Telltale Signs You Need to See a Doctor for Your Cough
The odds are high you’ve had a cough before in your life, but each time can throw you for a loop. Even though you’ve been through this, it can be hard to know when to see a doctor for a cough and when to just continue to wait and see what happens next.
For the record: It’s common for coughs to last for a while—even for months, according to Fady Youssef, M.D., a board-certified pulmonologist, internist and critical care specialist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. That doesn’t mean you should steer clear of the doctor if your cough is dragging on that long, but it does mean you could be dealing with an annoying cough for a while, even if you don’t have a serious infection.
Meet the experts: Eric Ascher, D.O., family medicine physician at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital; Fady Youssef, M.D., a board-certified pulmonologist, internist and critical care specialist at MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA; Audreesh Banerjee, M.D., director of the Asthma Program at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Medicine; Jairo Barrantes-Perez, M.D., assistant professor of pulmonary medicine at Baylor College of Medicine; John M. Coleman III, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care specialist with the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute
So, what’s the tipping point when you should see a doctor and when should you skip the trip and let it ride a little longer? We tapped five doctors who treat coughs for more.
What causes a cough?
A lot of different things can cause a cough. But coughs are usually broken down into two main categories: acute and chronic.
Acute coughs are ones that come on suddenly, usually due to an illness. “Acute cough is a common condition and typically lasts less than three weeks,” says Audreesh Banerjee, M.D., director of the Asthma Program at the University of Pennsylvania Department of Medicine. There’s also something called a subacute cough, which can last from three to eight weeks, says Jairo Barrantes-Perez, M.D., assistant professor of pulmonary medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
But a chronic cough is a cough that usually lasts longer than eight weeks, Dr. Banerjee says.
These are some of the major causes of an acute cough, according to doctors:
Allergens like pet dander, mold, or pollen
An upper respiratory infection like the common cold, the flu, or COVID-19
Environmental irritants like smoke or dust
A lower respiratory tract infections like bronchitis or pneumonia
A chronic cough can also have a few potential causes. Those include:
Asthma
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Smoking
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Certain medications, like ACE inhibitors
Obstructive sleep apnea
Allergies
Productive vs. nonproductive cough
You can further drill a cough down into a productive or nonproductive cough. “A productive cough is a cough that produces phlegm,” Dr. Youssef says. But a non-productive cough is more dry, says John M. Coleman III, M.D., a pulmonary and critical care specialist with the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute. Meaning, you don’t cough anything up.
When to see a doctor for a cough
There are a few general rules doctors recommend following.
“If your cough is not getting better after a week, it is a good idea to check in with your doctor,” says Eric Ascher, D.O., family medicine physician at Northwell Lenox Hill Hospital. But if your cough seems to be improving—it’s just still there—you’re probably OK to wait a little longer, Dr. Youssef says.
If you have a fever with your cough that doesn’t get better with medication or comes back within a few hours of taking fever-reducing medication, you have shortness of breath, chest pain, body aches, are coughing so hard it forces you to vomit, or you’re coughing up blood, Dr. Ascher says it’s important to contact a doctor no matter how long it’s been.
“Someone who has underlying conditions like heart or lung disease, or a disease that compromises their immune system, should get medical attention for a new cough, and cough accompanied by unintentional weight loss, hoarseness, or neck swelling warrants medical attention,” Dr. Banerjee says.
It's also important to contact a doctor if your cough was getting better and then got worse—this can be a sign of a secondary infection, Dr. Youssef says.
Home remedies for a cough
There are a few different things you can do to try to treat a cough at home, according to doctors.
Use cough drops or lozenges.
Try a warm drink like hot water and lemon or tea.
Stand in a steamy shower to let the humidity help soothe your lungs.
Try to avoid environmental irritants like dust or smoke.
Take an OTC cough medication like guaifenesin or an antitussive medication like dextromethorphan.
Other treatments for a cough
There are other things you can try to help soothe a cough.
Take antihistamines for allergies
Consider a decongestant to tackle postnasal drip
Take antibiotics for a bacterial infection, as recommended by your doctor
Use a prescribed inhaler
Signs your cough is getting better
These are the biggest signs that your cough is getting better according to Dr. Barrantes-Perez:
Mucus starts turning clear
You’re coughing up less mucus
Irritation of the back of your throat and voice changes improve
You no longer have a fever, if you had one at all
You’re breathing more comfortably
You’re coughing less
“Symptoms also may not be as bad at night,” Dr. Coleman says. But if you’ve been dealing with a cough for a while, or if it feels like your cough is getting worse, he says it’s time to see a doctor.
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