Will This Cough Ever Stop?

Tonight is my seventh shot so I've been at it for 6 weeks. About 3 weeks ago I started coughing. Now I can't even breathe without the tickle sensation causing me to cough or almost cough. I try REALLY hard to suppress it. Two days ago I coughed so hard it tore a muscle in my rib cage (or whatever, I haven't had it looked at. See the Doc tomorrow). It feels about as bad as when I broke some ribs some years ago. Now coughing is a killer. I've tried cough drops, candy and the like but they don't really help.

Has anyone else had this? Does it go on for the duration? If so, I'm not sure I can take it. Thanks. You're a great group of informative people.

[lalapple]

do you have acid reflux gerd etc?  if so, it could be the cause of your coughing, you need to see an Ear Nose Throat (otorhinopharynologist)  about this.  

[newleaf09]

I've had a cough from the ribivirin since week 5 and I'm 6 1/2 months in now.  It's stayed pretty steady; lots of coughing fits, waking me up at night, etc.  You need a cough suppressant.  None of the regular cough syrups work for me but cough syrup with 10 mg hydrocodon does the trick.  I don't have to use it every day but most days.  Cough usually shuts down as soon as I take it.

[GTBill]

lalapple, no gerd or acid reflux.

newleaf09, I don't tolerate hydrocodon very well. I'll ask the doc tomorrow. Thanks.

[IMstacie]

I've had a cough from the beginning (at wk 27 now).  In the beginning I was having a hard time breathing or even talking.  The cough has subsided only to surface on occasion.  But, this cough I have is weird.  It sounds like an asmatic type cough, which I don't have.  Sounds more like a deep wheeze.

[epiphiny]

I had the nasty cough most of the time during my 48 weeks tx and it never really went away, maybe just lessened on occasions.  I'm 3 weeks post tx and I'm happy to say it is gradually improving, tho there were times when I never thought it would.  I didn't take anything for it, just toughed it out but I did get checked for lung infection, results came back clear.  I think it's a pretty common side effect.  Hope you get some relief.

Epi.

[GTBill]

Thaks Epi and YuK,

Sometimes I feel extremely weak (like I want to give up). The only reason I might make is that when I go to sleep I don't cough. Don't know why but being able to sleep sometimes really helps (although I have many other sleep issues).

[charm27]

Unfortunately I started coughing early into tx. I coughed all the way thru 55 weeks.
The doctor had given me a "Tussin" type of cough syrup that really helped me.

Best of luck!

[newleaf09]

Try one of the over the counter cough syrups.  Didn't work on me but might on you.  I don't actually take the recommended full spoonful of the hydrocodon syrup, just 1/2 a spoon is enough to fix it.  Folks with liver damage can get results from lower dosages so I always start out with a half dose of anything.

[meakea]

I don't have any recommendations to add to the good advice you've already been given above but I do want to tell you that I wish you the best in finding a solution to your cough.  Let us know how it goes with the doc.

I know how awful each and every nagging side effect can be -- some worse than others.  There are days I've felt the "I don't know if I can do this any longer..." and then I come here and find that others are having the same or similar problem and I seem to get strength from their strength and I carry on.  Hang in there Bill and I hope the torn muscle is mending without too much pain.

[toohip]

That torn muscle sounds real painful.  I hope it gets better soon.  Side effects are hard to predict and some will come and go.  I hope your cough will not last the whole time.  At least I hope not.  If you take over the counter stuff for it be sure to read the label carefully first because some of that stuff is really hard on your liver.  Good luck.

[Marc1955]

So you've already learned from the previous responses that the cough may very well not go away. Mine goes in and out – it's worse in the winter when the air is dry and a little better in the summer.

Like a lot of issues that come up while on treatment, you need to learn new management techniques. Nothing you've really had before prepares you for this, so it can be difficult to make the adjustments. The suggestions are excellent. You need to try to keep the cough from getting totally out of control. Likely over time it will moderate, and you'll learn things that work to keep it in bounds. I simply sleep with a large glass of water by my bed and take sips throughout the night. A lot of these things really aren't so bad once you make the necessary adjustments, but at first they are totally shocking.

Good luck!

[meakea]

"A lot of these things really aren't so bad once you make the necessary adjustments, but at first they are totally shocking."

Oh so very true.

[nygirl7]

I was born with a cough like that and the only thing that ever has helped when it would flare up it would be a hydrocodone prescription like Hycodan (spelling?) cough syrup but it would work great.

[GTBill]

Thanks to everyone for your comments and support. My Dr gave me a prescription for Benzonatate (100mg). We'll see if that works. Like Marc1955 said "you need to learn new management techniques" so I'm trying not to breath!

[newleaf09]

One more tip:  if you live someplace hot or could and have to spend a lot of time inside breathing mechanically generated air (heater, A.C.) run a humidifier.  Helps some with both the cough and the rash.

[IMstacie]

dang, i'm coughing now - power of suggestion, I guess.  oh, BTW, I don't cough when I sleep either.

[Isobella]

A humidifier is a great suggestion.  It really does help as dry as we get on tx.  I have been coughing since about week 30, but it is productive, not a dry tickle.

[Bethmm]

I am a SVR for over 8 years now. I also developed a cough during tx. I told my Dr. about it and he said it can be from the Tx he did give me an inhaler that dramatically helped me. Be sure to go to your Dr. and get some help.

[Magnum]

I had the same symptoms but off treatment. I went to a pulmonary speialist, and sure enough, I had a lung infection. He showed me the x-ray that showed water at the bottom of both lungs.

It couldn't hurt to have that checked out. It was cured by powerful enti-biotics...

Magnum

[geterdone]

Sorry to say but the riba cough will be with you for the duration, like it or not. The thing you have to really watch out for is to keep away from anyone who has a cold or the sniffles. I started out the same way at week 7/8 coughing and hacking not so much as sinus problems as the constant cough. It was not too bad if it was a dry cough, mints seemed to do the trick for the most part but fluid will build while you sleep and then the infections start and when they did, it was no looking back for it stayed with me throughout the rest of treatment. The cough scripts did not do much and went through 8 infections and 4 xrays during the course of treatment on 4 different antibiotics and the cough never skipped a beat. The kicker was at the end of treatment I had gotten a viral infection that lasted another 4 months with nothing to take except to except it. Not saying this will happen to you but it may to your best interest to shy away from very public places like libraries and get hand sanitizers and a good hand lotion cuz your going to be washing your hands a lot. You have now become a bacteria magnet. Do you smoke?

Geterdone

[shayneb]

I will bestarting to my pegasis and ribravin in a week and I dont smoke cigarettes. Do  a lot of you smoke cigarrettes and maybe this cough could be contributed to this cough?

And  who does not smoke cigarettes? and how does this medicine effect you coughing etc.?

[shayneb]

I will bestarting to my pegasis and ribravin in a week and I dont smoke cigarettes. Do  a lot of you smoke cigarrettes and maybe this cough could be contributed to this cough?

And  who does not smoke cigarettes? and how does this medicine effect you coughing etc.?