Should I Consult A Doctor For Coughing Up Phlegm While Suffering From Cough And Cold?

Posted on Fri, 3 Jan 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 3 Jan 2014 Answered on

Sat, 25 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a cold start about 3 weeks ago. I can't kick the cough. I don't feel bad, and never really did through the whole thing, just can't get rid of this really hard cough. Most of the time nothing comes up, but sometimes it's green and thick crud. Seems to get worse at night. Should I break down and go to the doctor?

Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer: Yes you need to investigate Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. Most probably what you are having is a post nasal discharge. This causes bouts of cough and occurs cause of phlegm hanging in the posterior pharyngeal wall. This should responds to anti histaminics like cetrizine. However the cough of 4 weeks duration should be investigated. A x-ray should be good to identify the causes of cough. Other possible diagnosis is bronchitis or bronchiolitis. You may even consider getting a sputum culture and sensitivity done. This will help in identifying the exact organism and identify the exact antibiotic which will act on it. Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. If not, you may close the discussion and if possible you may rate the answer for me, so that I get a good feedback. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Srikanth Reddy (6 minutes later)

thanks doc. I get to coughing so hard that my chest hurts, but I don't feel like I'm wheezing or anything. I just know that nothing seems to help with the cough.

Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (11 minutes later)

Brief Answer: Its good that there are no wheezes Detailed Answer: Hello Its good that you dont have wheezes and that reduces the possibility of lower respiratory tract infection. Post nasal discharge is still a possibility. You should consider taking cetrizine as many of my patinets have benefitted with this medication when they had such a cough. Also use plenty of lozenges and do steam inhalation frequently. Regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy MD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Srikanth Reddy (2 days later)

I haven't made it to the Dr yet because of work and weather. Now I have neck pain on the left side back of head when I cough. I also have some pain on the left side of my head when I cough. I plan on going to the Dr tomorrow, but wanted to get your opinion.

Answered by Dr. Srikanth Reddy (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Muscular pain Detailed Answer: Hello Due to the repeated cough, there could be muscular pain in the areas that you have described. It is commonly seen among the patients with long term cough. You may take mild pain killers like acetaminophen etc. Regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar