Why Antibiotics Rarely Fix a Chronic Cough and What Actually Can Help

Why Antibiotics Rarely Fix a Chronic Cough and What Actually Can Help

A nagging tickle in your throat has you coughing nonstop for hours and keeps you up all night. No matter how much you cough, you can’t seem to clear your throat. You’ve coughed so much your throat stings.

Coughs may be acute, subacute, or chronic. Acute coughs last up to three weeks. Subacute coughs last three to eight weeks. If they last longer than eight weeks, they’re classified as chronic coughs.

They can also be productive or nonproductive. A cough that brings up mucus or phlegm is considered a productive cough. A dry, hacking cough is nonproductive. This information helps doctors diagnose the cause of the cough.

A chronic cough is not enjoyable, but it’s often not a health condition requiring antibiotics. No matter how much you want a pill to end the discomfort, antibiotics rarely cure the nagging tickle or the throat congestion that won’t go away. There are many better options for treating a chronic cough.

The Question to Ask Is If It’s Bacterial or Viral

Before a doctor prescribes antibiotics, there must be proof of a bacterial infection, such as bacterial pneumonia or whooping cough. That’s what antibiotics treat. The medication kills the bacteria.

If you have a viral infection, such as a chest cold or asthma, antibiotics don’t help. Other remedies, such as antiviral medications, are needed.

When you have a chronic cough, you should see a doctor. It might be nothing alarming, but it could be an infection that requires treatment.

The Problem With Overuse of Antibiotic Medications

Antibiotics help treat infections, but they also pose a risk of antibiotic resistance. For many years, antibiotics were overprescribed to treat ailments like:

• Common cold

• Ear infections

• Flu

This happens when germs build up resistance to the medications meant to eliminate them. Because the antibiotics no longer work on the stronger germ, it’s harder to treat the infection. You end up with so-called “super germs” that are unbeatable.

The CDC estimates that there are over 3 million antibiotic-resistant infections. This leads to longer hospitalizations and drugs with more dangerous side effects.

As antibiotics become less effective at treating bacterial infections, this increases the risk of complications after medical treatments such as chemotherapy, organ transplants, or radiation. If you develop an infection after surgery, it can be hard to treat.

When you overuse antibiotics, it harms your body’s balance of microorganisms. They help keep you healthy. If you mess with your body’s microbiome, you risk developing allergic and metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes or nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

Common Illnesses and Conditions That Cause a Chronic Cough

If you have a chronic cough, what’s the most likely cause? How do you treat it?

Allergies

Postnasal drip is a common trigger of chronic coughs. When you deal with allergies, especially allergies to environmental allergens like dust or mold, postnasal drip is likely. That’s one way allergies lead to a chronic cough.

The other problem is that allergens trigger an inflammatory response. This inflammation can narrow the airways due to swelling. It leads to chest tightness, a chronic cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

Asthma

Asthma is a long-term inflammatory condition in which the bronchioles in the lungs become inflamed, obstructing airflow. It makes it harder to breathe in and out. Chest tightness, chronic coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing are common symptoms.

Triggers vary from person to person, but chemical fumes, cockroaches, cold weather, dust, exercise, mold, pet dander, pollution, smoke, and stress are all possibilities. Treatments include long-term asthma controllers and quick-relief inhalers.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

COPD is a progressive lung disease. The two most common forms of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It’s a never-ending cycle of irritation that causes inflammation and increases mucus production. The cough helps clear the excess mucus.

Tobacco smoke and secondhand smoke exposure are common causes. Quit smoking or avoid being around others who do. You should also be cautious to limit time spent near a campfire, charcoal grill, or wood fire in a fireplace or wood stove.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

GERD occurs when the stomach acid leaks back into the esophagus. Heartburn is one symptom, but so are the sensation of having a lump in the throat, nausea, and a chronic cough.

Treatment options include having smaller meals, avoiding acidic, fatty, or spicy foods, and losing weight. Over-the-counter antacids help some people with GERD, but others need prescription medications to ease the symptoms.

Medications

Certain medications can cause a chronic cough. Among them are:

• ACE inhibitors – Blood pressure medication

• Calcium channel blockers – Blood pressure medication

• Opioids – Pain medication

• Nitrates – Heart medication

• Statins – Cholesterol medication

As these medications protect your health, it’s crucial to find an alternative that works effectively.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) often experience a chronic cough because of the snoring and dry throat caused by mouth breathing. It’s important to see a doctor and go through a sleep study to diagnose OSA.

If OSA is diagnosed, CPAP therapy may be recommended. This machine helps keep the airway open, easing the cough.

Tobacco Use

One cigarette has about 600 ingredients, and it skyrockets to 7,000 chemicals once that cigarette is lit. Chemicals in tobacco smoke include:

• Acetone – In nail polish

• Ammonia – In urine output and window cleaners

• Arsenic – In rat poison

• Butane – In lighter fluid

• Cadmium – In battery acid

• Carbon monoxide – In car fumes and furnace exhaust

• Formaldehyde – Think embalming fluid

• Lead – In batteries and old paint

• Naphthalene – In mothballs

• Tar – In asphalt pavement

• Toluene – In paint

These chemicals affect the lungs by clinging to lung tissue or increasing the risk of diseases like cancer, COPD, and emphysema. The best way to protect your health and end a chronic cough is by stopping all use of tobacco products.

Upper Respiratory Infection

If you’ve had an upper respiratory infection, it may take time for the cough to go away. There’s still lingering mucus that your body wants cleared. Airways may stay irritated or inflamed for a while.

It can also indicate an increased risk of an infection such as pneumonia. Always see a doctor if the cough lasts more than eight weeks.

When Should You Go to a Doctor

When you have a chronic cough, there are a few signs to look for when determining if it’s time to see a doctor. If you have a chronic health condition, such as heart disease, it’s been more than a week, or if your cough accompanies any of the following, make an appointment with your doctor:

• Bloody phlegm

• Chest pain

• Fever

• Hoarseness

• Neck swelling

• Shortness of breath

• Unexplained weight loss

• Vomiting

Children with a chronic cough should be seen ASAP, especially if they haven’t received vaccinations for illnesses like whooping cough or RSV. It’s better to see the child’s pediatrician and rule out anything alarming than wait until it’s serious.

Your general practitioner is a good place to start. If there’s a bacterial infection, a culture of a throat swab should determine the cause. If that’s inconclusive, chest imaging, such as lung x-rays, also helps.

When a chronic cough is tied to allergies, you need to see a specialist. Allergy doctors help ease allergy symptoms and determine whether you have asthma. If asthma is an issue, medications that help prevent asthma attacks can help you feel better. An inhaler can help prevent coughing and asthma attacks from affecting your health.

Schedule an appointment with Premium Allergy & Respiratory Center today. Your allergist works with your primary care physician to develop a treatment plan that helps ease your chronic cough and allows you to return to your favorite activities. Use the online scheduler to find a day and time that works best.