Colds are often accompanied by an endless cough that does not stop day or night. Everyone who has ever encountered a similar problem knows how such a state can be painful. In this article, we will talk about how to stop a cough in a child or adult. And we will consider what folk remedies and pharmacological preparations can help in solving this problem. But first, let's find out the question asked just below.
Why does a person cough?
Understanding how to stop a persistent cough will be much easier if you know its causes. When a person coughs, in most cases this means that he is sick, and coughing is a reflex that helps restore airway patency. Thus, a cough can be called a protective reaction of our intelligent body, aimed at getting rid of sputum accumulated in the lungs, bronchi, trachea, and sometimes from foreign particles or dust that got there.
If adults or children become ill due to infection with an acute respiratory infection, then a cough accompanying the disease can be a symptom:
- Larynginta is an inflammation of the larynx, which is accompanied by a hoarse voice and a barking, rough cough.
- Tracheitis - inflammation of the trachea.
- Bronchitis is an inflammatory disease of the bronchi. Here, the cough is initially dry, and then wet with a lot of sputum.
- Pneumonia - pneumonia.
Two types of cough
Now a little about the two types of cough - dry and wet. In the second case, the cough reflex performs a very useful cleansing function, expelling sputum containing harmful microorganisms and pus. How to stop coughing in this case? To help the body by taking expectorant and mucolytic drugs, thinning viscous sputum and contributing to its expulsion from the respiratory tract.
It is more difficult to help a person who is suffering from bouts of uncontrolled dry cough. By itself, it can not bring any relief, tires the patient, leads to severe irritation of the inflamed respiratory organs and is even capable of causing vomiting or mucosal injury. It is especially important to know how to stop a dry cough at night, because at this time it is able to intensify, and a sick person has absolutely no way to relax. Here we already have to use more serious drugs, often containing the drug codeine, due to which the tablets are able to directly affect the cough center in our brain.
Pharmacies for coughing
How to stop an attack of dry cough, what medicines are sold for this in our pharmacies? Effectively and quickly cough suppresses drugs such as Codeine, Demorphan, Hydrocodone, Codipront, Ethylmorphine Hydrochloride, Morphine Chloride. The listed preparations contain narcotic substances, so in order to purchase them in a pharmacy, you will need a prescription from a doctor.
Softer remedies for fighting dry cough (without narcotic substances) are Glauvent, Sedotussin, Tusuprex, Sinecode, Pakseladin. Important: medications for dry cough can be used only if there is no sputum in the respiratory tract!
Good drugs are also Levopront, Libexin, Helicidin. They act on receptors and nerve endings in the bronchi and trachea and also relieve painful dry cough.
And how to stop a persistent cough in the presence of sputum? There are excellent modern drugs that have both anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator and expectorant properties. These include: Lorraine, Stoptussin, Broncholitin, Tussin plus, Protiazin, Hexapnevmin, Butamyrat, Ambrobene, Bromhexine and some other medicines. There are a lot of cough drugs, and they all have their own specifics. And in order not to make a mistake with the choice of pills or medicine, it is best to consult a doctor.
When the disease is just beginning
Now let's find out how to stop a cough that begins. If you get a little cold and start coughing, then you need to immediately start acting! Such a simple remedy as frequent gargling with a warm solution of salt and soda, in some cases works wonders. Great for rinsing and a classic decoction of calendula and sage with chamomile. You can not do it yourself, but buy a Rotokan tincture in a pharmacy (all three components are included) and gargle with it, diluting it in water in the following proportion: 1 tbsp. spoon on a glass of warm water.
In the absence of fever at night, you can steam your legs and then put on woolen socks. Pepper plaster is another effective remedy. We stick it on the chest and back. If the symptoms of a cold do not subside in the morning, it is best to seek medical help.
What will help the baby
How to stop a baby's cough? This should be decided by the children's doctor on the basis of the diagnosis. But there are old folk remedies that can very well be used as supporting measures. These include warming compresses that are placed on the baby's chest. Here are some recipes:
1. Honey tortilla compress. This cake can be mixed with honey and flour with the addition of vegetable oil. It should be a normal dense consistency so that it does not spread on the skin. After 4 months of age, it is permissible to add a little mustard powder to the cake mixture - from it the healing effect is enhanced.
2. Compress with camphor oil. To do this, first put a diaper folded in several layers on the baby’s chest, then camphor oil, another diaper, polyethylene is applied to it and a fastening diaper or gauze on top.
3. Compress from mashed potatoes. The sequence of actions is the same as in the previous recipe.
The most delicious medicine
It is often difficult to persuade children to take potions, decoctions or pills that are unpleasant in taste. If a child is naughty and does not want to be treated, how to stop a fit of dry cough from such a mischievous person? For this case, in the piggy bank of folk recipes there are surprisingly simple and tasty medicines that every mother can prepare with ease:
1. Take a tablespoon of sugar (incomplete) and hold over the fire until the sugar melts and turns brown. Next, you need to quickly pour the contents of a spoon into a bowl of milk. Burnt sugar will solidify immediately. Received homemade candy well calms dry cough.
2. A medicine from bananas. To prepare it, take a couple of bananas, peel them, knead in a smoothie and add hot sweet water to the mixture. A tasty medicine should be taken only in a warm form.
3. Cough syrup (jam) is able to cough. Add it to tea and give the child a drink.
Alkaline inhalation
Traditional medicine offers a ton of options for stopping a cough. An interesting effective way is alkaline inhalation at home. The procedure is as follows: pour mineral water into the pan (if water is passed through a special magnetic funnel, its properties will increase), bring the liquid to a boil, cool to 70 degrees.
Well, after that you need to bend over the saucepan, cover yourself with a towel and breathe useful steam for about 10 minutes. Then it is recommended to drink a hot seagull with raspberries, warm up and sleep. Such inhalations help to get rid of cough with the presence of viscous sputum in the respiratory tract.
Onion milk
Finally, I want to share another recommendation of traditional medicine regarding how to stop a strong cough at night . Prepare onion milk in advance. It is done simply: 2 chopped onions are poured with milk (1 liter), then it all simmers in the oven for 2 hours. It is best to prepare such a medicine in earthenware.
The cooled and filtered milk is taken with a cold 6 times a day for 1 tbsp. spoon. This tool will also provide emergency care at night, because it even soothes a very strong cough.