Dry Cough

I have been new to CPAP for about three months now. Other than a few stumbles in the beginning trying to find a mask that fit decently enough (full face) I have done pretty well. I am on auto-pap and have a humidifier set at 4. For about the past three weeks I have had a dry, non-productive cough that feels like it comes from deep in my throat or even high in my chest. I have had no significant sinus problems to relate it to. I keep my equipment clean and I am not on any medications, like Lisinopril, that I have noticed discussed in other posts about cough and I am on Prevacid so I do not think GERD is an issue. This cough does not wake me up at night but is very annoying during the day. Has anyone else had this problem and if so do you have any suggestions to fix it? Can I even relate it to CPAP or should I head to the doctor...again?

Thanks for the help,
Jeff

Have you tried either raising or significantly lowering your humidity setting? It's there to help, but is not 'therapy' itself, so some of us find it's congesting and don't use it, but others need the highest setting to be comfortable (esp. if they live in Colo., Arizona, etc). What pressures is your machine set at and what machine and mask are you using? And of course it's possible that your problem is not directly related to Cpap but some other respiratory thing going on coincidentally.

My first thought was acid reflux, but you said you are taking Prevacid. I still would not rule out the Acid...I have had the problem. If it isn't resolved soon, I would see an ENT and have him take a look. Check out post nasal drip also.

Thanks for the reply. I have a ResMed S9 Elite with humidifier and am using a ResMed Ultra Mirage full face mask. My machine was set to autopap for titration, had to do all testing/setting at home due to insurance, and the pulmonologist wanted kept it on autopap. He said my average nightly pressure was around 12. I had a chance to skim the replies yesterday and increased my humidity from 4 to 5. That seemed to help, I have not coughed as much today, but my mask and hose was full of water and condensation this morning. I guess I will lower it a little tonight and see what happens. Thanks again for the input.

Jefflb wrote:Thanks for the reply. I have a ResMed S9 Elite with humidifier and am using a ResMed Ultra Mirage full face mask. My machine was set to autopap for titration, had to do all testing/setting at home due to insurance, and the pulmonologist wanted kept it on autopap. He said my average nightly pressure was around 12. I had a chance to skim the replies yesterday and increased my humidity from 4 to 5. That seemed to help, I have not coughed as much today, but my mask and hose was full of water and condensation this morning. I guess I will lower it a little tonight and see what happens. Thanks again for the input.

If your hose was filled with water, you can remedy that by having the CPAP lower than your mattress. Any condensation will run back to the humidifier. (Water runs downhill LOL). Leave the humidity alone if it is helping you. Also...You can try covering the hose with a home made or purchased hose cover. That may cut down on the condensation.

Please fill in the equipment on your profile so we'll know what you have in the future.

I found that increasing the minimum pressure on my auto machine makes my throat feel better, even though it doesn't improve my AHI.

I'm thinking there's some sort of struggling with air that doesn't show up on AHI, but either irritates my throat or makes me suck fluid out of my stomach or lungs.

Jefflb wrote:That seemed to help, I have not coughed as much today, but my mask and hose was full of water and condensation this morning. I guess I will lower it a little tonight and see what happens.

If you find that you need the added moisture to help with the cough you might want to check into getting the ClimateLine heated hose. It will help prevent that annoying condensation in the hose and mask because it will keep the air warmer in the hose and in the mask.
Alternately you could try a hose cozy by making your own with a bit of fleece and hope the added insulation around the hose will keep the air from cooling and releasing the water.
That is what we did for years before these new heated hoses that are integrated into the cpap machine itself...like the ClimateLine on the S9 and the heated hose available on the PR System One 60 series.
Both are considered options so normally aren't supplied initially. Insurance will normally cover the heated hose but some DMEs will make a person wait until insurance allows a hose replacement.

Wintertime is generally when we need some extra help with the condensation because often our bedroom temps are much lower than at other times of the year.
The ClimateLine is on sale right now for $40. A good hose cozy will cost at least half that. I would suggest just getting the Climateline to start with. You will get a more consistent level of humidity delivered and the annoying rain out chances are reduced to almost none.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/resmed ... ntrol.html

Thanks everyone. With the increased humidity my cough has decreased. I will try the other suggestions to keep the condensation down and I will also try to adjust my settings some. Thanks again for the advice.