid activities provoking cough
1. Exercise may trigger coughing spasms
2. Tobacco Smoke (active or passive) should be avoided!!
  1. Continued smoking will prolong cough for weeks
Treat suspected underlying cause of cough
1. Allergic Rhinitis: Antihistamine
2. Asthma exacerbation: Bronchodilator
3. Postnasal Drainage: Decongestant (e.g. Entex)
4. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Antacid Medication
Management of Paroxysmal Cough without RAD exacerbation
1. Nebulized Lidocaine Solution (2% or 4%)
  1. Dilute in 5 cc Normal Saline
  2. Maximum: 3 mg/kg maximum
Efficacy of nonprescription Cough Preparations
1. No clear benefit of any agent compared with Placebo
2. Many agents are associated with adverse effects
3. Schroeder (2002) BMJ 324:329

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This page was written by Scott Moses, MD, and was last revised 1/26/2008. Please send comments and questions to the editor. Contact information may be found on the page About the Family Practice Notebook. These pages are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0.