Croupy cough in a 19 year old

[Claire09]

Hi,

I'm a 19-year-old college student. Two or three times a year since forever, I've gotten a nasty croupy cough. My breathing is also wheezy and somewhat strained. My pediatrician said that it could be asthma, but I'm four hours from home, so obviously there's not a lot I can do about that. I'd tried a couple different types of cough suppressant, but nothing has worked. Since I'm in a dorm, I know I'm probably driving the people around me nuts.

Any ideas/tips would me much appreciated. Thanks very much.

[Johanna Bekka]

I have seasonal allergies since I moved to Nevada.  And the only real sign I have that I'm having an attack is a croupy deep chest cough.  Leaves ya feeling 'itchy' deep down in your windpipe.  I find relief by taking an OTC nondrowsy allergy med.

[maryheather]

Without being diagnosed, you don't need to use a suppressant.  
Is your cough productive?  Does anything come up when you cough?  Croup can be dangerous, but it's also a very specific diagnosis.  It is inflammation of the windpipe, and has nothing to do with the lungs.  Asthma, on the other hand, is all lung oriented.  The treatments are very different.  Is there not a clinic or anything that you can go to?
Croup--alternate between steam, and cold.  Use a cool-mist humidifier, and keep the water clean.
Asthma--you need an inhaler...but don't try anything OTC until you are diagnosed.  
You could have a case of walking pneumonia, and you need antibiotics for some strains of pneumonia.

[myproblem]

Steam is a good idea. Try getting a washcloth wet with very hot water, ring it out, and breathe through it until it cools off. Do this several times a say. Herbal tea is a good idea too. Also, if the air is very cold where you are, cover your face with a scarf when you go outside. Very cold air can dry and irritate your throat more. Also, for cough supressant, try one that has only Dextromorphan (no expectorant or pseudophedrine).

[maryheather]

One more thing...could be seasonal allergies, which none of the above may help with.
My suggestion is find a way to see a doc.

[crystaly]

Hi, I think you should go back to your Docter . If you have asthma you may need an inhaler. Alternatively when you get these croupy bouts of coughing try gong into an area where you can inhale steam. eg. Boil a kettle a couple of times and stand in the same area. This helped my youngest son when he was little and had croup. Another good idea is to keep a record of what you are doing when the bouts of coughing start could be allergy or activity related. Hope this helps. Take Care. Chris