Please stop my cough!

Oh man, I have been here. (You're planning on finishing your Z-Pak, right? OK, good. Now that that's out of the way...) Here are a few at-home-remedy things that I find soothing when I'm coughing uncontrollably: -Hot milk and honey. Microwave a mug of milk (watch it, though, since dairy will boil over) until it's very warm but not too hot, then stir in a tablespoon of honey. Sip. For me, this is the most effective. -Honey, straight up, by the teaspoonful. Swallow and let it coat your throat. Works for a little while. -Do you have a gas stove? Take a slice of lemon and roast it over the flame for a bit until it browns. Put a tiny bit of honey on it. Make sure it's not so hot that it'll burn you, then pop it in your mouth and suck on it. -Apple cider vinegar. With ice. Sip it slowly. (It's gross, but it's soothing and breaks up the mucusy throat crap. -As for an OTC product, those Sucrets numbing lozenges are pretty great, but only work for as long as they're actually in your mouth. And it makes your tongue feel weird. -You can also, instead of taking showers, just pour yourself a mug of boiling water. Hang your face over it, drape a towel over your head, and breathe. Hope you feel better soon!

Can you call your doc again and/or make an appointment to go in again tomorrow morning? Or go to a different doc? Because "coughing till I throw up" certainly seems worthy of the strong stuff.

I'm a pharmacist. In some states (including http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/32/title32sec13722.html, apparently) you can buy a small amount of codeine OTC, but it is a hassle. Search for "exempted codeine products" plus your state name to find info. It's at the pharmacist's discretion, the codeine is kept behind the counter, and you have to be an adult, sign a log book and show ID. Just because state laws say it's legal doesn't mean every pharmacy does it. Some big chains may have corporate policies prohibiting it. As a pharmacist I'd be most comfortable selling this to somebody who was a regular customer that I knew. But even if you don't have a regular pharmacist, you could ask. I would call or go in person and ask to talk to the pharmacist -- not the pharmacy technician, who may be the person who answers the phone. Explain to the pharmacist that you have this wicked cough, are being treated with antibiotics, but can't get to your doctor for a codeine Rx for a couple days. Ask if you can get a small amount of codeine from them. The limit is something like 4 oz of codeine syrup per month. If they aren't allowed to do it by corporate policy or whatever, ask what pharmacies they think may be able to help you. Most pharmacies have a list of other pharmacies' phone #s and know who has what. Personally I would go to a different doctor, because coughing till you throw up is pretty serious and you deserve to get that treated effectively.

And please, for the love of god, don't stop taking your Zithromax. It doesn't work overnight. It's a nice 5-day course because it lingers around and keeps on working. It was prescribed for a reason (whether or not it's indicated cannot be assessed from this end of the internet). There's a lot of work and research that went into the ACCP guidelines.

I'm convinced that Buckley's works because you get better so you don't have to take another dose. It is truly hideous, but effective.

Is your Nyquil the cruddy kind with phenylephrine, or the good "D" kind with pseudoephedrine? In my experience, only the pseudoephedrine formulation does anything. You don't need a prescription for it but you do have to show ID and sign a book at the pharmacist because I guess people use it to make methamphetamine.

I can't believe the thread is this long and no one is saying the obvious. You need LOTS and LOTS of water. If you make it a point to start in the morning with a 32oz glass, and drink it down as fast as practical. A good rule of thumb: you should need to get up to go to the bathroom by the time you are finishing the glass. If you haven't had THREE of these 32oz glasses AT A MINUMUM before lunch, it's not enough. 3 or 4 by lunchtime and you probably don't have to keep up this pattern all day. After you do this for about 3 days you should notice the cough suddenly get a lot looser and you're on your way to kicking it. I don't mean to say guifenisin (sic) and the rest aren't a good idea, by contrast they are a great idea. But if you don't flood your tissues with water you're not going to get anywhere.

Man, I call WTF on your doctor. That sounds codeine-needing to me! (I don't know if there's some sort of registry that keeps track or anything, but is there any chance you can go to urgent care and see a DIFFERENT doctor for just the cough?) Peppermint tea with honey and lemon might help (I see you've used tea, but the peppermint helps). When I was pregnant and had a similar cough, they gave me a lidocaine-benadryl-and-mylanta solution to swallow to numb and soothe my throat (also known as "magic mouthwash" when you don't swallow it). It worked okay, enough so that I could sleep in short bursts, but eventually they gave me codeine anyway. One doctor told me cold vapor (humidifier?), but I didn't get around to trying it. Sudafed makes these pucks called "shower soothers" that you put on the ground in the shower and the hot water dissolves it and it's basically vaporub in the air. Effect lasts somewhat longer than shower on its own. I was also once given an asthma inhaler (don't know what it was specifically, sorry) for a bad bout of bronchitis, and that helped some with the coughing. Although it wired me up so I didn't sleep so well. There's that awkward OTC stuff you spray in the back of your throat -- cepacol? -- that's supposed to numb it up a little. I can't do it (can't spray it back there) but my husband gets some effect from it. If you're not already doing it, get a really firm pillow -- like a solid couch pillow or even a couch cushion if the pillows are too soft -- and crush it against your abdomen every time you feel a cough coming on. It keeps you from convulsing so violently, so your abs and ribs don't ache so much. It's a small thing, but it helps a lot. (Especially if you start with it early in the cough -- at this point you'll have to do it for 24 hours while taking some advil or something to help the muscle pain to get much relief.) You do it a lot with little kids who can't have much medicine while coughing themselves to pieces. This is a serious quality of life issue; there are no alternatives at all that the doctor can offer?

The last time I had bronchitis, the doctor prescribed me an inhaler that asthmatics use. It helped open my airways up so my coughs were more productive. It was a godsend and if I ever come down with bronchitis again, I will ask for it. Also, do you smoke? If so, it will impede your recovery.