Sudden sore throat and lost voice. Make it not hurt!
August 24, 2013 10:09 AM Subscribe
I woke up Friday with a sore throat that quickly escalated to a painful cough and lost voice. What can I do to make the coughing, my lungs, and my ribs no hurt so much?
I have some cough drops (not helpful) and some Mucinex (the cough isn't really productive enough to notice a difference.)
Probably irrelevant details: I spent most of Thursday afternoon/evening with some friends. Neither are sick. My temperature has been between 99F and 100F since yesterday. I've lost my appetite completely and have had a few waves of being nauseated. I have some good chicken soup I will try to eat in a bit.
Most of the other questions I found were asking more comprehensive questions, I'm just looking to address dealing with the painful cough.
You are not my doctor, and neither is anyone else. This is probably where the Codeine cough syrup would come in if I could have just called my old GP's office. I have insurance, but my GP just retired and I'm just not up for the trek to the closest walk-in clinic, so I just want to get through the next 48 hours as pain-free as possible.
I have some cough drops (not helpful) and some Mucinex (the cough isn't really productive enough to notice a difference.)
Probably irrelevant details: I spent most of Thursday afternoon/evening with some friends. Neither are sick. My temperature has been between 99F and 100F since yesterday. I've lost my appetite completely and have had a few waves of being nauseated. I have some good chicken soup I will try to eat in a bit.
Most of the other questions I found were asking more comprehensive questions, I'm just looking to address dealing with the painful cough.
You are not my doctor, and neither is anyone else. This is probably where the Codeine cough syrup would come in if I could have just called my old GP's office. I have insurance, but my GP just retired and I'm just not up for the trek to the closest walk-in clinic, so I just want to get through the next 48 hours as pain-free as possible.
Best answer: Oh, and for the painkillers, I offset my doses to smooth out the dips. That is, I'd take acetaminophen 2-3 hours after taking ibuprofen - when the ibuprofen was in the middle of its window - and vice versa.
posted by moira at 10:28 AM on August 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by moira at 10:28 AM on August 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
I'm just recovering from something similar. For sore throats, I use cherry sucrets. They have a topical painkiller. For a runny nose/ stuffiness, Sudafed, the real sudafed that you get at the pharmacy counter. Codeine cough syrup is awesome, and my current doc doesn't prescribe it,* so I use various over-the-counter stuff with suppressant on the label. Cough drops with eucalyptus help a bit, too. Alcohol is a good cough suppressant, as is a hot beverage. Get some lemonade mix, the kind with sugar - you're sick and the calories are insignificant. Add boiling water and bourbon. (Rum, vodka, brandy, or tequila, whatever you choose). This always puts me right to sleep.
*My doctor is young, and dismissive of comforting old remedies. Codeine kills the cough and some of the pain from too much coughing, and helps you get sleep to let your body heal itself. A shame that modern docs don't use it.
posted by theora55 at 10:29 AM on August 24, 2013
*My doctor is young, and dismissive of comforting old remedies. Codeine kills the cough and some of the pain from too much coughing, and helps you get sleep to let your body heal itself. A shame that modern docs don't use it.
posted by theora55 at 10:29 AM on August 24, 2013
Hot water with lemon and honey for the next 24 hours. No cool water, nothing cold, no fruit juice, no dairy, no coffee. Just room temp or hot water with lemon and honey. Be generous with the honey, too. You can honestly eat it straight and just let it coat your throat every 20 minutes. Delicious, and so restorative.
Also, brush your teeth more frequently right now if you go this route since honey is rather sugary, but also because you want to help your mouth purge itself of whatever cold or virus is giving you the cough and sore throat.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:40 AM on August 24, 2013
Also, brush your teeth more frequently right now if you go this route since honey is rather sugary, but also because you want to help your mouth purge itself of whatever cold or virus is giving you the cough and sore throat.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 10:40 AM on August 24, 2013
Fisherman's Friend cough drops are the only ones that will keep me from coughing. They're often not in the regular cough drop section, for some reason, but by the register or on an end cap. Bonus: they're really cheap!
posted by Dr. Fetish at 10:46 AM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Dr. Fetish at 10:46 AM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Cloraseptic throat spray works like pure magic. Instant relief from pain. And you can use it to numb mosquito bites! Bonus!
posted by prefpara at 10:52 AM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by prefpara at 10:52 AM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
I am a big fan of slippery elm tea for this sort of thing. Bonus: unlike many herbal remedies, this one actually tastes amazing! Try Herba Tussin from Traditional Medicinals, you can find it at your local hippie mart.
posted by apparently at 11:49 AM on August 24, 2013
posted by apparently at 11:49 AM on August 24, 2013
If you have a dry cough, get a cough syrup that promises to deal with dry cough ONLY by suppressing it. You're looking for the single active ingredient Dextromethorphan (DM). You may have to spend some time at the drug store on this as most cough products these days promise to do everything but walk your dog.
Use a cough syrup with expectorant ONLY if you actually have a wet cough. The only ingredient you're looking for is guaifenesin, which thins the mucus and makes it easier to cough out. Again, make sure the syrup does that one job. Combining cough suppressant and mucus thinner is counterproductive.
For the sore throat that goes with a dry cough, slippery elm really is a miracle. I had a prolonged, nasty cold for several days, and tea with slippery elm instantly made my throat feel a lot better, and it stayed in great shape for a few hours after the tea. Fisherman's Friend and Herba - Tussin (recommended above) are good sources, although I prefer Throat Coat Tea.
READ any ingredient list: I've seen "throat" teas that have no slippery elm. Also read the warnings: people with some health conditions should not use slippery elm, but it's perfectly safe for the rest of us who use it in the recommended way. You have to let it steep for 15 minutes, and gargling a little as well as drinking it is a good idea.
(I usually drink herbal teas for the taste and have been rather skeptical of health claims. I was truly shocked to find out how well slippery elm worked while also tasting good. I am a convert.)
posted by maudlin at 12:05 PM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Use a cough syrup with expectorant ONLY if you actually have a wet cough. The only ingredient you're looking for is guaifenesin, which thins the mucus and makes it easier to cough out. Again, make sure the syrup does that one job. Combining cough suppressant and mucus thinner is counterproductive.
For the sore throat that goes with a dry cough, slippery elm really is a miracle. I had a prolonged, nasty cold for several days, and tea with slippery elm instantly made my throat feel a lot better, and it stayed in great shape for a few hours after the tea. Fisherman's Friend and Herba - Tussin (recommended above) are good sources, although I prefer Throat Coat Tea.
READ any ingredient list: I've seen "throat" teas that have no slippery elm. Also read the warnings: people with some health conditions should not use slippery elm, but it's perfectly safe for the rest of us who use it in the recommended way. You have to let it steep for 15 minutes, and gargling a little as well as drinking it is a good idea.
(I usually drink herbal teas for the taste and have been rather skeptical of health claims. I was truly shocked to find out how well slippery elm worked while also tasting good. I am a convert.)
posted by maudlin at 12:05 PM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Don't forget the old remedy of gargling with warm salt water. Helps a lot.
If nothing else works, maybe try beer. I normally don't even like it, but it's sometimes very good for soothing a sore throat.
posted by Corvid at 1:43 PM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
If nothing else works, maybe try beer. I normally don't even like it, but it's sometimes very good for soothing a sore throat.
posted by Corvid at 1:43 PM on August 24, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: 1) treat fever and pain with Tylenol
2) treat cough and pain with codeine
I am not your doctor, but boy howdy do I have experience with coughing. As you mentioned, codeine cough syrup is super-awesome for the symptoms you have. Perhaps you can cadge a ride from someone to get to a doctor? Feeling shitty and hurting is definitely call-in-a-favor time
If you have spare Vicodin, it'll have a similar effect in suppressing coughs (Vicodin = codeine plus acetaminophen. Don't exceed the maximum dose, because the acetaminophen/Tylenol component of Vicodin is terrible for you in excess).
Other things that have worked for me: Delsym cough suppressant. Comes as an awful-to-some orange liquid and pills. Available OTC.
Asthma inhalers: the steroid kind for long-term management of cough response, Albuterol for short-term. They don't stop the cough, but can over time interrupt the underlying thing that's triggering the cough. If you have them, get on them.
Yet other things: avoid breathing cold air. Sit in your bathroom, door closed, with the hot shower on, and breath in humid warm air for 10-20 minutes. Also drink fluids.
But really, this isn't rocket surgery. The best drugs above are gonna work wonders, so consider the trade-off for short term ouchy (getting to the doctor/clinic) which will lead to the wonder of you being able to sleep at night.
posted by zippy at 2:08 PM on August 24, 2013
2) treat cough and pain with codeine
I am not your doctor, but boy howdy do I have experience with coughing. As you mentioned, codeine cough syrup is super-awesome for the symptoms you have. Perhaps you can cadge a ride from someone to get to a doctor? Feeling shitty and hurting is definitely call-in-a-favor time
If you have spare Vicodin, it'll have a similar effect in suppressing coughs (Vicodin = codeine plus acetaminophen. Don't exceed the maximum dose, because the acetaminophen/Tylenol component of Vicodin is terrible for you in excess).
Other things that have worked for me: Delsym cough suppressant. Comes as an awful-to-some orange liquid and pills. Available OTC.
Asthma inhalers: the steroid kind for long-term management of cough response, Albuterol for short-term. They don't stop the cough, but can over time interrupt the underlying thing that's triggering the cough. If you have them, get on them.
Yet other things: avoid breathing cold air. Sit in your bathroom, door closed, with the hot shower on, and breath in humid warm air for 10-20 minutes. Also drink fluids.
But really, this isn't rocket surgery. The best drugs above are gonna work wonders, so consider the trade-off for short term ouchy (getting to the doctor/clinic) which will lead to the wonder of you being able to sleep at night.
posted by zippy at 2:08 PM on August 24, 2013
Also seconding advice on getting OTC meds that are specific to your conditions, as opposed to kitchen-sink combos, so you can treat the symptoms individually where it makes sense.
But cough suppressant plus expectorant actually isn't counter-productive - the combo makes your coughing less, but your individual coughs are more efficient at actually getting crud out, so you wind up with less ouchy and less gunk.
The above is why codeine cough syrup is often combined with guaifenesin. Suppresses over-active coughing and pain, but also thins mucous so it comes out when you do cough.
posted by zippy at 3:19 PM on August 24, 2013
But cough suppressant plus expectorant actually isn't counter-productive - the combo makes your coughing less, but your individual coughs are more efficient at actually getting crud out, so you wind up with less ouchy and less gunk.
The above is why codeine cough syrup is often combined with guaifenesin. Suppresses over-active coughing and pain, but also thins mucous so it comes out when you do cough.
posted by zippy at 3:19 PM on August 24, 2013
Warm salt water gargles are not very exciting, and don't taste great but are very effective. As is sucking on a spoon of honey, make sure it's real honey and not cheap sugar water crap from china.
Backing up the tylenol/ibuprofen combo, just alternate as suggested and take with food. When I had whooping cough and was coughing for 6 weeks straight my doc prescribed codeine tablets, if you have only been coughing for a day though it might be a hard sell to get a prescription.
posted by wwax at 4:06 PM on August 24, 2013
Backing up the tylenol/ibuprofen combo, just alternate as suggested and take with food. When I had whooping cough and was coughing for 6 weeks straight my doc prescribed codeine tablets, if you have only been coughing for a day though it might be a hard sell to get a prescription.
posted by wwax at 4:06 PM on August 24, 2013
I can't really speak to the rib pain too much, but having been a singer for years and ALWAYS coming down with a cold before spring semester concerts, I had my methods for recovering my voice and ditching a cough.
Plenty of tea with plenty of honey and milk. Breathing the steam from the tea helps moisturize your airways and there's specific blends of herbal teas with claims of being able to heal sore throats, etc. The honey provides a coating of the throat as well.
The milk can be iffy. It encourages mucous production (all over, but especially in the throat). The mucous is awesome natural protection and may contain compounds that promote healing of the surface cells in the throat (but don't quote me on that, it's been awhile since physiology). BUT if you're having any kind of congestion or difficulty breathing, you'll definitely want to limit the milk or omit it altogether.
posted by Flashbullzeye at 7:00 PM on August 24, 2013
Plenty of tea with plenty of honey and milk. Breathing the steam from the tea helps moisturize your airways and there's specific blends of herbal teas with claims of being able to heal sore throats, etc. The honey provides a coating of the throat as well.
The milk can be iffy. It encourages mucous production (all over, but especially in the throat). The mucous is awesome natural protection and may contain compounds that promote healing of the surface cells in the throat (but don't quote me on that, it's been awhile since physiology). BUT if you're having any kind of congestion or difficulty breathing, you'll definitely want to limit the milk or omit it altogether.
posted by Flashbullzeye at 7:00 PM on August 24, 2013
Response by poster: I ended up asking a friend to drive me to the CVS clinic, which led us to discovering a new walk-in clinic just a few blocks away. The doc said it's bronchitis and prescribed cough syrup w/Codeine, so most of the problem is taken care of.
So far, these things I tried helped, the schvitz especially once things got more productive:
Cloraseptic throat spray works like pure magic.
Sit in your bathroom, door closed, with the hot shower on, and breath in humid warm air for 10-20 minutes.
I've actually been getting in the shower, which helps the muscle aches and falling asleep. Oh, and I pulled out the humidifier, which I bet will help, too.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:45 AM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
So far, these things I tried helped, the schvitz especially once things got more productive:
Cloraseptic throat spray works like pure magic.
Sit in your bathroom, door closed, with the hot shower on, and breath in humid warm air for 10-20 minutes.
I've actually been getting in the shower, which helps the muscle aches and falling asleep. Oh, and I pulled out the humidifier, which I bet will help, too.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:45 AM on August 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
* Humidifier,
* Painkillers for the back, rib, and inguinal pain (you can combine ibuprofen and acetaminophen for a hefty punch),
* Significantly reduced activity (movement triggered nasty coughing jags),
* Cough drops seemed to help when combined with the above.
Hope you feel better soon.
posted by moira at 10:23 AM on August 24, 2013