Hacking dry cough...

[Stacyhdx]

Lately i've had this hacking dry cough..and a *tickle* in my throat. I dont know if its from my meds or what. I do know that i keeps me up at night and in the evenings.

Im on 25mg lisinpril
Water pills
pre-natals
paxil

Any ideas?

[Natasha]

I've had two bouts of a cold that is much like that. The first round was diagnosed as bronchitis. The antibiotics cured it immediately. The doctor actually gave me two different prescription cough medicines. They really helped. It took long enough for the cough to go away that I had one refilled. The last few nights, I've gone to bed without a cough suppressant. I am finally feeling healthy again.

I did do some worrying because the girls here often mention coughing at night as one of their symptoms before they were diagnosed. They usually said that they could feel water coming up from their lungs. Thinking about that helped me believe that my dry cough was not heart related. I have also been to the cardiologist recently and all is well there.

Good luck! If this has been going on for awhile, see the doctor. Even if it isn't your heart, they can at least give you cough medicine that will allow you to sleep at night. I totally understand how frustrating it can be!

[SerenaWelsh]

My mom has had a hacking dry cough ever since her heart surgery in 2000. Her docs said it was a side effect of one of her meds. The only one I know by name is Coreg.
For your sake, I hope you're coming down with something so that you can get better and it will go away.

[SusanD]

ACE inhibitors are notorious for causing this. If you don't have any drainage, no recent fever, no asthma,etc. it would be something to call your Dr. about and/or discuss with the nurse...especially since it is keeping you up at night. There are newer ACE inhibitors that are not supposed to cause this problem.

Also...do kind of a system check on yourself and if you are short of breath, having any edema, have gained > 3lbs over night or 5 lbs within a week, then you should definitely call your MD. Early CHF can present with a dry tickly cough.

Hope you feel better soon !

[Yvonne]

Hi,
I had this for two months. It scared me because it reminded me on the time my heartfailure started, but it was a different dry cough and I didn't retain fluid or had other symptoms. It kept me awake but then I heard my two children were also coughing a lot during the night. The good news is that it stopped quite a sudden as it started. So I think it was just one of the winter viruses. I only have a little itching feeling in my troath/ cough just after taking my ACE (ramipril). This does not keep me awake.

[Stacyhdx]

Im not coughing during the day, its at night when i lay down, thats why i get nervous. Im supposed to have a follow up u/s in april but i dont know when yet. Maybe i'll call my doctor today.

[Natasha]

Let us know what you find out! I hope it's just a nasty cold, but you should discuss it with the cardiologist to make sure that it is not your heart. By the way, the cough that is still hanging on for me is only at night when I'm sleeping, but it has improved greatly. It doesn't wake me up any more. Though my husband tells me in the morning that it keeps him awake.