Awful phlegmy cough

[renne]

My husband is using a CPAP and I do too. For the last couple of months he has come down with a sporadic phlegmy cough. He has the humidity turned up to 4 on his Resmed S9, but it doesn't seem to have any effect on the cough. I was assuming it was irritation from the CPAP, but it could be so many other things. His doctor doesn't have any clues and doesn't seem to want to refer him to somebody else such as a specialist in something. It's very annoying to have somebody constantly clearing their throat. I'm about to bash him over the head, because it makes me want to do it too. My CPAP use doesn't seem to cause me any trouble, so I was hoping if somebody else has had this problem they would post about their experience.

Thanks,

Renne

[Julie]

Two things - try turning down the humidity for 1-2 nights, and get his MD to send him to an ENT specialist - not everything is about Cpap/OSA and something else could be going on.

[LSAT]

Could be from Acid Reflux....has he had this type of problem? I would try...raising the head of your bed 4-6" so you are sleeping with heads higher than the rest of your body. Have him take some OTC Ranitidine (Zantac) and see if you notice the difference. Best to check with your doctor to be sure that the Zantac doesn't react with any other meds he is taking.

[archangle]

Sometimes it's worth taking a course of antibiotics just in case, if nothing else helps.

They're so scared of overprescribing antibiotics these days that sometimes they don't give them when they should.

Note: I'm not recommending overuse, but if you aren't taking antibiotics regularly, one course of antibiotics once a year or so isn't that likely to cause side effects or create some new multi drug resistant strain of bacteria.

[chunkyfrog]

Simplest solution to excess phlegm: Drink at least 8 cups of water a day; more if you are really big.
Guiafenesin is the OTC remedy for mucus, but you still have to drink water.
Once the mucus thins out, it is able to do its job and clear the infection, if there is any.
If the cough remains, then lobby for further medical intervention.

[jamiswolf]

Simplest solution to excess phlegm: Drink at least 8 cups of water a day; more if you are really big.
Guiafenesin is the OTC remedy for mucus, but you still have to drink water.
Once the mucus thins out, it is able to do its job and clear the infection, if there is any.
If the cough remains, then lobby for further medical intervention.

Sorry Chunkyfrog, but Guiafenesin is an expectorant that increases mucus. If you have a dry hacking cough, you want to take Guiafenesin to increase mucus to allow a productive cough. But if you already have too much mucus, then no Guiafenesin.

If the cough is especially bad in the morning after a night of cpap, then I would agree with Julie to reduce humidification and perhaps even shut off the heat. The body reacts from the change from cpap (warm humidification) to room air (cooler and lower humidity) by producing mucus. I solved this problem by turning of the heat in my humidifier.

I don't see a random course of antibiotics as a solution, though seeing an ENT if the problem persists certainly makes sense.
good luck,
Jamis

[LSAT]

Guiafenesin thins the mucus...it does not increase it.

[jamiswolf]

Guiafenesin thins the mucus...it does not increase it.

"Guaifenesin is thought to act as an expectorant by increasing the volume and reducing the viscosity of secretions in the trachea and bronchi. It also stimulates the flow of respiratory tract secretions, allowing ciliary movement to carry the loosened secretions upward toward the pharynx.[12] Thus, it may increase the efficiency of the cough reflex and facilitate removal of the secretions; however, objective evidence for this is limited and conflicting.[citation needed]"

As the above Wiki reference indicates...it does both.

Lsat, are you recommending Guaifenesin for someone who already has an excess mucus problem??? Or are you just being picky?
J

[LSAT]

The recomondation was for treating a "phlegmy cough".....not about excess mucus. Per doctor's instructions, I have used guaifenesin for phlegmy cough and excessive throat clearing for a long time. From the bottle..."Helps loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to rid the bronchial passageways of bothersome mucus and make coughs more productve."

[chunkyfrog]

As noted on the package, you take it with a glass of water.
In many cases, the water alone is quite effective.
Thick mucus is sometimes a sign of dehydration.
Drink a extra quart--spread out through the day; cheap, worth trying, and usually harmless.