Chronic cough

[nick45Rick44]

I have Barrett’s and a hiatus hernia. I have a cough which started 3 years ago and varies in frequency. I have had numerous tests and Barrett’s was found. Have been on PPIs since 2018 but still coughing. Have tried everything to no avail. Anyone had anything similar and have ideas? I have no other symptoms but can’t sleep at night without cough sweets. Consequently I get lots of painful ulcers. I get so depressed with it all

[Pte82]

nick45Rick44 take a look at the role of the vagus nerve in the digestive system and it's control of the sphincter muscles especially at the bottom of the esophagus. As noted in this link a thiamine deficiency impacts the vagus nerve's performance. Forms of thiamine such as TTFD, benfotiamine and sulbutiamine offer advantages not found in other forms such as thiamine hydrochloride. Look into each for their pros and cons. Magnesium is needed to convert thiamine into it's active form so supplementing may be necessary as even minimum daily requirements are difficult to reach from foods alone. The second link contains info about B vitamins to favor and those to minimize with Barrett's. The last is about benefits of tocotrienols such as those of tocotrienol from annatto and from red palm oil. IBS is one area to investigate further for tocotrienol benefits from red palm oil. Always consult your health care professional before using any supplement.

eonutrition.co.uk/post/when...

eonutrition.co.uk/post/thia....

mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/7/835...

barrietan.com/why-tocotrien...

[nick45Rick44 in reply to Pte82]

Thank you will try extra Thiamine as I don’t get a lot from my daily diet

[Hidden]

Two things for you to research, Barrett's and the side effects of the PPI you are on. Barrett's can be the precursor to cancer, and I stress, can, it is not a given. It becomes important to have yearly checks on the Barrett's in case it starts to change. As this is all happening in the Esophagus then it is irritating the lining which is the likely cause of the coughing. I found cutting back on anything sugary I was chewing helped to eliminate ulcers but has not stopped them completely, I still get the odd one or two occasionally. I treat them with Vegemite of Marmite, it stings like hell but kills the ulcer reasonably quickly. With bigger ulcers I apply the --mite directly and not by way of a sandwich. I hold it on the ulcer as long as practicable sucking up the pain in the short term for a long term fix . I also find a hot cup of tea held in the mouth over the ulcerated area is like an anesthetic for a short period, that is a mouthful not the cup being held in the mouth! A hot cup of tea before eating allowed me to eat a meal without the stinging with more serious ulcers. I would be checking out what the cough sweet contains in case it is the irritant causing the ulcers. I find a hot cup of tea to be soothing on the throat tending to help my situation.

Some PPI's can cause polyps, the one I use is Omeprazole and does indeed cause polyps among other side effects.

I have found it important to do my own research into my health issues, firstly so I understand the implications, secondly, I check all medication facts sheets for the possible side effects and they all have them whether they cause you a problem or not, and lastly I challenge anything my Dr's utter when I don't see the logic or believe they are correct. With Dr's mitigating health issues this can cause other problems. You are the best advocate for your health you can get, having a vested interest that Dr's today don't. Let's be honest it is a job not a vocation anymore. If you find a Dr who is more than helpful hang on to them, you've got a good one.

[nick45Rick44 in reply to Hidden]

Haven’t heard of marmite for ulcers before. Will give it a go. Thank you

[Hidden in reply to nick45Rick44]

It has a real bite to it but that is short lived and gives relief straight away. Usually lasts around an hour but successive applications seems to "burn" the ulcer away. Tea as hot as you can take has the same effect. I found I could eat without worry or pain after. Were as before it was painful with every mouthful of food. I tend to live on Marmite as it is also a very good food for Diabetes. High in energy food but slow release which stops the sugar hits Diabetics can get with eating.

[Lovemyfamily89]

Hi,

I am the same. I have had this for years. I have been on PPI’s for over ten years, since my gallbladder was removed, but the cough I’ve had longer. I spend a fortune on Benelyn. I can’t stop the coughing at night unless I have it. I have had many gastroscopies but no one seems to know what’s wrong or how to stop it. I have read the replies about thiamine & magnesium but I have supplements with these in anyway, so I’m sure I get enough of them, although my diet is poor since the gallbladder removal. Sorry I cannot give you any advice, I can only tell you that I suffer exactly the same. If you manage to solve the problem, please let me know how, I would love to stop my coughing.

[nick45Rick44 in reply to Lovemyfamily89]

I have had spasmodic relief from omeprazole and Lanzoprazole over the 3 years but any changes (eg I had an injection for shingles )seem to stop it and I am back to square one. At the moment I have switched back to Omeprazole and my cough on day 3 seems a bit better. Unfortunately this cannot be guaranteed. I sympathise with you as your cough has gone on longer. I believe mine started with a virus . Ihave been referred to a cough clinic, could you do the same?

[Lovemyfamily89 in reply to nick45Rick44]

Hi,

I think I might talk to my GP. I’ve never heard of a cough clinic before. I do cough some phlegm up sometimes but there always seems to be more which I cannot cough up. I had omeprazole first & when it stopped working I had esomeprazole ( which didn’t work) then lansoprazole which I think helps but I still have flare ups of intense vice like pain where I cannot eat for days. Eventually it settles. I’ve also had the camera up my nose & down my throat for 24 hours but it didn’t record anything suspicious ( mind you I didn’t eat much, I was supposed to eat as normal but as the lansoprazole had to be stopped weeks before the test, I wasn’t able to eat much). The cough is always worse in the evening, I never eat after 5pm & only have a snack about 4pm. I tend to only eat 2 proper meals a day because of it & I can never go out for a meal in the evening. I’ve also had the barium swallow test but the medics said it didn’t show anything. Please let me know how you get on at the cough clinic. I hope they can help you. 😀

[nick45Rick44 in reply to Lovemyfamily89]

Will do , but I fear it might be a long time till it actually happens.I slept better last night than for months so here’s hoping,.

[Lovemyfamily89]

🤞 I hope better nights continue for you

[nick45Rick44]

Thank you

[Wonderfullifeandmore]

Hi, I also have Barrett’s And find IHave coughing fits for no

Apparent reason, more so at night when lying down, I have several pillows and also water beside me which I find helps. I’m on the waiting list for a scope down my throat for a 3 yearly check.

[nick45Rick44 in reply to Wonderfullifeandmore]

I have now been referred to a cough clinic at Kings in July . Will let you know how it goes.

[doris22]

Hi there. I too in the past have had a terrible cough with silent reflux. What helped me was changing to a H2 Blocker instead of a PPI. These are not so aggressive and easier to be weaned off once your condition improves. They work very well if you have food intolerance issues which in my case was so. Also Gaviscon Advance worked a treat for the COUGH. It some how soothes the oesophagus and if you have any mucas helps that come out too. Some H2s have been taken off the market but you can still get some makes. I recently had a relapse and was given Omeprazole which made me feel very ill over time. I then got to speak to a Gastroenterology specialist and he prescribed an H2 called Nizatidine which has really helped along with gaviscon. There are 2 other makes on tbe market but you have to find the one that's right for you. I had to drop to only one Nizatidine instead of 2 after 2 weeks as I was getting a headache. But seeing as I was much improved anyway it was okay and I just took Gaviscon Advance after my meal. Must be the the Advance type to work best. Hope this helps and all the best.

[nick45Rick44 in reply to doris22]

I have tried so many things and after several months have gone back on Omeprazole which seems to be working again, so fingers crossed. I no longer need sweets at night so ulcers have also gone. Here’s hoping!

[doris22 in reply to nick45Rick44]

Thanks for your reply. Great that you are on the mend. I was on 2x 20mg a day of Omeprazole and was good at first but was on them too long I think and side effects crept in. All the best.