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Posted 11/3/2015 2:50 PM (GMT 0)
I have been in remission since May, but since July I have developed a chronic cough. I thought it was related to seasonal allergies and tried all sorts of OTC meds and nothing helped. I've been to my PCP twice and first received script for a steroid nasal spray (Nasonex). I used it for a month but it didn't help. The 2nd visit he prescribed Xyzal (antihistamine). He also sent me for a chest x-ray just as a precaution since I've had the cough for so long even though the cough isn't in my chest (x-ray was clear). I've been on it almost a month and no relief. I have an appt on Friday with a ENT.

I am at my wits end with this. It's a dry hacking cough for the most part -- very little mucus is coughed up. It's like a constant itch at the base of my throat and coughing is the only way I can scratch it. Cough drops (Riccola) and cough med (Robitussin DM) ease the cough a little so I am not hacking constantly. Last week he wanted me to do a week on pred and I said no, but on Sunday I got tendinitis in my foot and wasn't able to walk so I started taking pred and am doing my own taper (3 days on 20 mg, 3 days on 10 mg). Tendinitis pain is nearly gone but no change in the cough.

My question -- could this is any way be related to UC? I have had allergies forever and they have never caused a cough like this. It's a hard sustained cough where everyone here at work can hear me the whole way down the hall. I really need to figure out what is going one soon.
Posted 11/3/2015 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
It may be related to UC in that UC affects your entire immune system. Since my UC diagnosis, I get common colds for weeks and weeks (I'm a little scared of this now that I'm on Imuran). After you've been coughing or sick for a long time, you can actually develop something like acute asthma. I've been on a steroid inhaler a few times after particularly stubborn bouts of illness. It might be worthwhile to ask for the inhaler rather than an oral steroid. You wouldn't have to deal with all of the crazy side effects of oral pred.

Also, comb through the side effects of all of your medications. Many meds for various conditions list chronic cough as a side effect.
Posted 11/3/2015 5:05 PM (GMT 0)
I am planning to ask about the meds I am on. I know the BP med can cause coughing, but I have been on it for 25 years without a problem so it's weird that it would do that now. I feel perfectly fine except am starting to get worn out by this darn cough!

Hopefully the ENT might have some solutions.
Posted 11/3/2015 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hope the ENT will do the scope through your nose that gives a visual to the larynx (and maybe beyond? see if there's anything obvious.

Are you coughing throughout the night?
q
Posted 11/3/2015 7:52 PM (GMT 0)
Only this past week I have started to wake up during the night coughing, before that no.

I expect that the ENT will do that scope thing (really not looking forward to that!). I do have some sinus drainage which is why both my PCP & myself have been thinking allergies -- they were really bad in this area for a lot of people this summer. But since nothing seems to be working I have no idea what is causing this.

I used Dr Google and came up with a possibility of acid reflux. Even though most of the coughing is during the day (which isn't common with acid reflux from what I read) I did try using Zantac for a few days but didn't see even the slightest bit of difference so I stopped taking it. I don't think I have acid reflux but I understand it can be "silent" and not really create stomach problems.
Posted 11/3/2015 8:59 PM (GMT 0)
Something similar here. I recently got a cough from a cold. The cold went away but the cough is still here after a month. Just won't go away. No cough meds help. Can't take and cough drops cause I'm on SCD. i.e. when I tried taking one it did cause me problems. Really sucks.
Posted 11/3/2015 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
I had a bad cough a couple of years ago nothing helped, inhalers, prednisone, nasal spray then I had 2 cortisone shots in my butt hurt pretty bad but took care of the cough. I generally wouldn't go for the shots but I was at wits end the cough was going on for too long day and night. Worth a try.
Posted 11/4/2015 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
I looked up Capozide and realized it's another name for Captopril. I took that for a decade and my cough started 9 years in. If I had to guess, that's probably it.
Posted 11/4/2015 1:00 AM (GMT 0)
That's interesting, L Rachel. Was your cough similar to what I have described? What did you do about your cough?
Posted 11/4/2015 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Yeah, it sounds similar to what you described. It was a dry hacking cough that was significantly worse at night or when I was lying down. I never got relief until I stopped taking Captopril.
I had hypertension due to a dysfunctional kidney which eventually got so infected that it had to come out. Later, I was later diagnosed with a genetic disease that causes me to develop tumors that secrete adrenaline, which contributed to the hypertension. Once the tumors and bum kidney were gone, I was able to stop taking hypertension meds and the cough went away.

Since I don't take meds any more, I don't know what your options are, but I'm pretty sure there's a larger variety of hypertension medications available than UC meds. You may be able to experiment with switching to see if that helps. From what I remember, my cough stopped within a few weeks of stopping Captopril.
Posted 11/4/2015 4:58 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks! I sent an email to my PCP about this. I had read about ACE inhibitors causing cough but didn't think too much about it since I have been on that med for so long without any problems. My cough isn't worse when lying down though -- seems worse during the day. I just have to find out the problem and get it fixed. This has been going on for 4 months now!

Sorry to hear about your problems but glad you were able to get it taken care of. I believe my hypertension is genetic -- both parents and some siblings all have it.
Posted 11/4/2015 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
My husband has that and it is a combination of reflux and "reactive airway disease" from seasonal allergies. It is a useless, chronic, tickle cough and it is so annoying for everyone. His went away after treating with a PPI for 6 weeks and allergy meds plus an asthma inhaler. He now gets it if he forgets to take his antihistamine in allergy season but it is nowhere near as bad as it was a few years ago. He ended up getting and upper gi scope after the ENT he saw told him he thought it was more than allergies. Hope you find a solution soon!
Posted 11/6/2015 4:37 PM (GMT 0)
ENT did the scope through the nose and said my sinuses looked great, but that my larynx was swollen & inflamed with some mucus which is a sign of acid reflux. She said it could also just be from coughing so much :(. She put me on a ppi and said if it was reflux the cough should be gone in 6 weeks. I almost cried when she said that. Sure hope it starts easing the cough before that! She said if this doesn't work that the next thing she suggests if to change my blood pressure med. Gotta love these definite diagnosis ... I knew about both if these options from Dr. Google. I have my fingers crossed the ppi she gave me -- omeprazole (sp?) works!

Momto2boys -- did the upper gi scope your husband had done show anything?
Posted 11/6/2015 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
It's a great start.

I had lost my voice because of laryngitis and obvious infection visual via that scope.....antibiotics cleared it up.

The second time it happened (after a cold) and lasted 4 months, the scope showed no infection, but specific inflammation caused by reflux. Zantac helped within a month. I'm still on it.

Hope the ppi helps. Keep us posted.

q
Posted 11/10/2015 4:06 PM (GMT 0)
I guess I really do have acid reflux because the ppi nearly eliminated my cough within 4 days! A minor miracle!! Unfortunately the ppi made me feel really crappy -- very bloated and it felt like my food wasn't digesting and just staying in my stomach with a lot of belching, stomach pains and feeling nauseated. I called my GI yesterday and she said I should try a lower dose of a different ppi that I can get over the counter. I didn't take anything today. I want my stomach to settle down before giving it any more meds.

I might try Zantac again. I had some and tried it for only 3 days and it didn't help with the cough so I stopped taking it. I had used it when I got heartburn when I was on azathioprine and it helped. After I stopped the aza the heartburn went away so I stopped taking it.

I'll probably have to play around to find the best thing to take. For now I am so happy that the cough is gone!!
Posted 11/10/2015 6:06 PM (GMT 0)
At least you know wbat it is. Interestingly...i didn't feel good on omeprazol. Pariet was good....but Zantac works and is a great price at costco. What dosage did you take..150 or 75 mg?

q
Posted 11/11/2015 1:23 AM (GMT 0)
The Zantac was 150mg. I decided to try Nexium. Will start taking it tomorrow because I did take a Zantac this afternoon. My stomach feels pretty much back to normal. I want to keep the acid down just enough to stop the reflux though I never had any symptoms except the cough so it might be hard to know if it works.
Posted 11/11/2015 3:55 AM (GMT 0)
My husband's scope showed the same as yours but his sinuses were also a mess. Strangely his h pylori test was negative, though. He also had the same response to the ppi, I think it was dexalant, so he took an over the counter one. (Generic Prilosec). For him it was gone pretty quickly once he treated both the allergies and the reflux. It worked really quickly for him, too. Glad to hear you are coughing less!
Posted 11/11/2015 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
Having some pain today. Hoping that little adventure with omeprazole didn't stir up the UC. It's not chronic pain and comes & goes so thinking it might be food passing through that wasn't properly digested. I did see pieces of carrot this AM and stool was softer than usual. Fingers crossed tomorrow is back to normal.

I did start taking Nexium this AM -- about an hour after my morning dose of Asacol and right before I ate breakfast. I didn't want to take them together, but I also am wondering if it even matters since a ppi isn't like a regular antacid -- it takes a while to work and doesn't actually lower acid itself -- it acts on the mechanism that creates acid. Anyone know?
Posted 11/11/2015 5:54 PM (GMT 0)
momto boys -- did your hubby have to stay on the ppi or did he stop using it? I don't like the idea of being on a ppi long term.
Posted 11/11/2015 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
He only used the ppi daily for 6 weeks and every other day for 2, he hasn't used it since. However, he has had to take anti-histamines daily to keep the allergies at bay. His ENT thinks the reflux was triggered by the excess mucus from his allergies.
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