Dry cough from tickle in throat

[menundy]

I have had this cough for 4 months now. The dr has changed my diagnosis everytime I go (which is frequent). The cough starts with a tickle in my throat, which makes me cough this loud obnoxious cough that feels and sounds "dry" but produces this sometimes thin, sometimes thick white/clear mucus. This happens all the time, day night whatever. The dr has changed my Bp medicine twice, both times waiting 3+ weeks, then it was antibiotics, then asthma, then allergies, then musenex and chest xrays, bloodwork and others... Has tried numerous cough medicines to help me sleep, which did nothing. This cough is unrelenting and is driving me crazy.I am always tired anymore and I feel like I am getting worse. Please if you have had this problem or know a suggestion let me know I am willing to do anything at this point.

[Abengimoore]

I’ve been coughing since end of January this year. The same tickle in throat especially in enclosed areas, I began to violently cough. In Feb ENT guessed silent reflux & recommended 2 weeks on 40 mg Omeprazole. No improvement & I saw my GASTRO doc in April. He didn’t think it was silent reflux (based on endoscopy last year) but as a precaution recommended 3 weeks Omeprazole 40mg in the morning & Prilosec b4 dinner. It didn’t work. PCP was a waste of time and copayBy May I went to ED because my chest was tight one morning when I woke up. They diagnosed me with Acute Bronchitis & Bronchospasms. Asthma Tx given, blood tests, catscan of my lungs showed nothing. Taking meds & feeling a little better and coughing less than b4. Allergy doc took blood to see what my allergies are. He feels allergies is the cause since my nasal passages have inflammation. Seeing pulmonologist on Friday. I hope to get a definite diagnosis & get better.

[Maricl54]

My husband is suffering from this same type of cough. Not related to any other illness.  He is very healthy other than this hacking dry cough which has been devastating for him. An ENT found a granuloma on vocal chord but thought that was a result, not cause of cough. He just finished 5 days of 50 mg prednisone  & it's not gone completely...waiting to see.. Previously treated with z-packs, cough medicine & cough started again after a few weeks. Waiting to see Pulmonologist but any info you can share on cause would be great help.  Very scary for us.

[Maricl54]

Also been treated for acid reflux (no change) and waiting to see GI specialist.  Allergist is also on list to try. We are desperate for info on this issue.  Thanks!

[screenshop]

This dry tickle is driving me crazy!  I guess I'm luckier than many...haven't dealt with it for a few years, but dreading the current bout because I know how long it lasts.  Honestly, think I will probably choke to death on the lozenges I  put in my mouth in the middle of the night when the tickling keeps waking me up. It's literally like someone is tickling my throat with a feather duster.   And the cough is a useless, dry one that produces only a little clear mucus.  I am currently on a short bout of steroids (oral and inhaled) for asthma inflammation, but don't suffer from asthma on a regular basis.  I usually get the dry tickle in the later summer/early fall, and I do suffer from allergies.  Sleeping upright seems to help a little.  My husband can't sleep from my spastic coughing outbursts.  I was given a prescription cough gel tablet, but it doesn't seem to do as much as my dry cough Benylin.  I'm also going to start trying the salt water gargle, and maybe even the Vicks Vaporub on my feet with socks.  At this point, I would try a tribal dance with a Shaman if it might work...

[AngieHill]

Sounds like it could be post-nasal drip. Ask your doctor for a prescription for a nasal corticosteroid

[Jkishyoakum]

Currently experiencing the same thing for the last two months. Your bit about the Shaman is so utterly relatable to my frustration and sense of humor right now with this issue. I would be willing to submit to a voodoo practitioner now if I thought it had a chance of working. Lol
Going to try going back on casal corticosteroids first though as the used to help with my weird allergy issues and  even my Reactive Airway disorder.

[Eodri]

I used to get a tickle in my throat that made me cough. Bad. Every second.  Ended up being allergies.  Went to the allergist and found out what i was allergic to and got allergy shots BEST THING EVER no more coughing.

[Apple41876]

So, my mom has been sick for a couple weeks now actually more like a month or more. Something you all need to keep in mind that doctors don't often check for. Especially this time of year during cold and flu season. A PULMONARY EMBOLISM! Yes! A PE mimics a lot of the same symptoms as bronchitis. Coughing, shortness of breath, tightening and pain in the chest, even short term memory loss, anxiety, depression, dizzy, lightheadedness, sore muscles etc. My mom has been prescribed anti depressants, an inhaler, a Zpack (antibiotics) Musenex, and a ton of other meds with no improvement. Finally, she took herself into the ER this morning and the chest X-ray didn't reveal anything so they sent her for a CT scan. Low and behold she has some blood clots in her lung(s)! Her pulse O2 was down to 85. And with that low of a reading it usually means you are within minutes of death! She/we got lucky! So, next time you have that unproductive cough, and flu-like symptoms but nothing is working and your health is actually declining, ask your doctor to rule out a PE. Don't take no for an answer! I'm a Radiologic Technologist and have 6 years worth of medical training in a college institution and 20+ years working in the medical field. And as a side note, I've been telling my mom to go to the hospital the whole time but she is hardheaded and didn't listen. Had she of listened we may have been able to get her on the proper medication to break the blood clots before they reached the lungs.

[stymiesez]

hi. Commenting on the various coughing questions. I had similar issues. Whenever I would get over a cold, the flu or an upper respiratory tract infection, I would have a cough that would linger for 45-60 days. I would cough even when I would breathe in too deeply. It was horrible.

Finally, my physician diagnosed it as a post-viral cough. In other words, my lungs were trying to expel what the illness left behind after I was "healed". Dark chocolate totally helped - so did ibuprofen. You see, my lungs were inflamed and the anti-inflammatory agents really helped.

I had to deal with (and suffer) until the cough was done getting rid of whatever was in my lungs.

Also, having high blood pressure at one time, my doc was experimenting with what type of meds would work for me. I found out (the hard way) that a certain class of BP meds produced a similar cough to my foe:  the post-viral cough. Needless to say, I took myself off of those meds immediately.

I hope this helps.

[Khaskhas]

Hi there, I did a vaccum cleaning and went of cleaning the vaccum pad with out protecting my nose and mouth and the same day I had cold lemon and sugar water from the next day I had soar throat and the the following day I started to cough a little bit then the thing started to get worst I started to have a tickly throat to clear that tickle I had to cough every minute. I have been to Dr 3 times but everytime I go I get different medicine and different name for my problem. The medicine doesn't seem to be working and I feel like it will never end. I think I am allergic to dust and in my workplace I need to deal with dust very often. Is my tickly throat and cough related to the allergy or it is because of some other reason? If it is because of allergy, how can I get rid of it. Thank You!

[earthchild7]

I have been suffering with this mostly every winter, for almost 10 years now. It gets better sometimes when doctor gives me oral Prednisone (steroid), along with my inhalers Ventolin (Albuterol) but if I get a cold and coughing starts, it continues for months. I have tried everything from cough suppressants, Mucinex, and cough drops to herbal treatments too. Freshly squeezed ginger juice in my tea helps soothe my throat and  but does not cure it. A doctor just told me that I might have "erosive esophagitis". This is like acid reflux, though I don't feel the heartburn and acid reflux problems all the time, as much as my cough. I have just been prescribed Pantoprazole, which decreases amount of acid in stomach; and chilled Pepto-Bismol. In just one day, I feel the irritation reduced in my throat and also the severity of my coughing has reduced. Another thing my doctor just told me that when taking steroid inhalers for asthma,  always wash your mouth/gargle after taking it. Otherwise in the long term it can create thrush, a yeast infection in throat that can irritate our throat, and  make us cough too. All the best. Hope you all feel better soon.

[Babette247]

I have same thing and like you Im getting no where with doctors try putting Vicks Vapor Rub on the bottom of your feet rub it in and put socks on see if that doesnt help you it helps you sleep through the night it suppresses coughing and Im using cepacol extra strength mixed berry throat lozengers I think this is all due to allergies but Ive tried Allegra and its not helping  me either if you ever find out what it is please let me know

[Iglet]

Just recently went through this. Started with sore throat and cold. Then the dry, hacking cough with little mucus. Laryngitis followed from all the constant coughing, which also disturbed my sleep for days. In desperation, after reading all these posts, I decided to try just gargling with warm water and salt added, as I read somewhere it was moisturizing and antiseptic to the throat.  It worked wonders!  I have only done this three times so far and what was a constant cough has all but disappeared! Please try it! Also, I felt I was extremely dehydrated in both my nose and throat from the cold, so I started drinking extra water, tea, etc. Between the gargling and the extra fluids, it has all but gone in only two days!

[yoshi45]

I've had this problem since childhood. I always get a persistent and annoying cough for 3-4 months after getting sick around the fall. Getting a flu shot didn't help. I've always had a phlegm problem and it never seems to come out thru my nose as it should. I recently discovered I may have a deviated septum that causes this phlegm problem. I will be seeing an ENT soon and hopefully get properly diagnosed for a deviated septum and get a septoplasty to rectify this issue, because I am frankly, like everyone on here, so sick and tired of this cough. Consistently every time I get sick I get a lingering tickling in my throat that never goes away and it decreases my quality of life, destroys relationships with friends because I am always irritated by this tickle and cough for months, and disrupts my daily life from school to doing simple things like eating. I don't care what it takes, I want to get rid of it

[pmmb]

Try Clear lungs by Ridgecrest Herbals.  You can get it in the health food store.  They are capsules.  You take 2x day.   I could not get rid of my cough...musinex, nothing would take it away.  This product worked in 2 days.  Amazing.  

[swanoria]

I've had all these symptoms too, off and on.  Mine are related to laryngopharyngeal reflux.  No fun at all!

[lucy11266]

I am having a tickly/itchy feeling in my throat all the time for past few months and I can not figure out what to do.  I am unable to get a doctor who listens so I could use help.  I have had previous trauma to esophagus which led to thoracic surgery which makes things more difficult.  I am coughing until throughing up.  

[dposey]

My 25 year old son had what he was told was pneumonia and was given two rounds of antibiotics, two chest x-rays, etc.  He even told the doctor that he was having trouble breathing and his left side of his chest hurt when he took a deep breath.  This went on for about a three weeks.  Two days after his second doctor visit he died of a massive PE in his left lung.  5/17/2015.  

[cypruskit]

Every year I have the same problem.  What starts as a small cold which lasts three days, turns into a persistent cough that doesn't allow me to rest.  Today I'm on week four of this dry tickly cough which produces this clear/white mucus.  
The only thing that has helped me with finding relief of this persistent cough year after year is that I invested in a nebulizer which I add an ampule of saline and and ampule of Salbutamol for 3 times a day and the relief is almost immediate. Of course ask your Dr. if it will work for you.
The inhalers don't really work for me as I sometimes may not inhale them properly but with the nebuilizer the machine turns the ampules into a mist/steam and after inhaling this for 10 minutes, you are sure to get the proper treatment.  If it's a very bad cough, then my Dr. adds a cortisone ampule as well.
I hope this will help someone as I've been suffering for a while now before I discovered this treatment worked for me.

[lymo]

I had the same thing happen to me. First, I notice that I was sneezing a lot and after that were tickles inside my throat. I had mucus but not a lot. There was a time that I coughed for 1 minute without stopping and I barely could breath at all. I'm so lucky that I was in my home at that time. It was so embarrassing if happen in a public place. By the way, I had a GERD and I'm 31.

[tess0930]

I have had it for years and have been taking omperazole for Acidreflux.  Nothing seens to help.

[Amy52]

I've been having the breathing/coughing issues you described for over a year. What was it that you "breathed" that caused an irritant? Airborne Pathogens?

[ellawellabella]

I found a method that works.

I've been having coughing fits in the night then tried this and got to sleep quickly:

http://www.normalbreathing.com/stop-cough-at-night.php

give it a go. x

[Loria032]

Same here with the intermittent dry hacking cough - I sound like I have emphysema or something but this happens every time I get sick...I go through sore throat, then sinus congestion, then it always turns into a cough that never leaves usually lasting 3-4 months.  Weirdest but best thing at night is to slather my feet with Vicks and then put cotton socks on - I sleep the whole night without coughing.  During the day I have to sip hot tea all day in order for some relief but I still have hacking sessions that are unavoidable. :(. If anyone else has found remedies that work for your cough, please share!

[KriKoMas]

Thank you soooo much.  My symptoms coincided with the start of blood pressure medicine.  It makes sense now!

[margypops]

I have a chronic cough, dry I have had it for a few months , I get flu like symptoms which also come and go plus head aches .cannot pin anything down it maybe due to ...

[musti8911]

if you feel like chocking make sure to breath through your nose. It will help you breath and stop coughing. It could very serious if you can't breath.
I had to same problem and had a car crush, after 5 surgeries. I still have it but not as bad. It always happens in cold weather and starts with cold. also it might be your mucus dripping back to your throat which causes infection and make it worse. Try keeping your throat warm especially in cold. It helps me.

[Bonita07]

Lastima april i went to visit my family in panama and i Was not coughing there but i got a bad reaction to mosquitos bite. I had pimples all over my face and body. I went to an allergy specialist in panama and he did some blood tests . I came back a week later for the results and he said I was not allergic to foods but a blood test that measures allergen was 4.5 of 5 . He did another test in my arms and I was very high on. Environmental allergens like mite pollen dust etc
He sent injections for the allergy and some Zyrtec pills and symbicourt
I have been putting the injections myself once a week since May and I haven't had a cough until over a week ago. I email my especialist and he said is the change of climate here in canada.
I am not happy the cough is back
I went to my regular dr and he runs out of ideas
How are you guys doing for the cough? Any progress