Barking cough ......

[Ann]

What remedies do you swear by? Fed up, had it for 5 days, no better.

[Ann]

Thanks Barney - I have been using Covonia but it wasn't helpful as I've had the winter vomiting bug over the weekend as well as my cough (cracking up since I became a pensioner) and it just made me feel sicker than ever :(

[lcg]

codeine does help with persistent coughing. you will be able to get 8/500mg tablets (with paracetamol in too) from your pharmacy. simple linctus during the day (cheap and very effective) and night nurse for night time. any other sweeties (strepsils, soothers, halls etc.) just to keep things moist. x

[Ann]

Thanks Icg - have always sworn by Ricola, natural herbal sweets from Holland & Barrett (and think some supermarkets stock them now) they really stopped a cough in its tracks, but recently they don't seem to work like they used to, so whether they have changed the formula or I have become immune to them, I really can't tell.

[lcg]

honestly - anything else really isn't worth the money you pay. simple linctus is around a quid...night nurse is obviously a little more expensive, but will help you sleep, sweeties are a must to keep the pipes lubricated and the codeine will knock the edge off the cough - i'm a nurse and i've never seen a dr advise any different. get some olbas oil and do a couple of steams a day as well to try and dislodge all the goo floating in your lungs - which is causing the coughing. get better soon sweetie x x x

[Ann]

Thanks nursie - for your brilliant advice ;)

[lcg]

no worries - that's what we're here for. just make sure you monitor if anything you buy has paracetamol in it and don't take too much. that's my only boring, but necessary bit of advice. sleep tight x

[Ann]

Hope so thanks, after sitting up half the night last night, never realised there were so many TV programmes on in the middle of the night! Nite x

[lcg]

and they're all crap! i've got insomnia, so i get to watch some of the really weird stuff. sometimes i wish i could wash things off my retinas! x

[starone]

Was Gee's Linctus the one with morphine in it? I know one cough medecine was taken off the market for that reason but I'm not sure which one. Must have knocked you out beautifully so that you didn't care about the cough.

[lcg]

yeah - unfortunately no stuff like that over the counter now. just the stuff i advised ann on as a package. it will ease the symptoms, but not stop/remove the cause of her coughing, bless her.

[Ann]

That's certainly what I need to knock me out Starbuck, that's why I'm sitting up here at the computer with nearly closing eyes, because as soon as my head touches the pillow it will be cough, cough, cough again :(