Chronic cough from cpap use?

I've had a chronic cough for quite awhile and lots of mucous. I've been thinking it's my cpap (original Swift nasal pillows). Chest xray was normal. Anyone else seem to develop a cough and increased mucous with cpap use?

No, just the opposite. I get asthmatic bronchitis, very occasionally, and the warm, humid air from the CPAP humidifier is very soothing. I'll cough up a lung during the day, but at night with my CPAP on the coughing stops so I can sleep really well.

It may be that your humidifier needs adjustment up or down. Try to adjust it no more than one notch at a time and leave it at the new setting for a few days to see if it is helping.

What's quite awhile?

Early on I used to occasionally get some lung congestion and mucus in the morning but eventually I figured it was an incipient cold coming on... now that I reflect back, I think my CPAP helped knock it out before the infection spread. Warm moist air seemed to actually make things better over time. Results may vary... like they say on the infomercials.

Country4ever wrote:I've had a chronic cough for quite awhile and lots of mucous. I've been thinking it's my cpap (original Swift nasal pillows). Chest xray was normal. Anyone else seem to develop a cough and increased mucous with cpap use?

This could be more to do with a bronchial condition then the lungs its self. Asthma can present as a form of cough. Mucous is the way the oesophagus protects itself and this is especially true of stomach acid. For a few people cpap seems to bring GERD to the for front. For me it reduced this problem dramatically.

Are you taking an ace inhibitor medication like lisinopril for high blood pressure. These meds are known to cause a chronic cough.

Country4ever wrote:I've had a chronic cough for quite awhile and lots of mucous. I've been thinking it's my cpap (original Swift nasal pillows). Chest xray was normal. Anyone else seem to develop a cough and increased mucous with cpap use?

Often this can be a result of acid reflux.

Sorry it took me awhile to come back here. Thanks for all your suggestions.
I do have reflux, but it doesn't seem bad enough to cause this. I'm just wondering if its my mucosa's reaction to the pressure of the cpap air all going in my nose. (Swift original nasal pillow). I always seem to have lots of gunk in my naso phayrnx. My humidifier is almost on the top setting and I never get rainout.
I'm seeing the cpap doc today, so I'll ask him about it. I have a doctor/test phobia, so I hesitate to say too much to him. It's not easy being me.