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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Suggest Medication For Persistent Cough And Left-sided Chest Pain

I have had a very persistent cough following a bad cold for the last month. The cough was very severe and sometimes made be choke and/or vomit. It s a productive cough as I have had mucous some from my lungs I think and some from post nasal drip. Now I am having severe pain in my rib cage area - but only on the left side. I can t move without major pain. Every cough brings me almost to tears with the stabbing pain in my rib cage area. I can t carry anything heavy with my left arm as it is too painful. I can t laugh or it s intensely painful. I am oversees and can t really see a doctor. What do these symptoms seem to point to? could I have cracked a rib? If so there isn t really anything to do about it from what I understand. but this is painful. What would be recommended for me to do?
Fri, 3 Feb 2017
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

Cough and cold can sometimes be associated with pleuritis which is inflammation of the pleura.
The pleura refers to a lining around the lungs.

This can cause severe pain. This is a possible cause, if you are able to see a doctor then other causes can be ruled out.

Treatment would involve: (1) using a cough suppressant to decrease irritation of the pleura.
These are over the counter cough/cold meds. Dextromethorphan is a commonly used cough suppressant though some cough meds have codeine

Look for one of these

(2)use an antihistamine/decongestant combination. Though you may not have nasal congestion, it has been found that post nasal drip can be silent and is one of the most common reasons for a persistent cough

eg zyrtec d, claritine d, allegra d, benadryl d

(3)anti inflammatory pain killer such as voltaren, cataflam, ibuprofen, naproxen

If there is no improvement, you should seek medical attention

I hope this helps
I find this answer helpful
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Suggest Medication For Persistent Cough And Left-sided Chest Pain

HI, thanks for using healthcare magic Cough and cold can sometimes be associated with pleuritis which is inflammation of the pleura. The pleura refers to a lining around the lungs. This can cause severe pain. This is a possible cause, if you are able to see a doctor then other causes can be ruled out. Treatment would involve: (1) using a cough suppressant to decrease irritation of the pleura. These are over the counter cough/cold meds. Dextromethorphan is a commonly used cough suppressant though some cough meds have codeine Look for one of these (2)use an antihistamine/decongestant combination. Though you may not have nasal congestion, it has been found that post nasal drip can be silent and is one of the most common reasons for a persistent cough eg zyrtec d, claritine d, allegra d, benadryl d (3)anti inflammatory pain killer such as voltaren, cataflam, ibuprofen, naproxen If there is no improvement, you should seek medical attention I hope this helps