Suggest Treatment For Upper Respiratory Infection And Coughs

Posted on Thu, 2 Mar 2017

Question: I'm just curious as I was prescribed Benzoyt for 3 days last week for an upper respiratory infection. At this point my coughing frequency is much, much less, about once every 20-30 minutes on average I would say. I also do not appear to be hacking out yellow phlegm anymore; however I do have a significant amount of thick mucus still; which makes my cough sound watery sometimes. I also feel like there is mucus running from my left nostril into my throat; as for my throat itself it feels like there is a bunch of mucus down there and I'm constantly trying to clear my throat. My phlegm appears to be thick and translucent. Is this normal following the upper respiratory infection symptoms I had before?

Answered by Dr. Shashi Dangwal (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
It could be due to hypersensitive respiratory tract or allergy.

Detailed Answer:
Hello XXXX,

How are you feeling compared to the previous occasion ?

The respiratory tract becomes hypersensitive after a bout of infection. This may result in persistent cough, excessive mucus secretions and even breathlessness.

In your case , you could even be having allergy because in your medical history you have mentioned about being allergic to penicillin. This allergy could also be the reason for continuing mucus secretion and mucus running from nostril into the throat. This is called post nasal drip and is common in people having allergy.

You may try taking an anti allergic like Monteleukast Levocetirizine combination once daily for sometime (you may need prescription from your local physician for this). Steam inhalation twice to thrice daily may also help.

If symptoms persist despite this, then I'd suggest you to consult a Pulmonologist or an ENT specialist for a detailed clinical examination.

Take care.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee

Follow up: Dr. Shashi Dangwal (22 minutes later)

Compared to the last 3 weeks overall I feel better, no sinus pain, no sore throat, no non-stop coughing, no waking up in the middle of the night coughing, no yellow mucus in nose/throat.

I have been in this area several times over the last 3 years, but never this time of year; and there is a lot of dust and wind this part of the year here. I had my air conditioner cleaned as well just in case.

Answered by Dr. Shashi Dangwal (8 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
You may still take a tablet of monteleukast levocetrzine daily.

Detailed Answer:
Good to hear that you are feeling better. I'm sure very soon you will be fine. However as mentioned above, I still feel that a tablet of Monteleukast levocetrzine daily will help as there seem to be dust and wind where you are staying.

Hope this answers your query. Feel free to come back if you have any more queries.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee