Nothing constantly plagues the whole of humanity like these three ailments: cough, colds, and headache. But nowadays, especially with the pandemic, you may feel anxious when you get cough, but do know that these ailments experienced annually by millions of people can actually be due to common viruses. In this article, you can learn how to identify what type you have (dry cough or cough with phlegm) and what’s the right cough medicine (gamot sa ubo) to take for what you have, as there are many to choose from: mucolytic, antitussives, or expectorants. For most cases, you can solve them by taking over the counter remedies. But to ease your anxiety, it’s important to know the signs when it’s already time to see a doctor.
START WITH SYMPTOMS AND THEIR CAUSES
Colds. Signs that you are experiencing this include runny nose, sore throat, sneezing and coughing. (1) There are times when you can also have post-nasal drip, which is when mucus trickles down the back of your throat, and that may cause itchy throat.
What causes colds? Colds are frequently caused by the common colds virus like rhinoviruses, coronaviruses or influenza (flu) viruses. Viral infections as well as bacterial infection can cause similar symptoms such as sneezing or may progress to coughing and fever -- all of which are ways the immune system tries to rid the body of infectious organisms. (2)
Cough. Cough without phlegm is dry cough, while cough with phlegm is wet cough.
- Dry cough may be preceded by an itchy throat, when you to feel a tickling sensation and is often due to irritation in the throat. (3) It can tickle or itch more persistently or cause sensitive throat. With dry cough, no mucus is expelled that’s why you create a hacking sound when you cough.
- Wet or Phlegmic Cough in contrast, brings up phlegm that helps clear the airways of irritants.(4). Because there’s phlegm, there’s often a wheezing sound when you cough. And when phlegm builds around the lungs, you may start to feel tightness of the chest, as well as difficulty in breathing.
Now, what can cause coughing?
- Cough may come from colds. When your colds worsen, it may trigger throat irritation and you get that ticklish feeling that makes you cough.
- Cough may also be caused by the presence of external irritants (smoke, scents, noxious fumes), environmental factors (cold or dry air and humidity), and certain activities (talking, exercise, eating).
Headaches. There are many kinds of headaches but if you have colds or cough that may be the main cause of your headache. These headaches are caused by the pressure that builds up when mucus clogs up in your sinuses and nasal passages. (5) Even coughing can cause headaches called “cough headaches”. (6) Possibly caused by the strain of coughing, it can feel like there’s a sharp, stabbing, or splitting pain in front of the head and can last from a few seconds to even a couple of hours. (7)
There are also many other causes of acute but short-term headache:
- Stress
- Alcohol hangover, caffeine-withdrawal, hunger
- External substances like secondhand tobacco smoke, strong smells from household chemicals or perfumes, allergens
- Environmental factors like pollution, noise, lighting, and weather changes (8)
- Genetics plays a part too. Some people with a family history of migraine are more susceptible to headaches triggered by any of environmental factors, or even certain kinds of food.
Is it common to get cough, colds and headache all at the same time?
Cough or headache may occur on its own, but chances are, if you experience colds first, they are interrelated. Colds can lead to cough and repeated coughing can cause you to experience headaches. Colds, when it clogs your sinuses and nasal passages, can also cause you to experience headaches.
WHEN TO SEE THE DOCTOR
It is prudent to see a doctor when you check off on any of these criteria:
- If your cough doesn’t go away after 2 weeks
- When your phlegm is not clear to white in color. Other colors may indicate more serious illnesses: brown for pneumonia, black for fungal infection, red for TB or heart failure.
- If you are at least 45 years old and with a history of smoking for decades
- When your cough is accompanied by any of these symptoms: fever, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, sudden weight loss, swelling of lower legs or hands, sudden weight gain, trouble swallowing when eating or drinking, and vomiting.
Your doctor needs to diagnose further if there are other underlying conditions beyond the common cold or flu. If the cause is bacterial, you may need a prescription for medication that can’t be bought over the counter. And given that the pandemic isn’t over yet, it is best as well to rule out COVID for people with cough that’s accompanied by fever.
HOW TO PROPERLY SELF-MEDICATE
There are many options when it comes to medication for cough (gamot sa ubo) and headaches.
For colds, the decongestant Phenylpropanolamine stops colds symptoms and relieves the headache at the same time. Phenylephrine is another kind of medicine that specifically relieves the colds symptoms.
For cough, one can choose from several medicines.
- Mucolytics and expectorants loosen the phlegm especially when it’s causing heaviness in the chest.
- Bronchodilators relax lung muscles to make breathing easier. It’s prescribed by doctors for long-term conditions like asthma. (9)
- Antitussives are cough suppressants. These are clinically proven to reduce the coughing frequency. It can be used to stop persistent cough (dry cough) that may cause sensitive throat, when there’s no phlegm.
For headache, paracetamol is a tried and tested solution even for pregnant women. And for headache due to colds, decongestants work at the cause of the headache and provide relief from the pain.
Since cough, colds & headache can occur at the same time or one after another, why not choose a medicine that relieves from all these?
Tuseran medicines have a multi-stopping formula that combines clinically-proven ingredients that stop cough, colds and accompanying ailments. And there are two types of Tuseran you can choose from. (10)
[Dextromethorphan HBr, PhenylpropanolamineHCl Paracetamol]
Tuseran Forte
Stops cough, colds & headache as it’s formulated with:
- DXM (Detxromethorphan) is a proven cough suppressant that has been shown in clinical researches to reduce cough count. Doctors recommend Dextromethorphan for dry cough.
- PPA (Phenylpropanolamine) stops nasal secretions and prevents clogging of nasal passages. It’s also been proven to be superior to phenylephrine.
- Paracetamol is a tried and tested pain reliever
[Diphenhydramine HCl, PhenylpropanolamineHCl]
Tuseran Night
It has sedative properties that gives a soothing feel that helps you sleep while stopping cough, colds, and itchy throat. Formulated with:
- Diphenhydramine - a cough suppressant & an antihistamine (anti-allergy). Doctors also recommend this cough suppressant for dry cough.
- PPA (Phenylpropanolamine) - stops nasal secretions and prevents clogging of nasal passages. It’s also been proven to be superior to phenylephrine.
- In syrup form, it has a soothing feel (hagod) as it coats your throat
Both [Dextromethorphan HBr, PhenylpropanolamineHCl Paracetamol] Tuseran Forte Capsules and [Diphenhydramine HCl, PhenylpropanolamineHCl] Tuseran Night Syrup work in as fast as 15minutes. And you enjoy relief from dry cough and other symptoms that accompany it for as long as 6 hours.
If symptoms persist, consult your doctor.
SOURCES:
(1) https://www.cdc.gov/features/rhinoviruses/index.html
(2) https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bacterial-and-viral-infections
(3) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324912#COVID-19
(4) https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324912#COVID-19
(5) https://www.healthline.com/health/runny-nose-and-headache
(6) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/primary-cough-headaches/symptoms-causes/syc-20371200
(7) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/primary-cough-headaches/symptoms-causes/syc-20371200
(8) https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/migraines-headaches-basics
(10) All information in this section have been sourced from: https://www.unilab.com.ph/tuseran-forte/faqs and https://www.unilab.com.ph/tuseran-night/faqs
ASC Reference No. U130P070521TS, U0018P072423T
