My cough persists despite antibiotics. What should I do?

Question

Hello doctor,

I have been suffering from a cough since 15 days. There is phlegm as well. I tried using so many syrups, antibiotics and Levocetirizine with Montelukast. The X-ray and CBP (complete blood picture) are normal. But, the cough is still persisting and troubling me. What do you suggest?

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I went through your post. You have a cough from two weeks along with expectoration. You have taken antibiotics and antiallergic medicines, but you have not mentioned the name of the antibiotic which you have taken.

I would suggest a few things:

Any person with a cough and expectoration that lasts more than 10 days, despite taking antibiotics should get sputum examination for AFB (acid-fast bacillus) to rule out tuberculosis.

Before deciding to start inhalers, one should do a pulmonary function test which will show if there are any features of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) for which long-term inhalers will be helpful.

A cardiac examination is important to find out any heart-related cause for the same.

If you have had a viral fever, cold, flu, or a sore throat in the recent past, the cough may take about a maximum of four weeks to settle completely.

For the time being, you can continue taking Levocetirizine and Montelukast combination twice daily and do the above investigations. Meanwhile, stop taking antibiotics.

Consult your specialist doctor, discuss with him or her and start taking the medicine with their consent.

Regards.

For more information consult an internal medicine physician online