Coughing: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Cough is a condition we all face from time to time. It could be because of smoke, strong smell, cold weather or any other reason. Cough is generally nothing to be concerned about if it does not long. Chronic cough is a condition where cough lasts over 8 weeks in adults and over 4 weeks in children. It may interrupt your daily activities, hamper your sleep and leave you exhausted. It could be due to postnasal drip, blood pressure drugs, chronic bronchitis, asthma or infections. There are several treatments to treat chronic cough. You must consult a doctor and not try to treat the cough yourself if it has been there for a long time. There are drugs in the form of pills, gel and ointment that can be consumed to get over cough. Cough due to bacterial infection can be treated by consuming antibiotics. Acid blockers and cough suppressants are also used to cure cough.

If you have been suffering from cough for a long time, you may have to go through different tests like X ray, computerised tomography test, lung function tests, scope tests etc. to determine the actual cause of it. If your cough is due to allergies or post nasal drip, there are standard drugs like antihistamines, glucocorticoids and decongestants, to treat the condition. Bacterial infection behind your chronic cough can be cured by antibiotics. If your cough is asthma related, glucocorticoids and bronchodilators are the treatments that will reduce inflammation and clear your airways. Your doctor may prescribe you cough suppressants if these treatments do not work but there is no foolproof evidence of the effectiveness of these suppressants.

If you have been suffering from cough for over 8 weeks, you must consult a doctor and get it treated. Children suffering from cough for over 4 weeks should be treated.

Normal cough for a short period of time is nothing to be worried about. It can be treated by some home remedies.

Cough treatments are generally not known to have any side effects.

You must have cough drops and warm liquids to soothe your throat. Liquids will thin the mucus in your throat helping the cough heal sooner. You must avoid the consumption of tobacco and tobacco smoke.

It may take 2-3 weeks to recover if proper medication is taken.

Consultation to cure cough may cost around ₹1000- ₹2000.

The results of cough treatment are mostly permanent.

You can cure cough as soon as it starts, at home by some simple remedies like consuming warm liquids or cough syrup, avoiding tobacco and tobacco smoke. Keep yourself warm and use a humidifier at your home. Hot tea with a few drops of honey and ginger is known to soothe the throat.