What should I do about a cough that won't go away?

If you have a cough that won't go away, treatment options will depend on the cause of that cough; allergies, sinus infections, and acid reflux are the main culprits. ENT surgeon Moshe Ephrat, MD, explains the steps to take to treat a nagging cough.

Transcript

00:00

Well, let's say it's due to a post-nasal drip. Like we said, it's allergy-related at times. And so, getting allergy tested is key.

00:07

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00:21

Once you get allergy tested, you know what things can produce greater mucus. And so you can try to avoid certain things like that,

00:28

whether it be pets, whether it be certain problems with the environment. And so we got medication that can control that as well.

00:35

So antihistamines and nasal sprays are available to reduce the amount of mucus production created in your nose and sinuses, which will reduce

00:44

the amount of post-nasal drip. If it's an infection, then you definitely want to just treat it accordingly.

00:50

Now if it's acid reflux, then we talk about diet, stress control, and then antireflux medications.

00:57

These medications can be taken daily, once a day. Usually, we recommend taking them about a half hour before some food.

01:04

And now they're offered over the counter. But if someone requires acid reflux medicine

01:10

for an extended period of time, their symptoms will recur if they stop the medicine, then they really need to be seen by their gastroenterologist

01:19

or their ear, nose, and throat surgeon to make sure that their whole esophagus and stomach is looked

01:26

at accordingly to make sure there are no abnormal changes due to the acid reflux. [AUDIO LOGO]