Coughs and Colds

Your most likely diagnosis is acute viral bronchitis. Antibiotic prescriptions are not recommended for acute bronchitis.

You do not have any obvious reason to need a doctor's evaluation for your symptoms. Most bronchitis infections improve within a week, and the cough is usually much improved by the tenth day after symptoms began. If you have a cough that persists for longer than several weeks, it would be a good idea to visit your doctor so that your diagnosis can be confirmed.

If your cough becomes more bothersome so that over-the-counter remedies do not provide you with sufficient comfort, your doctor may recommend a prescription medicine. These medicines include inhalers (such as albuterol), cough syrups that contain a narcotic, or the swallowed anesthetic medicine benzonatate (Tessalon, Tessalon Perles).

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Online Medical Reviewer: McDonald, Thad, MD Date Last Reviewed: 5/4/2006 Date Last Modified: 3/30/2006 Source: from Harvard Health Decision Guides, Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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