Help: coughing

ValAndRyan

My son (18 months) has been up coughing the past two nights. It's more of a dry cough. We tried the vicks with socks on his feet (which usually work but did not at all), humidifier and he's elevated. He is still coughing all night. Any suggestions? TIA

Bride2b2004

I think you are doing all you can at home.  I suggest you take him to the pedi to get checked out (especially the ears) and talk about an inhaler.

We have been going through this for over a month.  This is our sad tale... It started with DS1 just as you described and we did the things you mentioned.  He got really bad with hacking cough at night.  After a week or so, we took him to the pedi and it is a virus, but he also had an ear infection developing, so we gave him antibiotics and 2 different kinds of inhalers to help open his bronchial tubes.  It took a couple days and he was much better.  Then DS2 and I started with the cough- he ended up with a double ear infection and I ended up with an ear infection (?) and we both got antibiotics and inhalers.  Then little DS3 started and his is so sad and terrible =( and he is on antibiotics for an ear infection and a nebulizer for the cough.  It is bronchialia (sp?) aka RSV for the kids and bronchitis for me.  Pedi says it is going around, and I just saw you and I live in the same area.  So keep this in mind.  They can't do anything about the virus part, but ear (or other) infections often set in requiring antibiotics and the coughing can be helped with an inhaler.  Hope your little guy feels better soon.

ilovemygirls

I would probably have a visit w/the pedi.  My youngest has asthma, which was dx'd by coughing incessantly whenever she got sick (her trigger is colds).  Our pedi recommended Benadryl for nighttime coughing.  You can get an appropriate dose from your pedi, pharmacist or I have looked on askDrSears.com (I think) whenever I've forgotten what the dose is.  I was worried about using it "too much" whenever she was sick, but my pedi told me that using one dose at night, even for long periods of time (weeks on end), is perfectly safe. 

ValAndRyan

Thanks! I ended up taking him to the pedi today. He does have an ear infection from teething but she said the coughing needed to work it's way through as I was doing everything right. So no problems breathing or asmtha, just a bad cough.

ilovemygirls

ValAndRyan:

Thanks! I ended up taking him to the pedi today. He does have an ear infection from teething but she said the coughing needed to work it's way through as I was doing everything right. So no problems breathing or asmtha, just a bad cough.

Even though there isn't any asthma going on, I totally disagree that a cough needs to 'work its way through'.  My pedi feels there is no reason to withhold safe OTC medication if it makes them feel better/get more rest.  If it doesn't seem to work for your child then I wouldn't give it again, but if it does it can really help with helping them get better rest when sick.

ValAndRyan

ilovemygirls:

ValAndRyan:

Thanks! I ended up taking him to the pedi today. He does have an ear infection from teething but she said the coughing needed to work it's way through as I was doing everything right. So no problems breathing or asmtha, just a bad cough.

Even though there isn't any asthma going on, I totally disagree that a cough needs to 'work its way through'.  My pedi feels there is no reason to withhold safe OTC medication if it makes them feel better/get more rest.  If it doesn't seem to work for your child then I wouldn't give it again, but if it does it can really help with helping them get better rest when sick.

Is there a safe OTC med? I read a lot of bottles and most say 4 years and older. The ped didn't even recommend it till the kids are 5.

On a side note though...he slept through the night last night and barely coughed today so fingers are crossed that's its over. My next step was trying a little bit of honey. 

ilovemygirls

ValAndRyan:

ilovemygirls:

ValAndRyan:

Thanks! I ended up taking him to the pedi today. He does have an ear infection from teething but she said the coughing needed to work it's way through as I was doing everything right. So no problems breathing or asmtha, just a bad cough.

Even though there isn't any asthma going on, I totally disagree that a cough needs to 'work its way through'.  My pedi feels there is no reason to withhold safe OTC medication if it makes them feel better/get more rest.  If it doesn't seem to work for your child then I wouldn't give it again, but if it does it can really help with helping them get better rest when sick.

Is there a safe OTC med? I read a lot of bottles and most say 4 years and older. The ped didn't even recommend it till the kids are 5.

On a side note though...he slept through the night last night and barely coughed today so fingers are crossed that's its over. My next step was trying a little bit of honey. 

I'm glad that he's better!  My pedi feels that most of them are very safe, if you are dosing correctly- even if the bottle says not to give under a certain age. The media has hyped the OTC meds thing into everyone thinking they are all unsafe. What's unsafe is dosing them improperly.  The benadryl was recommended specifically for my DD's nighttime coughing, and even though the bottle said not to give under whatever age, my pedi gave me an appropriate dose for her wt & it worked great for her starting around 18mos. Honey did nothing for her. Same DD's allergy/asthma specialist has me giving her higher than the dose on the bottle on an OTC allergy med (1tsp rather than 1/2 tsp)- and says I can give her up to 2tsp if she has persistent rash that won't go away. 

Sounds like your pedi isn't into recommending, and that's a practice-specific thing.  Personally I like that my pedi & specialist aren't' closed off to the idea, since we did have some good results that we otherwise may not have had. 

 

LissaLee

ValAndRyan:

ilovemygirls:

ValAndRyan:

Thanks! I ended up taking him to the pedi today. He does have an ear infection from teething but she said the coughing needed to work it's way through as I was doing everything right. So no problems breathing or asmtha, just a bad cough.

Even though there isn't any asthma going on, I totally disagree that a cough needs to 'work its way through'.  My pedi feels there is no reason to withhold safe OTC medication if it makes them feel better/get more rest.  If it doesn't seem to work for your child then I wouldn't give it again, but if it does it can really help with helping them get better rest when sick.

Is there a safe OTC med? I read a lot of bottles and most say 4 years and older. The ped didn't even recommend it till the kids are 5.

On a side note though...he slept through the night last night and barely coughed today so fingers are crossed that's its over. My next step was trying a little bit of honey. 

 

Just thought I would throw in my two cents. I agree with your doctor. A cough is a protective function for the lungs. It helps mucous produced in the lungs get out of the lungs or to prevent mucous from the upper airway from getting into the lungs. When you remove the cough reflex from a child their risk of aspiration (breathing in stuff that doesn't belong in the lungs) increases, which increases the risk of pneumonia.

Another reason they don't recommend giving OTC cold meds to kids anymore is because kids don't metabolize drugs the same way adults do. In order to really treat the symptoms, you would need to give them a bigger dose then their bodies are able to process.

I hope your LO gets over the cough quickly!