Best OTC Cough Supressant/Expectorant??

[prof]

I'm looking for the most powerful over the counter cough suppressant/expectorant
to rid me of this unholy chest cold or flu. I need to be able to sleep thru just one
night. Please help!!!

[olnacl]

AlkaSeltzer mucus something or other seems to work best for me. Nothing gets rid of the problem but that seems to minimize it and I think I've tried everything on the market at one time or another. YMMV, of course

[kj4btkljv]

How long have you had these symptoms? Anything longer than 5-7 days, and it's time to go to the doctor. This stuff easily turns into, and I've been there, bronchitis, and respiratory infections. If you've got yellow/green gunk coming out of your lungs, it's time to get help.

Jeff

[Paul F.]

Delsym works great for me... but it's spendy.

NyQuil doesn't ease the symptoms so much... but it does knock you unconscious so you don't care.

[pinkoos]

Mucinex

http://www.mucinex.com/ (warning, link opens up to a page with video/audio)

Generic (ie, cheaper) versions available.

[Robert M]

Prof,

Most of them have the same primary ingredients. But, the only one that makes a difference for me despite that is Buckley's Cough Mixture. The combination of the usual cough stuff with the other ingredients makes the difference.

That said, be careful because a cough could be a sign of an allergy related cough, an upper respiratory infection, that can turn into Bronchitis or worse. Or, it could be a sign of nasty post nasal drip or the beginnings of s sinus infection. It all depends on your other symptoms.

Robert

[olnacl]

[quote pinkoos]Mucinex

http://www.mucinex.com/ (warning, link opens up to a page with video/audio)

Generic (ie, cheaper) versions available.
Tried that and the Alky works better for me, but, as always YMMV.

[prof]

Tried Mucinex to no avail. I thought for sure that hard hatted phlegm ball would have
chased this out of my system by now. I've had 3 restless nights, where just when I
was about to doze off I start coughing. It's absolutely maddening! If I can't get some sleep this weekend I'll have to go to the Dr on Mon. Thanks for all the suggestions (cough, cough,cough)

[Acer]

Whiskey and honey.

[mrbigstuff]

ah, the only way to get help during the night is with a narcotic-containing cough syrup, like hydrocodone. Delsym is the other OTC medication that is the latest fashion for coughs, at least according to my theories on my perennial winter cough that lasts 2-3 months. but, hydrocodone is the only thing that knocks it down for me. do NOT take more than the recommended dosage though.