Coughing may not always be a symptom of the disease, it is an important protective reflex of the body, allowing you to get rid of sputum and foreign bodies in the respiratory tract. In what cases treatment should be started and which cough medicine is better to take, you should ask your doctor. After all, not always the most expensive drug will be the most effective. If you look, sometimes the best cough medicine is the best, the price of which varies within reasonable limits.
Causes
The disease can be caused by a number of negative factors. A sudden cough reflex helps clear the throat and respiratory passage of foreign particles, germs that irritate the mucous membranes. By its nature, it is both involuntary and intentional. There are three phases of a cough reflex:
- inhalation;
- forced expiration with a closed glottis, which is located in the middle part of the larynx;
- when the glottis opens, an explosive release of air occurs, so the cough has a characteristic sound.
The cause of the disease is a respiratory tract infection such as a cold or flu. Viruses can settle in the body and manifest with various symptoms after a few days. Smoking also belongs to the category of the most common causes of cough with a characteristic sound, which is called "smoker's cough." In this case, the disease is chronic and difficult to treat. Asthma most often develops in childhood and includes characteristic wheezing, which makes it easy to identify the disease. Severe forms of asthma require long-term treatment, otherwise the disease takes a chronic form and remains with the person until the end of life.
Other factors that cause a cough reflex include damage to the vocal cords, bacterial infections (pneumonia, whooping cough, bronchitis), pulmonary embolism, heart failure, gastrointestinal reflux, as well as psychological problems and some medications.
Disease classification
Before choosing a cough medicine for adults, you should determine what type it belongs to. The following types of manifestations of the disease are distinguished:
- acute - appears suddenly and lasts up to 2-3 weeks;
- subacute - this type can last from 3 to 8 weeks;
- chronic - persists for more than 8 weeks;
- wet, wet or productive - it proceeds with the formation of sputum, rising up the respiratory tract;
- dry or unproductive - a painful barking cough, in which sputum does not form;
- night - occurs only at night, during the sleep of the patient.
A correctly identified type of illness will allow you to choose an effective cough medicine for adults, which will quickly relieve the symptoms of the disease and alleviate the condition of the patient.
Diagnosis of the disease
As a rule, an experienced doctor determines the nature of the disease, referring to his medical experience, but sometimes additional diagnostic tests may be required. Before deciding which cough medicine is better in this or that case, it is necessary to exclude diseases of internal organs (heart, stomach, thyroid gland), which provoke an involuntary contraction of the lungs, diaphragm and cause the disease.
Additional diagnostic tests include samples of the patient’s sputum, chest x-ray, spirometry, and more. Coughs of an infectious nature are treated with drugs alone; completely different medicines are used for the bacterial one. If, for example, a patient is diagnosed with asthma, specific remedies are prescribed to the patient.
How to treat an infectious cough
Infectious, or viral, cough has its own characteristics. Usually it develops suddenly, within 1-2 days, and can be very annoying. Additional symptoms include headache, malaise, and sometimes fever. In some cases, the infection affects not only the respiratory tract, but also the nasopharynx, then a runny nose is connected to the symptoms. The medicine for the throat and cough in this case should be aimed at combating a viral infection. The relief of symptoms while the immune system gets rid of the infection will be facilitated by the use of Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or Aspirin. They will help reduce heat, reduce the manifestation of pain. Prices for such drugs are low and vary between 150-300 rubles. Before taking such a cough medicine during pregnancy, you should carefully study the instructions so as not to harm the unborn baby.
During treatment, the patient should receive a plentiful drink in order to prevent dehydration and, as grandmothers like to say, “wash out” the infection from the body. An important component of treatment will be smoking cessation (if this bad habit occurs). Tobacco smoke not only provokes the disease, but also exacerbates its course. Adults should not use any medicine for dry cough in this case. Nipples can help relieve irritation and sore throats. Antibiotics are usually not recommended, as they do not kill the viral infection.
Bacterial cough treatment
Medications for bronchitis and cough are aimed at diluting sputum and improving its discharge. A bacterial disease is a complication of a viral infection when a secondary infection with microbes (bacteria) occurs. Such phenomena can lead to the development of bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, pleurisy and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract. In this case, the most effective cough medicine for adults, called an antibiotic, is prescribed. It is necessary to eliminate a bacterial infection, the symptoms of which are characterized by fever, fatigue, weakness, chest pain, panting, which is often accompanied by whistling and wheezing. If the cough lasts a long time, blood may be present in the sputum. Unfortunately, bacteria adapt very well, long-term use of antibiotics makes them more resistant to various methods of therapy. In conditions of inpatient treatment, patients are prescribed medications for bronchitis and cough in various combinations of drugs in order to obtain more effective treatment results.
It is important to remember that all antibiotics must be used as directed. The effect of these drugs on the body weakens over time. If you do not complete the prescribed course of treatment, it is more likely that drug-resistant strains of microorganisms will develop. That is why it is very important to continue antibiotic treatment for as long as the attending physician prescribes, without stopping therapy after the symptoms disappear.
Productive or unproductive?
A productive, or wet, cough is often useful because it helps the lungs and bronchi get rid of mucus and sputum, so there is no point in suppressing it. In more serious cases, the doctor may prescribe a special cough medicine with sputum in order to improve its elimination process and ease the patient's breathing.
A dry, or unproductive, cough is characterized by painful symptoms: a feeling of continuous sore throat, headaches and pains in the trachea (or bronchi). Sputum does not form, which prevents the patient from clearing his throat.
The cure for dry cough for adults should help to soften it and eliminate the resulting sputum. As soon as it begins to separate, we can assume that the recovery is already close, and until that time the infection will firmly "sit" in the airways. How to choose a cough medicine for adults, largely depends on the cause of its appearance (infection, allergy, etc.). With the allergic nature of the disease, antihistamines are prescribed to the patient, with viral - antiviral agents, and with bacterial - antibiotics. The drugs that alleviate the symptoms of the disease and improve the process of expectoration include Bromhexin, Ambroxol, Mukaltin and other mucolytics. If the symptoms of the disease are so painful that they interfere with sleep, then the best cure for dry cough for adults is suppressants that suppress the cough reflex. These include medicines "Folkodin", "Codterpin", "Sinecode" and others. It is very useful for unproductive cough milk with the addition of baking soda, Borjomi mineral water or any other natural mineral water. A good expectorant is syrups and potions, for example, the drug "Broncholitin", syrups, plantain, marshmallow root, ivy.
Cough medicine with sputum is called an expectorant. They facilitate the passage of mucus from the bronchi and lungs and contribute to its rapid excretion. Taking expectorant drugs is necessary if a large amount of thick mucus is produced. Tablets and syrups “Lazolvan”, “Prospan”, “Givaleks”, “Flavamed”, “ACC” and others belong to this category of drugs, such as cough medicine with sputum. Drug prices range from 250-400 rubles. The same remedy can not be taken for a long period, as the body may become addicted to this drug, and treatment will become ineffective. Useful walks in the fresh air, plenty of drinking and inhalation if wet cough is diagnosed. Medications that the patient takes should be prescribed by a doctor, since self-medication can have bad consequences.
Pregnancy treatment
During pregnancy, any treatment should be approached with great care, and coughing is no exception. Of course, expecting the birth of a baby, a woman should protect her health and try not to get sick. In case of illness, you can not self-medicate, because the best cough medicine for pregnancy is one that does not harm the baby. As a rule, expectant mothers give preference to traditional medicine, but here there are some pitfalls. The fact is that not all medicinal plants are equally useful: some of them can be poisonous or toxic. Before starting treatment for cough during pregnancy, you should definitely consult with your doctor about the feasibility and safety of taking certain drugs. Of the drugs sold in the pharmacy, you can use marshmallow and plantain root syrup, Prospan, Givaleks, Erespal syrups.
Folk recipes
A safe cure for throat and cough for pregnant women is home-made lollipops. The only contraindication to the use of therapeutic candies (or to a reduction in their number) is an increased level of sugar in the blood. To prepare medicinal candies, you need to mix sugar with thyme decoction. Proportions for mixing: per 300 grams of sand 100 milliliters of decoction. Dissolve sugar in thyme broth, pour into enameled dishes and put on fire. Boil the syrup for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As soon as the mass begins to harden, pour it with a spoon into silicone ice molds. Such lozenges can be resolved throughout the day, the cough will pass by the end of the first - maximum second day of treatment.
A cough medicine, the price of which is relatively low, is also prepared at home. For pregnant women, this remedy is the safest and no less effective. To cook it, you will need one liter of milk and 1 large carrot. Peel the carrots, cut into 2-3 parts, put in milk and simmer over low heat. When the milk is half full, it should be filtered, cooled and drunk during the day in small portions in a warm form.
The use of a nebulizer in the treatment of cough
A nebulizer is a device that is used to deliver a drug directly to the airways to the lungs. He does this by converting a liquid medicine into an aerosol that can be easily inhaled.
Medications for a nebulizer for coughing include:
- inhaled corticosteroids - drugs that reduce inflammation in the airway due to edema;
- bronchodilators - drugs used in the treatment of asthma;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - reduce inflammation in the airways, but do not control the symptoms of allergic asthma.
Adult Cough Prevention
If a person has a cough, treatment, medication, not only produce a positive effect, but also have a negative effect on the body: they undermine the immune system. Rather, he will be engaged in preventive measures and strengthen immunity to prevent the disease. Preventive measures include the following:
- Overcooling should be avoided, wearing warm clothes in the cold season.
- You need to wash your hands often during the season of colds and infectious diseases. This will help prevent the spread of the virus that causes coughing.
- Avoid contact with people who have symptoms of a cold or an infectious disease, of course, if possible.
- Stop smoking any tobacco products (including hookah). Dry jerky "smoker's cough" means that a person's lungs are constantly irritated. Such a circumstance can lead not only to any complications like bronchitis or pneumonia, but also to more serious oncological problems.
- It is important to avoid exposure to tobacco smoke (the so-called "second-hand smoke") at home, at work, in public places.
- Increase fluid intake per day. This will keep the mucus level in the airways within normal limits and prevent dehydration.
- During the season of colds and infectious diseases, you should be vaccinated against flu every year.