NIGHT TIME COUGHING SPELLS

[Wayne Allen]

I wonder if somebody can give me some advice for my 78
year old mother. She seems to be in fine health during
the day. However, at night (often between 2:00 to 5:00 in
the morning) she will wake up and get an uncontrollable
coughing spell. If she takes some Benadryl it will
usually stop within 20-30 minutes. But the Benadryl often
leaves her shaking for a while. She suspects that the
problem is somehow related to a sinus drainage, which is
causing the coughing. But so far no doctor has been able
to pinpoint a cause.

Would appreciate any thoughts or ideas.

Thanks!

Wayne Allen

 

[Anon]

On 2004-03-07 17:59:02 -0500, [email protected] (Wayne Allen) said:

> I wonder if somebody can give me some advice for my 78
> year old mother. She seems to be in fine health during
> the day. However, at night (often between 2:00 to 5:00 in
> the morning) she will wake up and get an uncontrollable
> coughing spell. If she takes some Benadryl it will
> usually stop within 20-30 minutes. But the Benadryl often
> leaves her shaking for a while. She suspects that the
> problem is somehow related to a sinus drainage, which is
> causing the coughing. But so far no doctor has been able
> to pinpoint a cause.

Obviously, I don't have the benefit of knowing your Mom's
complete medical history. The differential diagnosis for
cough is *huge*, especially in a 78 y/o. Sinus drainage is
one possible cause. If she hasn't tried one of the
prescription inhaled corticosteroids (Flonase, etc.), it
might be worth trying. She'd need to see her doctor for
this, of course. There are more serious conditions that can
cause a nighttime cough, of course.