cough is very distressing and interferes with people's sleep and activities. it is a symptom and it is important to try and understand the cause of cough. for some it is related to post nasal drip asthma or acid reflux (gerd). others have underlying lung conditions that contribute to cough while some experience a chronic cough without clear explanation as to why. when patients come with cough i try to identify the possible causes and then treat those. if it likely due to post nasal drip i try sinus rinses antihistamines and nasal steroids. if there is any concern for gerd i try acid reflux medications. if there is concern that it is from poorly controlled asthma i try to aggressively treat the asthma flare. in my experience medications to try and suppress cough are often not that helpful. i have experienced better luck at trying to treat the underlying cause if it can be identified.
is is ok to use cough suppressant to help you sleep when you have asthma?