can't stop coughing

[myk]

i'm recovering from pneumonia. the infection itself is gone but my body has a very inconvenient habit of overproducing mucous for a month afterwards. with that comes excessive coughing. well, it's gotten so bad that i'm coughing myself into asthma attacks (inhalers are helping) and throwing up (eew..) so obviously, i'm not having any fun!

my pharmacist says you can't take dextromethorphan (eg. benalyn DM) while pregnant. codeine is safe to take, but obviously not in large doses, frequently, or long term!!! so i've avoided taking it unless i'm so bad i can't keep food down or need my inhaler too often.

there must be SOMETHING else i can do for myself. and since there are an abundance of people here who prefer natural remedies, do you guys have any suggestions??

[MamaFern]

(((hug)))
im in the exact same place (pneumonia and 37 weeks pregnant) and nothing that i have found works to help the cough. i actually have broken ribs from coughing now and im on codeine for pain which helps the cough quite a bit..but im still coughing a lot. my whole body hurts from it at this point. im also taking an inhaler which i have never in my life had to do. i dont have asthma normally, but this has really brought it on.

i would say take the codeine (and im all about natural medicine at all cost), save yourself broken ribs! its the Worst thing..being pregnant with a cough & broken ribs.

[hollytheteacher]

I just finally got over a bad cold with a lot of coughing and taking Ricola (sp?) cough drops... seemed to help...i literally sucked on one constantly (as soon as i would finish one i'd start another).

[dejagerw]

Maybe try some honey?? I hope you feel better soon.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

Either in a diffuser in your bedroom at night or mixed into a teaspoon of sweet almond oil or vegetable oil then rubbed on your chest, combine the following essential oils

2 drops Eucalyptus
2 drops Tea Tree
2 drops Lavender

This works wonders!

You will love having these oils around for baby's first cold too. You can do the same combo in a bowl of boiling water by wherever they sleep to help them breath when they are congested.

[Mosaic]

Ugh, I've been there and I feel for you! I also ended up taking guafenisin w/ codeine (only at night) and an inhaler to survive during pregnancy. I also ran the vaporizer nightly and slept (crappily) sitting up, but the only alternative was, like you, coughing until I vomited and/or couldn't breathe.

I'd love to recommend more natural approaches, but I tried them all and they didn't work and, in fact, made it worse. All that coughing gave me a reactive airway, so now I get THAT cough with every minor cold and sniffle, and I'm right back on the codeine/albuterol train or else I'm stuck with steriods to repair the damage. So go ahead and treat it seriously, so that you can get rid of it sooner rather than paying for it later!

[sewingsparklz]

Thyme is supposed to be good for coughs. And Sage dries you out (so much so that you should not take it medicinally while nursing). Perhaps some thyme/sage/garlic/honey tea?

I had a 2.5 year old child once recovering from a cold with a nasty cough that robitussin did nothing for. I made her a cup of thyme/garlic/honey tea and she didn't cough again (maybe once) for a couple hours. Then it was nap time, and I made her more after nap, because the effect had worn off a bit. This was my first sampling of herbs and I was amazed and SOLD!

Good luck, Momma!

*On a more medical note, I had a chronic cough accompanied by NO sickness whatsoever at 33 weeks in my last pregnancy. I couldn't even sleep! So after 24 hours of this cough, my ob prescribed something with hydrocodone (spelling?) in it. It was MAH-VE-LOUS! I used about a bottle and a half and then stopped. It was very light on the narcotic, but enough to soothe the cough completely and let me rest good to get refreshed. Maybe something like that if the tea doesn't help?

[myk]

ugh.. the green phlegm is back. thought i was doing to be done with this soon, i guess not! thanks for the suggestions.. i'll see what i can find in town here!

[EnchantedMamma]

Has your doctor ruled out Reactive Airway Disease? I kept getting coughing fits after colds went away and that's what they said was the issue.

The inhaler also helped me.

Lots of steam might help, peppermint oil, hot lemon water, lots of fluids.

I also like hot jello water (mix in Jello mix w/boiling water to taste and drink while warm and liquid. coats the throat).

Honey might be a good idea.

Very dark chocolate can help with the actual coughing reflex.

[myk]

that's interesting.. what does dark chocolate have in it that affects coughs?

i don't think we've explored reactive airway disease. honestly, i rarely get these coughing fits.. i'm asthmatic but in a typical year i use my inhaler about 3 times. nothing like this!

[EnchantedMamma]

I believe the theobromine is thought to be what works.

Chocolate Cough Suppressant link

It needs to be VERY dark, not just Hershey Special Dark. 70 or 80% is best, I believe.

But I've heard that honey is just as good as regular OTC cough medecines.

For a really awful cough I'd go to my doctor for the codeine syrup.

[myk]

yup, i just saw the doc.. got antibiotics.. she originally prescribed the codeine syrup but then changed her mind and told me to take tylenol #3s. apparently the syrup has other stuff in it she doesn't want me to take it's officially pneumonia (again..) and she says that fresh squeezed lemon juice and honey works just as well, according to studies, as guaifenesin.