To correctly prescribe the treatment of dry cough in adults, you must first find out the cause of its occurrence. This symptom can accompany any disease, and taking the usual expectorant can not only not help, but also complicate the situation.
The combined use of drugs and folk methods will definitely give a positive result.
Dry cough in an adult: causes and treatment
The appearance of this symptom should alert the person and force them to seek help from a therapist. The cause of a cough can be not only a cold. Sometimes such a symptom is accompanied by problems with the cardiovascular system, ENT organs, and even psychological conditions.
Also dry cough is the first harbinger of an attack in asthmatics. During a banal ARVI, this unpleasant symptom often develops in the first days. This means that the viruses irritate the bronchi, but the sputum has not yet developed in sufficient quantities, so there is nothing productive to cough up.
Several respiratory diseases can cause this conditionsystem:
- bronchitis;
- pharyngitis;
- laryngitis;
- pneumonia;
- sinusitis;
- tracheitis.
If a person has recently choked heavily on food, then you should pay attention to the dry cough that has appeared. It may indicate that food debris has entered the bronchi.
With pneumonia, a dry cough will not go away without adequate antibiotic therapy. In this case, any expectorant syrups and tablets can only act as aids.
Dry cough with laryngitis
This disease is accompanied by several symptoms:
- an increase in body temperature to 38-39 °C;
- hoarse voice;
- weakness.
But the main indicator of the development of laryngitis is an obsessive dry cough. It can be constant or come and go.
In the first few days, the treatment of dry cough in adults at home should be aimed at thinning sputum. To do this, you need to drink at least 2 liters of any liquid per day.
If the house has a compressor nebulizer, then you can inhale 4-5 times a day with saline or alkaline mineral water without gases. For one procedure, you must use at least 3-4 ml of liquid.
If a coughing fit occurs that is difficult to stop, you can take a no-shpy pill. It will help relieve spasm of the larynx and bronchi. It is also good to drink a cup of warm milk or tea at this moment.
Folk remedies
Treatment of dry cough in adults with laryngitis canbe accompanied by folk methods. For example, the following mixture helps relieve a cough:
- 100ml warm milk;
- 1/6 tsp soda;
- 1 tsp honey;
- 1/2 tsp butter;
- 25 ml vodka.
All ingredients are mixed in a saucepan and simmer over low heat until completely dissolved. After removing from the stove, vodka is poured. You need to take this remedy 2-3 times a day for a tablespoon.
Also in the early days with laryngitis, it can help turn a dry cough into a productive mixture of milk and Borjomi (pre-release gas).
Cough treatment for pharyngitis
This disease is characterized by reddening of the back of the throat. Because of this, the patient develops a dry cough. It is associated with a sore throat. To relieve this symptom, drink plenty of warm fluids.
And to reduce redness, you need to use special preparations. Treatment of dry cough in adults with pharyngitis may be accompanied by irrigation of the pharynx with the following drugs:
- "Ingalipt".
- "Angileks".
- "Tantum Verde".
- Oralsept and others
Such manipulations should be done 3-4 times a day. Together, you can dissolve medicinal lozenges and tablets. The most effective and popular ones are:
- "Septefril".
- "Pharingosept".
- "Lizobakt".
- "Septolete".
- "Grammidin" and others.
These adult dry cough medicines not only relieve sore throats but also reduce itching.
If the disease is caused by a bacterial infection, then antibiotics are required. The doctor must select the necessary group of drugs and the exact dosage depending on the severity of the patient's condition.
Dry cough with bronchitis
This disease can be viral or bacterial. Depending on the type of pathogen, adequate treatment is prescribed. Bronchitis has certain symptoms:
- increase in body temperature to 38 °C;
- dry cough (initially);
- chest pain.
Chronic form may not be accompanied by fever. To start cough treatment in adults at home, you need to take medications that help thin sputum.
The most effective syrups are based on ivy leaves. Most often in pharmacies you can see:
- "Gerbion".
- "Bronchicum".
- "Prospan".
- "Linkas".
If in the first few days you suffer from a strong dry cough, then you can take "Sinekod". This drug suppresses the cough reflex and stops the attack. It should never be used in conjunction with expectorants.
They cause more sputum to be coughed up. And if the reflex is for a whileis stopped, the mucus will accumulate in the bronchi and bacteria will begin to develop in it. Such a process is likely to lead to complications such as pneumonia.
If a general blood test reveals a bacterial origin of the disease, then it is imperative to take antibiotics in tablets or injections.
Folk remedies
With bronchitis, the treatment of dry cough in "grandmother's" ways is very effective. For example, you can take a large black radish and cut the core out of it. A tablespoon of honey or sugar is put here. After a few hours, the vegetable will begin to release juice.
You need to drink this liquid from the core 3-4 times a day for a teaspoon. In a day, a productive cough will begin to appear.
Folk treatment of dry cough in adults with bronchitis makes it possible to avoid taking antibiotics. But this is provided that the patient's blood test is normal and the elevated body temperature lasts no more than 3 days.
You can use compresses in the chest area. For their preparation you will need:
- melt 2 tablespoons of honey in a water bath;
- lubricate the chest area with it (avoid the heart area);
- a cotton napkin soaked in vodka is placed on top;
- cellophane is applied and a scarf is wrapped around the body.
Thus, you need to walk 3-4 hours. In no case should you go outside during and after the procedure.
Compress with vegetables
Such a tool was actively used by our grandmothers and mothers duringtreatment of dry cough in adults without fever. To prepare it, you need to boil potatoes (3 pcs.) Without peel.
Ready-made tubers need to be mashed, draining the liquid beforehand. The mass should be thick. It adds 1 tbsp. l. alcohol or vodka. With such a composition, children cannot use a compress, of course.
The mass mixes well and two cakes are formed. Each is wrapped in cellophane and applied to the back and chest. From above you need to wrap yourself with a terry towel or scarf. With such a compress, you need to go for at least 2 hours.
If it is not possible to keep the cakes for a long time, then you can use another recipe. To prepare a compress, boil 2 eggs and chop them. Chop 2 cloves of garlic with a knife. The ingredients are mixed and laid out on two pieces of soft cloth.
The compress is fixed on the back and chest, covered with cellophane on top. Then you need to wrap yourself in a scarf or towel. Remove the compress after 60 minutes and spread the skin in this area with a nourishing cream.
Medicinal herbs
For the treatment of dry cough in adults at home, various decoctions of plants are often used. A collection of three medicinal herbs has proven itself well. To prepare it, it is necessary to steam 1 tsp in 250 ml of boiling water:
- dry chamomile;
- St. John's wort;
- sage.
The decoction is infused for 30 minutes. Drink 3 times a day, 100 ml. Before taking it, you needwarm up a bit.
And it is also very useful to drink chamomile tea during any SARS. It has excellent anti-inflammatory properties and stimulates the immune system to fight disease.
Powerful Alternative Medicine
There are many ways that have helped in the past to treat dry cough in adults. Now they are less popular, but still effective. But these methods cannot be used to treat children. And adults can help themselves without drugs.
Steam inhalations are remembered by every child born in the USSR. Who hasn't breathed over potatoes? For such inhalation, it is necessary to boil 3-4 tubers, drain all the liquid and knead them a little. 1 tsp is added to this mass. baking soda.
The patient should bend over the container with potatoes, but not very close, so as not to provoke a burn of the face and respiratory tract. The patient is covered with a blanket, so he must breathe over the steam for about 15-20 minutes. Don't take too deep breaths to avoid burning your bronchi.
Another type of inhalation is no less effective. 30 g of baking soda is added to 200 ml of boiling water and everything is mixed well. The solution is poured into the teapot. You need to make a cone out of paper and place it in the spout of the teapot. This will be the mask for inhalation. The procedure should be carried out within 10-15 minutes. Soda will help thin the sputum, and the cough will turn into a productive one.
Other folk methods
Quick treatment of dry cough in adults can be done with dry mustard. This methodused only if the patient does not have a fever.
Pour hot water into a basin and add 2 tablespoons of dry mustard. The solution is well stirred. The patient lowers his legs and soars them until the water cools.
Cowberry juice liquefies phlegm very well. It is necessary to squeeze out all the liquid from the berries through cheesecloth and mix it in a ratio of 1: 3 with honey. You need to take the remedy several times a day, 25 ml each.
Banana lovers can relieve dry coughs and enjoy the taste of these fruits. You need to peel 2 bananas and chop them. In 200 ml of water, fruits are boiled in a saucepan for 10 minutes. Then a tablespoon of honey is added here and mixed well. The finished product is taken 3 times a day, 30 ml each.
Allergic dry cough
What else can cause a cough? If a person is tormented by this symptom without other signs of a cold, then it is worth thinking about its allergic nature. In this case, all folk methods of treatment are unacceptable. Herbs can cause choking.
There is a special treatment for dry cough in an adult with allergy medicines. First of all, you need to take any antihistamine:
- "Loratadine".
- "Diazolin".
- "Eden".
- "L-CET".
- "Allerzin" and others.
Also shows the reception of "Erespal" or "Inspiron". These drugs relieve inflammation in the bronchi and have an anti-allergic effect.
If there is a nebulizer in the house, then you can inhale with "Berodual" or "Ventolin", and after 20 minutes with "Pulmicort". Such treatment should be carried out for at least 5 days.
A few simple tips
To quickly turn a cough from dry to productive, you need to use simple and effective tips:
- ventilate the room 2 times a day;
- do frequent wet cleaning;
- keep the temperature in the room below 20°C;
- humidity not less than 60-70%.
If there is no humidifier in the house, you can hang wet towels and sheets. During an attack of dry cough, it is necessary to turn on hot water in the bathroom and fill it with steam. You can sit in this room (not in the water) for 20 minutes. This procedure should stop the incessant cough.
Compresses and steam inhalations should not be performed on a patient who has even a slight fever. With a dry cough, long walks are indicated, especially near water bodies or in the rain. High humidity helps loosen phlegm.
If a strong dry cough in an adult does not improve during treatment, and the patient's condition worsens, it is necessary to consult a therapist.
