I'm feeling a lot more clear-headed this morning, so I think things are getting better. However, I haven't quite figured out [coughing fit] how to control this pesky cough. I've been taking Sudafed Cold & Cough since yesterday afternoon and it does diddly squat. The doctor gave me a prescription for Codine, which I gather is a cough syrup kinda thing. The thing is, I don't like cough syrup. Ever since my first year of college, when I got a cold and was driving my roommate nuts with my cough. I went to the grocery store, bought some cough syrup and it didn't work. [coughing fit] I took it back to the store and complained and they said, I needed to take it for a while for it to work. WTF? I need something that works now, not in a couple days! So, I started taking pill type cough suppressants and it's worked OK. Until now. So, I'm thinking a quick trip to the pharmacy is in order.
Because I am clear-headed, if coughy, today AND I thought to bring some work home, I'm going to work from home today. As usual, I am looking forward to getting something accomplished.
And hopefully I'll figure out a way to minimize the cough. [coughing fit]
13 comments:
Sorry about the cough; what a pain. Let me know if I can pick anything up on my way home today I go right by your house.
Coedine is a mild narcotic that works by a similar action (mu opiate receptors) as morphine and has a chemical structure similar to morphine. It is not as potent as morphine, so it is used in mild pain relievers.
In addition to pain suppression, it also seems to be a mild cough suppressant, although that is open for debate.
Great. A narcotic. Wonderful. Thanks for the info, John. I think the doc intended for me to use it at night, but so far I haven't had any trouble sleeping (once I manage to get to sleep that is). Doesn't sound like it's a good thing to be taking while I'm awake.
Hmm... I'll give these Riccola cough drops another try and see how it goes.
Thanks for the offer, Stacey. Actually, you can help me. My humidifier kicked the bucket sometime in the year or three it's been since I last used it, so I need to replace it. I had planned to go to the pharmacy, but am now thinking I can work with what I have - except I need the humidifier. I saw some in Walgreens (and should have bought it then, darn it) that are probably affordable. Please do not get me the penguin one (not that I have anything against penguins, Michelle). Give me a call if you need to and of course, I'll pay you back. Thanks again for the offer!
Anne, I checked on that link John included, and the study said that very few of the commercial preparations for cough were better than placebo.
So you should get your pharmacist to give you some Extra Strength Placebo. I understand it is an over-the-counter medicine, so you don't even need a prescription! And best of all, it's non-narcotic!
But don't let anyone else know about this. If we don't keep it a secret, the government will start regulating placebo, and the price will go up, guaranteed!
Feel better! That's an order.
Well, Tom, in all fairness that study was a meta-analysis, and meta-analyses are to analysis what metaphyics is to physics.
In my personal experience coedine works on mild coughs, but not on hacking ones. YMMV. I'm not a doctor.
I, too have ugly stuff coming out of my head. I told Shawn I thought I caught it from him. Don't tell him I probably got it from GF (who is much closer).
I'm a big fan of coedine. In Canada, they sell Tylenol with coedine over the counter. It doesn't stop pain, just makes you not care.
Yes, that's how I understand morphine works too. My aunt had morphine after stomach surgury and she had extremely unpleasant psychological side effects from it, so I'd rather only use it in an emergency (which this is not).
I'll go with Extra Strength Placebo, as Tom suggested. :)
My doctor has always told me to take the codeine cough syrup (or its cousin, Vycodin cough syrup) at night as well. Part of the reason is because it can help me sleep - but the other part is that I do need to cough during the day. Part of the reason for a cough is so my body can expel mucus and other fun things. Suppress the cough, and it has nowhere to go, potentially making me sicker.
None of this may apply to you - I'm no medical practitioner, nor even a well-read chemist, just a fellow cough/cold patient.
I do hope you feel better soon! The coughing fits are no fun.
Delsym is the best OTC cough syrup we've ever used. Plus it's good for 12 hours, so you dont' get that ugly every four hour letdown.
Don't plan on driving anywhere if you're going to try the codeine. Everyone in my family has problems with it. I had the mildest reaction, with just spacing completely out and being more ditzy than normal.
If you've got nasty icky crap you're coughing up, you might want to consider Robetussin DM. It is the most nasty, disgusting, vile tasting stuff on earth. But it's very good for "productive coughing" i.e. clearing the nasty crap out of your chest.
It's what I took for bronchitis, when I would cough so hard I'd almost throw up.
Oh. Sorry. Was that TMI?
Heh, Michelle, it's hard to TMI me. No, this is not a challenge to try.
I have a tendency to sound like I'm coughing up a lung anytime I have respitory symptoms. (Apparently, I can't manage a ladylike cough.) The cough has reduced to a dull roar, so things like throat lozenges and tea with honey and lemon are having a chance to do a little good. I'll look into those OTC options you mentioned. Thanks, everyone!
In spite of my placebo ravings, we were given Cheracol as children, a cough syrup with coedine. It seemed to work. But I do remember that whenever I had coedine I had technicolor dreams! Not that I only dreamed in B&W otherwise, just that color was unremarkable in normal dreams. But with coedine, Massive Doses of Color!
I liked it.
Well, my mother's best cure for a cough was hot honey with a bit of lemon juice to which you add your preferred liquor; e.g, whiskey or rum or something else. The alcohol is supposed to numb the throat. LOL
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