Coughing at Night - Rock Island,IL

When I asked an allergist about my son being a little breathless when he runs around and it this could be asthma, she said there has to be a night time cough for diagnosis. I would get him a pulmonary function test and allergy tests. My son has the worst allergies right now as there is high mold and he itches his throat all night

When did this start? You say "a while," but how long is that?

When you help him to blow his nose, are you having him blow until it's clear?

ETA: Based upon the information given, I think that his cough is related to congestion from allergies. I'd take him back to the doc to have a look and talk with him about a prescribed once-daily antihistamine that is appropriate for his age. Also, a good vacuum/dust/cleaning, washing all his linens, clean all the ceiling fans, and running the furnace with a brand new 3M filter might help.

Could be allergies.

And a pediatrician once told me that humidifiers can do more harm than good.
Mildew/mold in the filter,water chamber, etc.

You might want to do a thorough dusting and vacuuming if you haven't already. You are doing all the right things. If it persists, I would have him checked for any potential allergies...hope he feels better soon!

My daughter had a persistant cough every winter spring for a few years. I think from about 1.2yrs until about 6 years she would cough at night. It would get better during the summer months but once it got cold and the heat would kick on she would cough. And it was a pretty bad cough. I found that delsym really worked. Just be careful on the dosing. That is my go to cough meds. She is now 8 and I haven't heard her cough at all this winter.

I used to have chronic bronchitis, and the cough was always worse at night and when lying down. Of course, the vicious cycle is that you cough so much you can't sleep, and you can't get stronger if you don't sleep. If this is a deep bronchial cough, the things you are doing like elevating the mattress can help. He should be coughing up phlegm with that sort of cough - if so, he should try to spit it out rather than swallow it if possible. I know it's hard for little kids to manage that!

Humidifiers can make things worse - the moisture can help with symptoms and hold down the dust, but can also contribute to the development of mold, You really have to clean them (and don't use chemicals or bleach - use vinegar). But they can help to keep things moist and lubricated.

I have to question the Benadryl to dry things up. I would think you would want an expectorant to help make that cough more productive if it's deep down. And it kind of undoes what the moisture is doing, right? If he has allergies and post nasal drip, and this is a cough in the throat only (high up) vs. bronchial, it might make sense. But you are finding your son gets relief from being propped up. So I'm confused about what you think this is.

If his throat is sore, the honey is okay but of course you have to really brush his teeth and not let that sugar sit in his mouth. But if it's a sore throat that's caused by allergy or infection or drip, vs. just the result of the bronchial stuff, the honey is probably not needed.

Have you ruled out a sinus infection that's causing post nasal drip? Is his temp normal? Sinus infections don't usually cause a cough, but I'm just checking.

My experience was that bronchial coughs lasted for a long time - weeks at a time. I'd look into a cough suppressant (to reduce the frequency and the spams) and an expectorant to make it more productive at getting the phlegm up and out. I've gotten rid of all that through immune system boosting, but I can tell you I was miserable from not sleeping and from the headache from chronic coughing. And if you're not sleeping either, both you and your son are pretty sleep-deprived and ripe for a new infection.

I guess my best advice is to decide where this cough is, and only treat that, rather than doing so many things that may be working against each other.

How long is "a while"?
My 4 year old had a cold in November, and it took him 3-4 weeks to get over the cough. I took him to the Dr twice, his lungs were always clear and it was a 'wet' sounding cough. I tried some benedryl and claritin, but neither helped and in the end, we just had to wait it out.

Benedril will only help dry things up if the cause of the dripping is an allergy.
You don't want to dry things up.
It makes the mucus thick and hard to clear - it also leads to ear infections.
An expectorant will thin the mucus - try Robitussin.
He's old enough you might be able to rinse his nose out with saline using a neti pot - try it at bath time - it'll be easier than trying to stand at a sink.
You might try limiting him on dairy products for awhile - sometimes that can make mucus worse after having a cold.

I would question if he has a sinus infection. Finally took my son to an allergist several years ago because of his constant cough (and other symptoms) that the Family Practice doc just couldn't seem to take care of. Allergist said that in addition to allergies to a whole bunch of weeds, etc. he had a terrible sinus infection. After a week or so of antibiotics the cough was gone.

Benadryl dries them out a lot. It could be he's wheezing and coughing because his lungs are too dry. Is he having a dry hacking cough or a wet productive one? If it's the dry one stop the Benadryl. If it's juicy and gooey the Benadryl isn't working very well.

My hubby gives our granddaughter Benadryl when she's coughing and I am the one that ends up sitting up with her all night because she coughs and coughs and coughs with her lungs trying to get them moist again.

If your son is wheezing then he may need a nebulizer treatment with Albuterol or Xopenex. They both put moisture and medication into the lungs so the goo will get more runny and they can cough it up very easy.

Try some Allegra instead of Benedryl. That drys up my daughter's PM cough quickly.

Could be winter allergies - try a pediatric allergist. If that the case, the humidifier would be bad....

Does he cough during the day, too? You might want to try an ENT. If there is an adenoid issue, they would see it.

I agree with taking him to a pediatric allergist. My sister had allergy asthma. My mom used to have to walk the floors with her at night time. She ended up have a series of shots to help her. It took several years, but it worked.

I hope that's not it, but you should rule it out.

I had issues with coughing and phlegm, even progressing to the point of bronchitis. My parents thought I maybe had allergies (like to my stuffed animals, etc) and had me tested for all sorts of stuff; nothing. Found out when I was 40 years old that I have an allergy to cow's milk/dairy. All the various issues become worse when you lay down, because the mucus just lies there; you're not standing up or moving, so the body doesn't have a means to expel it. Which is why he coughs.

Does he eat a lot of dairy foods, drink a lot of milk? You can do your own experiment and take those foods out of his diet completely. Give it about 3-4 days--if you notice any changes for the better at all, you are on the right track. Then you might want to keep extending the time frame that you have him off them. If all symptoms cease, then you know to suspect dairy. If he accidentally gets some dairy and has the same experience--then you know. Although you should be aware that the reaction(s) he has could be delayed by 3-4 days. That is, he might not necessarily show any signs or symptoms until 3-4 days after he eats something with dairy in it.

Also, if he is still getting over a cold, you should avoid giving him any dairy products, as they are very mucus forming and hard for the body to digest while it is trying to fight off a cold.