Hard coughing causes blackout/passingout

[TacomaTom]

I have had a cough now for about 3 weeks. It started off very mild but 2 weeks ago got more serious. I was sitting down and started to cough really hard and the next thing i knew i was picking myself up off the floor. I had passed out. I went to the emergency room and they told me i had bronchitis and that i had passed out from  agitating that nerve in the back of my neck, at least thats what they think and didnt seem to worried about it. I have a couple of prescriptions for coughing ect but they are not working very well and i have since had 2 more hard coughing episodes where i blacked out if not all the way passed out.
What i want to know is does this sound normal for bronchitis or hard coughing? Should i be worried more? Can passing out or blacking out cause any damage from repeted episodes?
What else can i do?

[voodewmoon]

Here's my issue: I don't have to be coughing hard or having a massive coughing fit at all.  Literally 2 coughs and I have that "on the edge of a blackout" feeling much as it would be if someone were squeezing your throat and you get that fuzzy feeling.  It scares the crap out of me!  I do have asthma but not even an asthma attack has left me feeling like this.  I hate it.

[Prabaldas]

I am suffering from the same problem for last 15 days. I faint 2-3 times everyday due to cough hard. The doctors do not understand the problem and have prescribed me cough syrup and anti-biotic medicine.

[tegz742]

I have something similar from inhaling dance hall dust- very fine as ground down by Saraha dust coming over and very abrasive.
It's probaly related to the VAGUS nerve which is a very old nervous system pathway in out bodies from the head to the gut.
TEST: If you put an ear bud in one ear it may trigger a cough. It is very paroxal and disturbing.
Gabapentin may help- but it is a strongish med used usually for epilepsy and acts as a desensitiser- and also I found anti anxiety, too.
I prefer not to use it long term though but it's there if needed.
Reflux supression meds may help at night if that is irritating from the oesophegus end causing morning cough.
I hope this helps a few sufferers anyway -but you need your GP to issue these meds.
My Xray was clear and lung test very good. Inhalers don't help me much.

[Nobbys_Nuts]

I have suffered with these symptoms for many years. I can tell you that drinking, smoking and lack of exercise WILL ascorbate this problem, but are not necessary to cause it. I have C.O.P.D.,  which used to be called C.O.L.D. and before that plain old asthma. But after many tests my symptoms persisted due to being an overweight smoker.
Once you have an attack (coughing fit) of coughing and are unable to breathe you will feel a vibrating buzz in your body, you will by reflex lay or stretch backwards, and unless you can mentally tell yourself to relax and breathe you will black out. My wife tells me it is a period of 2seconds to 3 minutes, but once I am non compus I start to breathe in shallow breaths and can quite easily be awoken with gentle speech.
We have visited doctors many times with no honest, simple remedy. Good luck and I hope you can share a solution.

[stgts]

I found this website while desperate for i too have a similar problem.   I do not pass out but have the cough that causes me to have breathing problems.  Last nite i had 2 coughing attacks before going to bed.  Scared to going to bed because i knew this would continue thru the nite,  I was asleep and woke up to severe coughing and difficulty breathing.  I have an inhaler but did not want to use it. I got up after the coughing stopped and rinsed my mouth and took a couple of sips of water and went back to bed.   When i went back to bed i decided to start breathing exercises.   I inhaled deeply causing my abdomen to rise then slowly releasing the breath  I fell asleep and woke up several times and no coughing spells so every time i was semi-awake i did the exercises and to my surprise its been about 4 to five hours and since i started breathing exercises not one coughing spell.

[rclamp1]

The same exact thing happened to me this week. And most people have never heard of this which makes it difficult to explain what happened.  During the pause where most people catch their breath, I was already coughing again.  There is no time to react.  I've only had the passing out from coughing happen to me three times in my life, always during or after a cold and only this time behind the wheel.  Thankfully, it was only me in the vehicle and I didn't strike any vehicles or people.  It is very scary to come to with powder from the airbags looking like smoke.  My truck flipped up on its side also, so that increased the disorientation.