It is difficult to argue that coughing is one of the most unpleasant symptoms of a cold. It interferes with the day to fulfill their work responsibilities, and at night - to sleep well. In addition, a cough can be physically exhausting or may cause psychological discomfort. After all, who will enjoy the attack during a lecture or a workshop? An unpleasant symptom should be eliminated at the first appearance. And before starting treatment, it is worth finding out the causes of the disease.
Why does cough appear
Coughing is not a disease, but only a symptom. A reflex reaction occurs when a foreign body or sputum enters the respiratory tract . Inflammation due to the action of bacteria and viruses can also cause coughing. The danger is that such a symptom accompanies not only acute respiratory infections, but also complex diseases, such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, complex bronchitis, etc. Therefore, when a cough occurs, you should first consult a specialist. Self-medicating, the patient risks serious complications.
For each of the diseases cough has its own characteristics. It can be dry, wet or barking. The patient can be alerted by impurities of blood in the sputum or pain in the chest. Fighting a dry cough is much more difficult. In some cases, antibiotics have to be used.
Causes of Dry Cough
Before choosing an effective remedy for dry cough, it is necessary to identify the cause of its appearance. It is worth noting that any catarrhal disease can begin with a dry cough. Bed rest and heavy drinking contribute to the transformation of dry cough into a productive one. Moreover, the treatment period does not exceed seven days.
If the symptom does not resolve within a few weeks, there is a serious cause for concern. The patient can independently decide what to take with a dry cough in order to temporarily eliminate an unpleasant symptom, but only a qualified therapist should deal with the full treatment. After a preliminary examination, the doctor may prescribe tests, which are fundamental for the selection of drugs.
The main diseases that can trigger the appearance of dry cough include various viral infections, laryngitis, diphtheria, tuberculosis, heart failure, influenza, acute respiratory infections, etc. Dry cough can also be a normal occurrence for a smoker. At the same time, it is difficult to answer the question of what quickly helps with dry cough. A person only needs to get rid of a bad habit - and the unpleasant symptom will go away.
Why it is important to start treatment faster
Dry cough is debilitating and unpleasant. Irritant effect leads to complications. So, ordinary bronchitis with untimely seeking medical help can provoke pneumonia. Pneumonia requires inpatient treatment using expensive drugs. What to take with a dry cough at the beginning of the disease, everyone should know.
When a symptom appears, it is very important to identify that it does not belong to such serious diseases as tuberculosis and a malignant tumor. In any case, the faster the patient turns to the therapist, the greater the chance of a positive outcome.
Drinking plenty will ease dry cough
Many people know that ordinary water during a cold is as important as medicines. However, some forget to drink plenty of fluids. Meanwhile, warm teas and infusions of herbs contribute to the rapid thinning of sputum. Dry cough quickly turns into a productive one.
You can drink not only mineral water, but also various fortified drinks. It can be cold fruit drinks, dried fruit compotes, raspberry teas and medicinal herbs. The main thing is that the drink should not be hot or cold. The ideal temperature is 37 degrees. Effective expectorants for a dry cough may contain honey. You can make regular tea with lemon and honey. Warm milk with honey and butter also has a positive effect.
Inhalation
To effectively soften a dry cough, inhalation helps. This treatment is perfect for both adults and children. Children over five years old can successfully breathe above the steam. But to do inhalation for small children is not recommended. This can be dangerous.
Inhalations can be carried out at home. In pharmacies, special devices are offered - nebulizers. They are just the same and are intended for the treatment of various diseases of the respiratory tract. The main thing is to choose the right
solution for inhalation. An excellent remedy for dry cough is chamomile infusion. Its preparation does not take much time. Dry herbs purchased in a pharmacy are poured with boiling water and insisted for 15 minutes. For inhalation, you can use sage, rose hip, St. John's wort, calendula, as well as raspberry leaves.
It doesn’t matter if you could not get a nebulizer. At home, you can use the old grandfather method - pour a warm solution for inhalation into the pan and breathe over it. In terms of effectiveness, this method is no different. But, unfortunately, it is less convenient.
During inhalation, you can also use drugs for dry cough for children and adults. What medications will help in a particular case, the doctor will tell. Syrups such as Lazolvan, ACC, Ambrobene, Fluimucil, etc. have excellent effects. Several teaspoons of the syrup are added to the inhalation solution.
Dry cough massage
Massage helps to get rid of unpleasant coughing attacks. It promotes liquefaction of sputum and improves blood circulation. But you should act correctly. In addition, for some diseases, massage is generally contraindicated. You can not do it also if the patient has a fever.
Massage with a dry cough should be done correctly. The technology is quite simple. First of all, a little special ointment or essential oil is applied to the hands. What to take with a dry cough will tell the therapist. The healing balms, such as Doctor Mom or Eucabalus, have excellent effects. Ointment should also be applied to the area of the shoulder blades and chest. These places should be affected first. In addition, it is necessary to massage the neck and lower back. After the massage, you cannot go outside for half an hour. It is good if the procedure will be performed at home.
Dry cough compresses
Any warming procedures can be helpful in eliminating an unpleasant annoying symptom. These also include compresses. Do not do them only at elevated body temperature. Compresses help improve blood circulation. As a result, the immune system begins to work better, and sputum liquefies and easily exits the lungs.
For compresses, various solutions can be used. Popular methods are popular. A simple boiled potato helps get rid of a cough. After heat treatment, the vegetable is slightly cooled, frayed and applied to the patient’s chest. It is very important to avoid the heart area. Such a compress can be put at night. Just a few procedures will be enough to make a dry cough turn into a wet one.
A solution of vegetable oil, vodka and honey is also effective. The ingredients are mixed in equal proportions and heated in a water bath. A bandage folded several times is moistened in the resulting solution. It should be placed on the area between the shoulder blades. To prevent the solution from evaporating too quickly, a plastic bag is placed on top of the compress.
Plants to help
There are plants that help cope as quickly as possible. They have been used by women to treat their relatives since ancient times. In pharmacies, ready-made breast collections are offered. They are used not only for inhalation, but also for oral administration. Plants such as sage, chamomile, coltsfoot, oregano, plantain, are able to eliminate dry cough as quickly as possible. What to take in a particular case, the doctor will tell.
Even herbs should be included in the treatment only on the recommendation of a specialist. Some plants can have the exact opposite effect. As a result, a dry cough of an allergic nature occurs. Quite often, such a symptom is difficult to eliminate.
Allergic dry cough
Despite the fact that coughing with allergies is not a symptom of the disease, it causes a lot of trouble. It can be difficult to calm down. And if you do not attach importance to the cough, not far from bronchial asthma.
Detecting an allergic cough is easy. He is obsessive. The cough does not subside thanks to the use of classic drugs. It is only possible to get rid of the problem only after eliminating the object that causes allergies.
Before taking pills for the treatment of dry cough, it is worthwhile to find out what exactly caused the allergic reaction. Such a symptom is quite common in the spring, when nature comes to life. Plant pollen and dust can trigger all colds. This can be not only a cough, but also inflammation of the nasal mucosa. Problems are resolved in a few weeks. And in order to temporarily eliminate unpleasant symptoms, antihistamines have to be used.
What to take with a dry cough
If the cough is not allergic, it can easily be eliminated with medications. But self-medication is not worth it. What drugs should be taken with a dry cough, only a therapist will tell. The appointment is based on the form of cough, as well as the accompanying symptoms of the disease. Sometimes simple antitussive tablets are not enough. In advanced cases, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
Treatment can give good results if it is comprehensive. Thinning agents are used with antiviral drugs. Additionally, you can use folk remedies. But all actions must be performed in consultation with a specialist.
In pharmacies, combined preparations are offered, which are both expectorant and antitussive. These include Sinecode, Broncholitin, Libexin. These medicines are only effective if taken correctly. Failure to comply with the dosage leads to stagnation of sputum. As a result, cough is not cured, but only progresses.
Central exposure drugs
Effective in the treatment of dry cough are centrally acting drugs. These are drugs that affect not the sputum, but the cough center of the brain. Such drugs can be narcotic and non-narcotic. Both of these groups perfectly eliminate dry cough. What medications to take, the expert will tell.
Narcotic drugs are used only in the most advanced cases. The main disadvantage is the possibility of addiction. Non-narcotic drugs, although they do not begin to act so quickly, have much fewer shortcomings. In just a few days, the use of coughing fits becomes much less.
Peripheral Antitussive Drugs
In contrast to centrally acting drugs, peripheral drugs reduce the cough reflex due to the effect on the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract. Such drugs are less effective, but they have practically no drawbacks. Therefore, often there is no question of what to take with a dry cough. What medicines will help, everyone knows who once already encountered an unpleasant symptom. Medicines can be available in the form of tablets or in the form of a syrup.
Peripheral antitussive drugs can be prescribed not only to children, but also to adults. Particular attention is paid to dosage. Regardless of which drugs should be taken with a dry cough, a course of treatment is prescribed by a doctor. Peripheral drugs are usually taken for at least five days.
A wide range of medicines can take the patient by surprise. It can be difficult to decide what to take with a dry cough to avoid side effects. Timely referral to a therapist will speed up the healing process and avoid complications.