The history of benzonatate

WARNING, PICTURES OF MY INFLAMED RED EARS IN THE COMMENTS
I (F23, history of asthma) went to urgent care on Wednesday because I’ve had chest congestion for a week and a half now. Hacking cough, loads of mucus and basically choking on it when i breathe. Tested Neg for COVID. No fever body aches chills or other flu symptoms. The congestion has moved now from my chest to my head, sinuses, and ears.
When I was at the doctors I only had slightly muffled hearing and no pain, but the doctor said my right ear looked red. She said my lungs didn’t sound bad but I was a bit wheezy. I was told to take the following meds: - Sudafed 60mg/4hours - Flonase 24 hour once a day - Claritin 24 hour once a day - Benzonatate 1mg 3x/day for 7 days - Amoxicillin 875mg 2x/day for 10 days - Tylenol as needed - Albuterol inhaler 2x/day
I’ve been taking them all and have been noticing an improvement in my respiratory symptoms after I take them (not constant), but holy hell my ears.
The second I got home from urgent care i started having pain in my left ear. That night I blew my nose and got vertigo so bad I fell over and my ear was blocked for two hours.
My head feels like a balloon and my ears are KILLING me. I can barely hear and it feels like i have earplugs in, so much pressure. The pain woke me up out of my sleep last night. The pain is also radiating down my neck.
She told me if i lost my hearing or had increasing pain to come back, but i don’t know if she’s even going to do anything about it. I’m already on a bunch of meds. Any way I can help the pain and congestion? Should I go see her?

Recently, the love of my life ( male, 77 years old, 6' 2", 218 lbs, never smoker, never drinker, has controlled D2, first degree AV block the doctor isn't concerned about (just had annual cardiologist visit last week), history of tachycardia and afib that is under control, sleep apnea, BP today was 126/75, SpO2 of 95% at today's doctor visit, and very lengthy history of kidney stones; only medications he's on is metformin, 500 mg 3x daily, and propranolol PRN ) has developed some new symptoms. He's very lovingly debating his X-ray results with me, so I bring our discussion to you, doctors of Reddit.
My handsome honey started using a CPAP at the end of December. The pressure had been set remotely at 20, which come to find out was a gross error as the doctor never meant for it to be set that high. If memory serves me correctly, they intended to start him out with a max at about 9 or 10. He used it that high for a couple nights, and would mention to me that his chest and breathing just didn't feel right after that. He'd have spells where he felt like he had to catch his breath. That was when I looked at his machine and noticed how high it was set (I blame myself for not catching it, but he reminds me how on earth were we supposed to catch that, being CPAP newbies...). Even after the doctor changed the pressure settings, he would have spells that he just didn't feel right in his lungs.
About a month after he started the CPAP (February), he caught Covid for the third time (all things considered, third time was a charm...). Thankfully, it was only a mild case with bad cold symptoms. His SpO2 stayed in the usual range for him of 95-98%. He did not use the CPAP while he was sick with the virus, and has not yet begun to use it again.
On March 12, he saw a PA for a dry cough, a tickling in his chest, and occasional mild sensation of needing to catch his breath. He noticed cold air, cold food/drink, and talking a lot would trigger that dry cough. (He's a very active and in-demand public speaker, so the cough is becoming annoying for him.) The PA found he had a mild end expiratory wheeze and they discussed possible bronchospasms. PA diagnosed him with "post-Covid chronic cough", prescribed him benzonatate 100 mg 3x daily PRN, but my babe never took the medication due to concerns for side effects.
On April 1, he visited his PCP for followup for continuing symptoms. PCP told him he was moving good air in all lung fields, but there was some noticeable wheeze mostly in the right upper and lower lung. Diagnosed him with bronchospasm and continued post-Covid chronic cough and gave a prescription for prednisone 10mg. Both PCP and my babe opted against a bronchodilator due to history of tachycardia.
The pharmacist advised he take the prednisone at a half dose due to concerns of sugar spikes and that he gets very, very jittery and "wound tight" on it. Prednisone did seem to help his symptoms some, but yesterday his sugar jumped to over 300 (his blood sugar is normally very controlled), so he stopped taking it altogether.
I talked him into seeing my PCP today, She did find he has "transmitted upper airway sounds (wheezing transmitted from upper airways to right upper lung). No decreased air movement." She ordered an X-ray and spirometry. Her notes: "Spirometry does show some mild restriction but no obstruction. X-ray today does show some chronic interstitial changes. I am going to order a CT scan of the chest to evaluate his lungs. Since he is having some postnasal drip I did recommend he start taking Zyrtec daily to see if it helps. Follow up if symptoms worsen or fail to improve." She told him it's not asthma.
X-ray Findings: "No overt airspace disease or consolidations. Chronic appearing interstitial changes. No pulmonary vascular congestion. No pneumothorax or pleural effusions. Cardiomediastinal silhouette is stable."
X-ray Impression: "Chronic appearing interstitial changes. No definite acute process seen."
My darling, precious, handsome hunk of a man has gone a mild track of "Maybe I have a mass. Maybe I have a very serious problem..." etc. He went down the Google trail for "chronic interstitial changes", which kept coming up with results for "interstitial lung disease" and all the yucky things that come with that.
I told not to read too much into the X-ray, that a CT scan is the next normal step to finding what's going on, if it was a bad disease or something I wouldn't think it would just come on quickly like it has, etc.
He is insisting "chronic interstitial changes" = "interstitial lung disease".
Are those two phrases the same?
What input can you give us on what he may have going on?
Are there any questions that would be good for us to be asking?
Thank you, all, so much for your time!
EDIT: making note that his D2 is controlled.

37F, 130 lbs, 5’5”, non-smoker, social drinker
Regular meds: Lamotrigine (250mg), Vyvanse (40mg), Larin 1/20
Relevant medical history: tonsilectomy in 1990, sepsis in 2008, hospitalized with septic shock in 2009. Otherwise healthy.
Current meds for symptoms: Oral prednisone, QVar, albuterol inhaler, albuterol nebulizer, Benzonatate, Delsym, Benadryl
I started experiencing symptoms of a regular flu-like illness on January 29, and it quickly progressed to a secondary bacterial sinus infection. On Feb 4, I visited urgent care and I was given a 10 day round of amoxicillin, oral prednisone, QVar, albuterol, and zofran. Negative for COVID, flu, strep, and RSV.
On February 14, I had finished my antibiotics and my cough persisted and I noticed that my wheezing had become severe & I had begun experiencing low-grade fevers at night. I went to urgent care again thinking that I might have pneumonia. I became severely short of breath while at urgent care and was sent to the ER. At the ER, I experienced multiple episodes where my oxygen levels would dip to 85% and my heart rate would go up to 180 beats per minute while at rest. I experienced nausea, shortness of breath, and dizziness during the episodes. I was given 2 bags of fluids, potassium, and three albuterol nebulizer breathing treatments. I had a chest Xray, CT with contrast, a CBC, an EKG, cardiac enzyme test, and another round of infection tests. The only abnormal findings were low potassium, an arrhythmia, and elevated neutrophils. I stabilized and was released to go home with another prescription for oral prednisone and more albuterol delivered via a nebulizer. I was instructed to follow up with a cardiologist the next day.
Feb 15 - Visited the cardiologist for another EKG, and nothing abnormal was found. My wheezing and cough were still concerning, and I was referred to a pulmonologist. I have not been yet.
Feb. 16 to now - Coughing and wheezing has not resolved, and I have now developed hives all over my trunk.
I’m a professional vocalist, and this is costing me jobs. I’m miserable, exhausted, and confused. Any insights would be very much appreciated!!!

19f , 5’3” and 135lbs. Going to school in Louisiana. No history of lung issues/Asthma. Occasional smoker, frequent drinker.
Just got back to college from winter break and the flu has been going around like crazy. I got really sick about 10 days ago: slight fever, body aches, badddd cough, congestion. Finally got an appointment with campus health 3 days ago, diagnosed with Flu A and prescribed Oseltamivir phosphate (2 times a day) and benzonatate capsules (3 times a day) for 5 days.
Since then almost all my symptoms have cleared up except I still have this awful cough. It feels like I have an itch/tickle in the very bottom of my lungs that I just can’t scratch. It’s so uncomfortable and I have these coughing fits where I just can’t stop until I almost throw up. At night it is significantly worse and I can feel a wheeze in my chest. Other than this I feel completely functional and I do still have 2 more days of the medication. My mom is worried I have walking pneumonia because of the wheeze and how long it’s been since I got sick. How long do I wait before going to the doctor? The wheeze is basically nonexistent during the day and I know right now a doctor would hear nothing. Plus campus health is a complete shit show and I wouldn’t trust them to diagnose anything if it wasn’t very very obviously wrong.
So do I go see a doctor now? Or can I wait until symptoms get worse? Is there anything I need to watch for to know that it’s definately doctor time? My little brother almost died from pneumonia a few years ago so this is all freaking me out.

Hi, so I have a long history of viral asthma (only triggered when I have a chest cold). I've been very careful since 2020 and this month is the first time I've been sick since then. Since I haven't been sick, I got lax about keeping a rescue inhaler around, plus I switched PCPs (haven't seen a specialist for my asthma in decades).
Fast forward to today, I've had a chest cold for a week and it's now triggered my asthma. I went to Urgent Care yesterday and got a prescription for an Albuterol inhaler and a 9-day course of Prednisone. I was also given some Tessalon Perles (benzonatate).
I know it's only been 1 days of Prednisone, but I'm absolutely miserable! Body-wracking coughs every few minutes, sometimes productive, but mostly dry (with that unnerving seal bark sound - what's that about?). Can't sleep. So worn out. I've never taken benzonatate and am a little scared of it - as a child, I was told never to take a cough suppressant. Has that thinking changed? I also haven't tried an expectorant, but I'm not sure if it would help or hurt. My lungs feel so incredibly tired from coughing already!
I'm also on an immunosuppressant for an unrelated issue (IBD) and am due for an infusion in a few days, and am concerned about lowering my immune system further at this time; my GI is understandably pretty insistent that I not skip the infusion, though. At least I have been recently vaccinated against pneumonia.
Not sure if I'm just venting or looking for advice, but man, asthma SUCKS.
Edit: PCP gave me a prescription for a nebulizer, doxycycline, and dextromethorphan+promethazine. Haven't taken the cough syrup, but I was able to sleep through the night thanks to the neb! Hoping things continue to improve from here. Thanks for the tips and commiseration!

Hi there, I'm 20F and have been not feeling too well. I got what seemed like a sinus infection around 10 days ago (around december 3rd or 4th) and in the past few days developed a horrible cough. I feel like my breath is slightly raspy and my lungs feel almost "full". I've been coughing so hard that I run out of breath and sometimes vomit due to the hacking.
Last night (the morning of the 13th) at around 4 am I was having trouble breathing and had coughed so hard I threw up 4 or 5 times. I had my RA (i'm in college in a dorm) drive me to the ER because everything else was closed. My blood pressure was super high (don't remember the top number but the lower one was 108). They did an EKG, a chest x-ray, and they drew blood. They said my test seemed normal, and sent me home with a diagnosis of "cough" as well as some amoxicillin, prednisone, and benzonatate.
I've been taking all three meds as precribed along with Delsym cough syrup (DXM) but nothing is helping. In desperation I used the WebMD symptom checker (i know i know), and it said it sounded like whooping cough. The timeline of symptoms from the Mayo Clinic website seems to line up with my experience, but I had my last TDaP vaccine in March of 2021 so I don't know how possible it is for me to have whooping cough. My mom thinks I have pneumonia but I'm not sure. I don't have a fever to my knowledge (although they never actually took my temp at the ER). My main symptoms are a runny nose, extreme fatigue, and that horrible horrible cough, as well as chest pain and some trouble breathing.
Any advice? Could it be whooping cough? Are there any OTC meds I could take that won't interact? I'm also on Trazodone, Zoloft, and the pill if that's important. I also have a personal history of unexplained regurgitation and stomach ulcers, although those haven't been bad for a long time. I also don't smoke, vape, drink, or do any recreational drugs.

33 year old male, 5'10", 260 lbs, non-smoker, history of allergy induced asthma as a kid, no known drug allergies.
I've been dealing with a chest cold for about 3 weeks and can't cough up all of the mucus in my lungs. I went to the doctor after the first 3 days and got a chest x-ray. They saw a large mass of fluid on my right lung about the size of a tennis ball and said it was a pneumonia. I was given doxycycline and benzonatate for the cough. I also took Mucinex over the counter to help break it up. 9 days into treatment and I was still having issues.
I went back to the doctor and was prescribed Levaquin and I continued the Mucinex. I'm now down to the last 2 days of Levaquin and I'm still having a hard time getting this phlegm out of my lungs. Can someone please tell me what I need to do? Is there a stronger antibiotic I need to try for this? I would have thought after 2 rounds of drugs, whatever this is would be dead? Please help! I'm tired of sounding like a percolator when I breathe.

Last Wednesday I got exposed to smoke from a light grease fire due to someone else, I have asthma and symptoms of smoke inhalation started right away. First it was light coughing didn’t think much of it, next day I got really congested, tried regular cold and sinus meds, nothing helped so I just kind of powered through it and on Sunday I woke up and struggled breathing without coughing really hard and almost passing out. Went to the hospital, the did blood tests and chest x-rays and said I’m fine and gave me a refill for an inhaler, woke up today (Monday) and immediately went in to the hospital as I could barely breath and was coughing consistently, it calmed down a bit and again hospital said I was fine and prescribed me benzonatate for the cough but it didn’t work and gave me chest pains, I have been trying to rest for the past 4 hours and can barely get 10 min of sleep at a time before waking up and coughing again and now I have a major headache. I don’t know what to do, the doctor said both times I should be over it by now but I’m not but that I’m still fine. Would like some second opinions/ advice. I am miserable, my throat is really itchy, when I cough I almost pass out, I can barely speak with how much I have been coughing and how bad it’s been, I feel like I am quite literally dying (I know I probably am not dying but wow it sure feels like it). A lil back health history, I have asthma nothing to bad though, I have had pneumonia multiple times throughout my life, I’m 21F, I’m overweight, and yes I smoke but rarely have been since Thursday (the day after exposure to the greased fire smoke).

29 year old, FTM at 21w3d. I've been sick for about two weeks. I've had a cough that was just getting progressively worse. I'm a preschool teacher so naturally I get sick sometimes, but I couldn't shake this like I normally do. Also, my son hasn't moved much in the last few days as well which scares me that something was wrong.
Called the OBGYN and they had me drink some water and lay on my side, but he still didn't move much. They then told me at his gestational age, it can be somewhat normal for him to go active and inactive for a bit, but he's been consistently wiggly for a while. They also cancelled my check up which is supposed to be today until I feel better which is depressing.
My husband finally told me enough was enough and to go to the doctor. He took me to urgent care, where they gave me a COVID test (negative), and checked me out. Nothing sinister or underlying was wrong with me according to them. Just a bad Upper Respiratory Infection that might linger because of my lowered immune system. I'm on bedrest to get better and so my son starts moving like his old self again.
They also gave me a script for Benzonatate and told me it was safe but to talk to my OBGYN to be sure. When I looked into it, it's a Category C drug in pregnancy. Per my posting history, I've been pretty medicine shy this whole pregnancy as to not harm the baby.
This is the definition: Category C: Risk cannot be ruled out. There are no satisfactory studies in pregnant women, but animal studies demonstrated a risk to the fetus; potential benefits of the drug may outweigh the risks.
OB said it was okay and to supplement it with spoons of honey to help the immediate discomfort. I took one 8 hour dosage and it did help a bit, but I'm nervous about taking any more. Have any of you guys been scripted this drug or a different Cat C/D drug with healthy babies? That description scares the HELL out of me.
TLDR - Doc scripted me Benzonatate which is potentially risky for a lingering sickness and need advice. Son hasn't moved much while I've been sick and my appt isn't until 11/1 now.

Age: 30 Height: 5'9" / 175cm Sex: M Weight: 150lbs Duration and location of last complaint: 7 days started in Japan on the way back to US. Current meds: Mucinex dm and benzonatate Medical history: most related would be slightly low WBC Non-smoker (but exposed 2nd hand occasionally when going out)
Hi everyone, I'm stumped on how to breathe to sleep with bronchitis. Sure I may get 4-5 hrs a night due to exhaustion but trying to get any additional rest is difficult. It seems mainly to do how I'm breathing. When I'm just laying down and watching a show, I can go a while without triggering a cough, but I guess when I try to close my eyes and breathe more deeply, that's when the coughing starts, preventing any attempts for naps. What's the going on here and anyway to mitigate this?

34 years old Male in USA. I’ve had chronic cough for a while. Several years ago I was diagnosed with exercise induced ashtma and it’s gotten worse and it happens even without exercise. It’s both dry and wet cough but the mucus is cleawhite. I have a history of asthma which has been cleared up for two decades. Former smoker who quit over 10 years ago and I’ve smoked for about five years. Cough tends to get worse when I’m nervous or anxious for interviews or big presentation. Otherwise, I don’t have a history of any mental illness or anxiety.
My primary physician think it’s caused by acid reflux and allergies. I have cat dander, weed and tree pollen allergies confirmed by 50 panel test. I have a big yard but no car. I have two dogs though. I recently lost my voice due to laryngitis and my ENT thinks it’s actually caused by acid reflux based on the shape and texture and location. A follow up appointment a month later showed improvement and my voice came back so the doctor doesn’t seem worried. I’m going to see ENT again in a month. Meanwhile, I went to my gastro who performed endoscopy three years ago for unrelated reasons. Per gastro, there were zero issues and the chance my acid reflux causing a chronic cough that started years ago is slim and they would treat me with omeprazole which I’m already on since I’ve seen ENT. Therefore, gastro doesn’t think it’s caused by acid reflux.
In addition, I’m on Advair, Flonase, and at times I take benzonatate but that doesn’t seem to help much. I also take Zyrtec. I’ve had chest x ray and it was clean. I don’t know what else to do but it’s driving me nuts. Any idea what else might be causing this issue? Could it really be acid reflux contrary to what my gastro say? Is it allergies? Is my asthma back? I feel like the medication I’m on should alleviate acid reflux, allergies, and asthma. Any idea what else might be going on?

28F. 5'6". 150lb. Caucasian. Left sided chest and arm pain +6 days.
Diagnoses: IBD, GERD, EDS, arthritis, autism, anxiety, depression
Current medications: Folic Acid, Loratadine, Mirena, Marijauna, Methotrexate (15mg 1/wk), Pantoprazole, Prednisone (10mg 1/day), Wellbutrin XL (150mg 1/day).
Does not smoke/drink. Uses vape pen for marijuana.
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I started having flu symptoms on 1/9. Got antibiotics (azithromycin) and Flonase from telehealth doc 1/17.
Had a couple anxiety attacks on 1/18 and 1/19. Started feeling left sided chest pain afterwards.
Went to urgent care for chest pains and flu symptoms on 1/19. Got an ECG, found LAE but was told it was normal. Did not test for flu. Sent home with nothing.
Went to new PCP 1/23 after flu symptoms subsided. Was told chest pain was probably lungs due to flu. She found some slight wheezing. She gave me medication to reduce coughing (benzonatate) and an inhaler (albuterol). Neither help.
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I personally do not think this pain is due to my lungs or GERD. It doesn't hurt when I breathe or move. It isn't going away with medication. The pain is dull and comes in waves, seemingly without a trigger. I have not tried to do any sort of cardio physical activity. The dull pain radiates down my left shoulder and into my hand. My chest gets tight and it becomes slightly difficult to breathe.
I do not have any history or family history of heart issues. I have not seen a cardiologist before. I do have an echo scheduled for 2/28 (unrelated, to rule out vEDS). I don't know what to do until then. The pain isn't getting any better. I don't want to go to the hospital either.
Unsure if related, but I have had an increase in broken capillaries (spider veins?) along my ribcage for the past couple months, along with shortness of breath and brain fog. My IBD has gotten worse as well, lots of cramps and general GI issues. I suspect inflammation levels are high. I have an appt with my GI tomorrow. I have been extremely stressed for a couple months now.

[36] [Male] [5'4][150lbs] [White]
Preface:
I'm healthy, eat fairly well and rarely get sick. When i do its like once every few years and is a minor cold that goes away in a few days and sometimes i have to have Nyquil/Dayquil but nothing ever serious. This should set the stage why i put off going to the dr with the below timeline.
10-28:
Scratchy Throat, Sneezing/Blowing Nose, Sinus Pressure that gradually started to go away
11-10:
Took long road trip vacation where i was exposed to cold temperatures for an extended period of time where the above symptoms started to show signs again
11-16:
Had a scheduled medical procedure (Upper and lower GI) to see if anything could be found for longstanding throat clearing and regular diarrhea. I asked ahead of time if there was any issue being a bit under the weather and they said as long as im not consistently coughing id be fine. Nothing was found in the procedure.
11-25:
Symptoms grew to the point beyond what it had previously. The sinus pressure was really getting to me, there was a considerable amount of dark brown phlegm in my throat i kept hacking up, i was sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose constantly.
First visit to Urgent Care: Antibiotics prescribed (Cefdinir) for 10 days since I'm allergic to penicillin and they thought this would be a good alternative.
12-2:
Sinus pressure was gone and most of the nose blowing had subsided however a new symptom had presented itself. My throat become quite painful when swallowing and clearing my throat which was regular with the brown phlegm i had to spit out (carried a spit bucket with me around the house since there was so much.) Even though it was only 7 days into my 10 of taking the antibiotics i felt the need to address this new symptom as id say the pain was about a 6.5/10.
Second Visit to Urgent Care: Nystatin prescribed. They believed that the antibiotics had killed off my good bacteria and caused Thrush to develop in the back of my throat which is why there was pain. They advised to continue to finish the antibiotics and take the Nystatin for 5 days.
12-7:
At this time the hurting throat, brown phlegm and coughing still continued so I decided to go back to urgent care to determine the next steps.
Third Visit to Urgent Care: Benzonatate (for coughing) and Methylprednisolone (Steroid) was prescribed in hopes to take down this beast of a sickness. Also there were tests done for Covid, RSV, Strep, Flue 1 and 2 which all came back negative.
12-14:
Throughout this whole experience I've woken up during the nights to cough because phlegm was filling my throat so had to spit it out and I've taken Dayquil/Nyquil/Ibuprofen/Mucinex DM/ chloraseptic lozenges (Per suggestions of the Dr.) to cut down the Phlegm and pain. Urgent care advised at this point there was nothing they could do and i should proceed with working with my primary Dr. for further diagnosis.
Primary Dr. Visit: I give him all the details above and he says theres not really anything else that can be done or prescribed and I just have to wait it out by drinking a bunch of water and gargling salt water. Throughout this experience I have been drinking tons of water, gargling saltwater sometimes, drinking tea (promotes good bacteria) lots of soup and trying to eat relatively healthy as i regularly do. I wasn't satisfied with his answer, but figured I'd see where it goes.
12-22:
Come to today. Regular routine has been wake up in the middle of the night to cough up brown phlegm and go back to bed (anywhere from 12-3am), wake up at 7am to get up and cough up the brown phlegm i can get out, take my regular vitamins and allergy pill (D/K/Multi B and Zyrtec), take the ibuprofen to stop the growing pain in the throat, take Dayquil to help break up the rest of the brown phlegm i couldn't get out.
Throughout the day there will be minor coughs due to phlegm and ill have to spit the brown phlegm out but pain is relatively non-existent until about 4-5 pm when the phlegm and pain starts creeping up so i take another dose of ibuprofen and Dayquil. Then comes nighttime and to help get me to sleep the best i can sometimes ils have some sleepy time tea, Nyquil and an ibuprofen which helps, but i still find myself waking up during the night to hack up some brown phlegm.
I am at my wits end living off Dayquil/Nyquil/Ibuprofen/chloraseptic lozenges to ease the phlegm and pain. I've come here today in hopes that someone can recommend medication, dietary restrictions or food that will help or anything to rid me of whatever abomination that is in my body. I thank you ahead of time for any advice and or giving me a glimmer of hope to cure me of this beast. As a last effort I have been considering using Sudafed but not sure if that would get me anywhere or not as I'm about to go to purchase my 3rd bottles of Nyquil/Dayquil. Please Help!
12-28 (10pm)
I started feeling a bit hot so I took my temp and it was a bit over 99 degrees. I thought potentially this could have been since i had a big hoodie on so took that off and seemed to cool off. That night I couldnt sleep and for a few hours i felt incredibly cold with weakness and aches. My wife seemed to have been coughing throughout the night too so i feared it was Covid. The wife and i took a rapid test in the morning and both showed positive for Covid. I had worse symptoms though with the added fever she didnt but its probably due to my prolonged weakened immune system. Stayed in bed roughly 2 days strait and gradually seemed to be able to sleep better with each day passing.
1-3
Not sure what is Covid symptoms or what i had before but i still have the phlegm, cough, blowing nose and random throat hurting. Its only hurts on one side towards the back of my throat. When i first got this it was on the left side but now its on the right side.
Medical History Tidbits that may or may not have any relevance:

• Took Pfizer first and second shots for covid but no boosters
• Within the last 5 years ive had nasal cavities drilled, tonsils removed, and a nissenfundoplication to try and address throat clearing.
• Within the last 5 years i was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis
• This year i had shingles

31 year old male, Caucasian, 5-11, 330. History hypertension seasonal allergies. Medication metoprolol 25mg once daily. Started having severe fatigue Saturday followed by nasal congestion and nasal pressure and pressure under eyes Saturday night. Sunday nasal congestion and mild fatigue, sore throat . Sunday night nasal congestion and mild fatigue and slight cough, fever. This morning just nasal congestion and cough. Went to a walk in clinic which said I was negative Covid. But thought I had the flu but did not test for it. I was given prednisone 20mg twice a day for 5 days. Albuterol inhaler, Benzonatate.
Does this sound like flu or seem more of a sinus infection. Should I attempt to get into my primary for a second opinion.

22F, 5 foot 4 inches, 380 pounds. Taking citalopram, bupropion, armodafinil, pramipexole, and a hormonal birth control long term. Short term have been taking gabapentin (for a pinched nerve on my left side), benzonatate and an Albuterol inhaler for a sinus infection/persistent cough.
Recent medical history: on October 8 I started experiencing pain and numbness in my LEFT shoulder and arm. Was initially diagnosed with a muscle spasm on October 13th, prescribed a muscle relaxer. A week later, I was still in pain so visited my GP on October 25th. They diagnosed me with a pinched nerve and prescribed gabapentin and ibuprofen, which did seem to help my pain.
On the evening of October 26 I began to develop a sore throat and some nasal congestion, and by the 28th I was in the midst of a bad cold or mild flu. I visited the doctor on November 4th because I was still congested and had a wicked cough. Was disgnosed with a sinus infection that was on the verge of two ear infections, and was prescribed an antibiotic, the benzonatate, and an Albuterol inhaler.
*Primary complaint:" While my congestion has gotten much better, I've still got a pretty good cough. The last couple days, my right side at my natural waist line has been really sore. It especially hurts when I cough or move wrong.
Today I made lunch (homemade chili) and sat down on my couch to eat. Almost as soon as I did, I coughed and heard a loud pop from my right side along with one of the most painful feelings I've ever experienced. It's a sharp stabbing pain, and now I can't move without being in pretty severe pain. I've got an ice pack on it for the moment and plan to alternate ice and heat. Also took some ibuprofen to help with the pain.
ETA: finally managed to get up and move. Something is popping and clicking in my side as a move and it hurts so fuckin bad.
What the hell happened to me? How urgently should I try to see a doctor?
If it gets to the point that I can't move from the pain then I'll go to urgent care or the emergency room but I'm really trying to avoid that because of the cost (thanks America).

Something that I realized after getting Omicron was how we weren't quite prepared for it. You have to treat it sort of like a disaster (hopefully not as severe). First off, before you start collecting this stuff please talk to your doctor about this, they may advise you not to take certain medications depending on your condition and only your doctor knows your medical history

• Get vaccinated and make sure you're up to date on your vaccines first. Vaccines can still prevent severe disease against all COVID variants. Once again talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated to see whether or not you can get one as some people may have issues dealing with them.

First off, have front-line treatment available for potential symptoms. Omicron will most likely result in a runny nose, annoying cough, headache, body aches, etc

• Paracetemol/Tylenol for headaches and body aches
• NSAIDs like Ibuprofen for body aches/inflammation
• Sudafed or some sort of nasal congestion medicine to control your runny nose
• Nasal rinses like a saline nasal spray or NeilMed to keep your sinuses open
• Some sort of expectorant/guafeisin - the COVID Case management clinic prescribed me Tussin DM (should be available OTC).
• Honey - this stuff actually helps with controlling your cough and the post nasal drip that will accumulate in the back of your throat. The COVID Management clinic recommend mixing 1 tbsp of it with lukewarm water and using it as needed. Don't overdo it since it has a lot of sugar.
• Be prepared to request tessalon perles or Benzonatate from your PCP - these are little easy to swallow gelcaps that numbs your throat and reduces your urge to cough all the time. It's very cheap and is covered by most insurance as a generic.
• Have coconut water (not juice) or Powerade/Gatorade Zero handy. You may end up getting diarrhea as a COVID symptom and this stuff will help you stay hydrated with electrolytes
• Have bottled water ready
• Get yourself a few COVID test kits if possible
• Discuss with other members of the household what you and they will do if they get COVID. Obviously you want to mask up when you're around the house so as not to spread it, especially in tight common areas with poor airflow (bathrooms without an exhaust fan, etc)
• Stock up on dry food/easy to prepare food. That way if you're too sick to make anything you'll be able to at least be able to eat food. I would personally avoid buying extremely heavy movie dinners and stuff, but it's up to you. It might be comforting to eat.
  
• Know where your nearest sites you can go to are for COVID testing and their average turnaround time, both PCR and antigen. This part kinda punched me in the face as I only knew where to go after my family and I started getting symptoms. There's an Urgent Care relatively close by me where I can pay $25 for the UC visit and get a rapid RT-PCR (not antigen) test which is almost as accurate as the standard PCR. I know another site where I can get a rapid antigen test for free and a backup site in case the first two gets crowded.
  
• Also, if you are an office worker, have preparations to work remotely. You should ask your boss or your IT department what your options are for remote work in case you get sick. Sometimes you might be so sick you won't be able to work at all, but if you're asymptomatic or your symptoms clear up quickly and you need to access your workplace during the isolation period, it might be a good idea to be able to know what you need to do.
  
• Have stuff like Uber Eats, Doordash, etc. set up on your tablet/mobile device so you can order things as needed.
  
• If you can't use the above services, make arrangements with a family member to drop stuff off for you as needed.
  
• Be aware of your office's policy around COVID-related leave. Some may have caps on the number of sick days you can take and others may allow you to use your vacation hours.
  
• The day you get tested positive, pay for ALL your bills - you might be too tired to process them and end up neglecting them if you let them go. Or at least be aware of when your autopay days are.
  
• Get yourself a Pulse Oximeter. They're decently affordable but I'd avoid getting bottom of the barrel $10-$15 ones. Go for something in the $30-$40 range. You will need this to check your oxygen levels. Great way to use as "verification" if you're dealing with other symptoms of oxygen issues - i.e. shortness of breath, chest pain, a feeling of an elephant stomping on your chest, etc. According to some posts here you MAY already have some sort of capability already on your smartphone, so double check.
  
• Thermometer, preferably some non-contact or ear. This will let you check your temperature quickly. Oral ones risk spreading it if you're not careful with your hygiene.
  
• Anti-diarrheals, but PLEASE verify this with your doctor. The COVID Management people I spoke with said you may not want to do these because your body may be trying to flush the COVID from your digestive tract.
  
• Chloraseptic spray/lozenges - these help numb your throat. The first few days will result in an awful sore throat and this will help make it easier to deal with. Get these - do NOT get the ricola drops - they don't help at all.
  

Once again, this is just stuff I picked up after getting COVID. Please talk to your doctor about any medications you will use and their interactions with anything you're taking. I am not a doctor, just someone wanting to help others out

First and foremost, thank you for all of your hard work during the pandemic. I use to do patient care and I know it is tough without a pandemic. You are all truly heroes.
I've been sick for 4 weeks now with a URI (and maybe bronchitis?) and am not sure what to really do. My cough doesn't seem to be going away but have been to urgent care and am afraid to go to the hospital cuz I don't want to get covid while I am in this condition. Not to mention the bill. Should I try to be patient and wait this out? Should I try to schedule with an outpatient Pulmonologist?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Relative Medical History:

• 26 Male
• Do not smoke or drink
• Decent shape
• Vaccinated
• No former history of issues with my lungs/heart

Timeline of events:
Day 1-3:

• developed a light fever 99-100
• light cough
• light congestion
• Took an home covid test and it was negative

Day 4-6

• Throat became a literal balloon and could barely swallow
• Fever of 101
• Didn't eat for ~60 hours.
• Took another at home covid test and it was negative
• Did a doctor's appointment on teledoc. After viewing my throat through my phone camera I was diagnosed with strep throat / some sort of URI. Prescribed 500 mg of amoxicilin (3x a day)
• Body aches / fatigue
• SOB

Day 6-8

• Was able to eat but developed a medium cough that really hurt due to my throat being so sore
• Fever was staying between 100-101
• Body aches / fatigue
• SOB

Day 9-12 (finally started feeling better)

• temp was normal
• still had body aches / fatigue but not as bad
• light cough went away
• I was really stupid and stopped taking the amoxicilin when there was still 6 pills left (2 days) because antibiotics suck.

Day 13-15

• Felt fine

Day 16-20

• Cough came back suddenly on day 16 and was severe. I was coughing every time I inhaled. Cough is dry

Day 21-26

• On day 21 I went to an urgent care. They tested me for covid and did a physical exam. Covid test came back negative. Was prescribed 250mg azithromycin (1x day) and 200mg benzonatate for my cough. Finished the antibiotics this time.
• Severe cough was still severe.
• Fatigue
• SOB

Day 27 (today)

• Severe cough is still here.
• My O2 saturation is hovering between 91-93%. (Oxygen saturation is taken by my phone)
• My chest and back ache because I keep coughing.
• I have light shortness of breath. It feels like my lungs have a film on them and there is constant smoke in them.
• Light fatigue

Age mid-30s
Sex M
Height 6' 1"
Weight 210
Medical history: hypothyroidism (treated with synthroid), pollen allergies (treated with xyzal, flonase, and allergy shots by allergist)
Timeline:

• Dec 1 - I develop a harsh cough, sore throat, no fever. Back of throat looks like classic strep presentation. I go to urgent care, I'm tested for COVID (PCR test, negative), tested for strep (positive). Prescribed Cefdinir and Benzonatate (for cough).
• Dec 8 - Coughing has become so harsh and persistent that I haven't slept well for days, I've completely lost my voice. I revisit urgent care, they prescribe Prednisone to reduce the cough reaction/irritation. It helps a lot.
• Dec 15ish - Completed all medication, feeling better. Still have an occasional dry cough, but I can resume my running routine and generally feeling normal.
• Dec 26 - fly to Colorado for a ski trip. Over the next few days, cough increases. By Dec 29, cough has become productive again. No fever.
• Dec 30 - visit urgent care in ski town. Pulse Ox reading is 99, doctor is pleased it isn't altitude sickness. X-rays chest and finds fluid in right lower lobe of lungs. Diagnoses it as bacterial pneumonia, prescribes Doxycycline for antibiotic and OTC 12-hr Mucinex DM to cleathin mucus. Tells me if I feel short of breath or light-headed I need to leave the mountain - but I feel fine and hang out at the condo for a couple days.

I've since returned home from the ski trip, and if anything symptoms are worse. I have a very productive and harsh cough, my breathing feels like I have bubble solution in my right lung, my pulse ox readings have dipped to around 95-96, but I have no fever and besides the coughing feel pretty normal. I've been taking Doxycycline for ~6 days. Should I be feeling better by now? Or do I need to seek another examination?
Edit: I tried to make an appointment with my PCP since I wasn't feeling better, and they required a COVID test. I have COVID! I was able to obtain my X-ray from a week ago. This is it. I have more chest congestion now, still no fever.

God where do I begin with today? Basically when I got to work our system seemed to tell I got there and switched from OK to STORE which means we can't do diddly squat. No looking at history, no reviewing scripts etc. Our Pharmacy Manager still told us we had to help patients. As I'm taking them up, I get a script I try to scan in and it's on a loading loop. I tell her we'll have it ready in an hour and a half and try to get it to save the image. System goes back to OK status and it saves. Next patient comes up for one that's in reviewed status. I go pull it off the belt and put it near the Pharmacy Manager who looks at me like I'm insane and says she can't review anything. It's not letting her. I mention we're back in OK status, but she points out it hasn't fixed anything on her end. I turn the patient away and ask her to call back in an hour and see if we've gotten all our technical errors fixed. As if on cue, none of us can scan or sell scripts. For 30 minutes all we could do was take exact change and staple it to a copy of the leaflet, or give away the free scripts and piling on the leaflets to scan out later. Finally, one by one, they start to work but we've got a line nearly to the other side of the store. Crisis averted, or so we thought, now nothing will run through insurance. Everything keeps timing out and giving us no price. We're telling the patients that we don't know when it'll be back up and to check in about an hour from now and see if we can run their prescription then. Some patients are very mad and yelling about being forced to pay cash or die (That was on a Benzonatate btw) Our billing didn't work 3.5 - 4 hours in total and you would think the world was on fire. Not to mention in the 1.5 - 2 hours left of being open we were packed because now everyone from the past 4 hours was here to collect scripts that weren't even filled yet. All this and I'm wondering why we can't get a system that actually works. This is like the 3rd time this month where we've had problems with connectivity and nothing has been done.

26F, 270lbs, 5'6", white, never smoked, very occasional drinker (approx 1 drink/month), no recreational drug use. Located Oklahoma, USA. History of symptoms for 3 weeks.
History of immunosuppressed status D/T medication prescribed for autoimmune disease (ankylosing spondylitis, seronegative rheumatoid arthritis, ANA and dsDNA positive). Hydroxychloroquine 200mg twice/day, methotrexate 12.5mg 1/week, Humira 40mg/.4mL 1/week. These medications suspended for approx 3 weeks due to illness. Other medications: meloxicam 7.5mg twice/day, Seroquel 400mg/day, escitalopram 10mg/day, Trulicity 1.5mg/.5mL once/week (not diabetic, prescribed for mild insulin resistance and weight loss), Daysee birth control combo pill, levothyroxine .025mg/day, candesartan 4mg/day (for migraine). None of these medications are new, have been taking all of them for at least three months. Fully vaccinated including Pfizer COVID vaccine (no booster) and Pneumovax 23.
Currently do not have a primary care physician due to change in insurance, so have been relying on urgent care.
​
OTC medications/remedies used during course of illness are acetominophen 500mg, naproxen 220mg, chloraseptic spray, cough drops, warm salt water gargles, and warm compresses on throat.
​
Illness started approx three weeks ago with severe sore throat, cough, swollen tonsillar lymph nodes, and low grade fever (between 100.0 and 101.0). Throat appeared red and swollen but no exudate. Urgent care performed rapid test for strep A and COVID, both returned negative. PA suspected strep B, ordered a throat culture and prescribed amoxicillin 875mg twice/day for 10 days. Throat culture returned negative, symptoms subsided before amox. was finished.
​
Symptoms began to return approx 3 days later. Symptoms same as prior. Returned to urgent care, told illness was likely viral. Prescribed benzonatate 200mg for cough PRN. Tested again for strep and COVID, both returned negative. Illness subsided after approx 4 days.
​
Symptoms returned approx 3 days later. Very similar as prior, except that sore throat is more severe and cough is less severe. Sore throat began to ascend into ear pain, largely bilateral but slightly worse on right side. Throat still red and swollen with no exudate. Fever becomes worse at night and subsides over the course of the day. Sore throat is also worse at night. Swallowing is difficult and very painful. Spent ~12 hours one night largely unable to swallow, even resorting to spitting saliva into a cup. Returned to urgent care, prescribed methylprednisolone taper - 25mg on day one, tapering 5mg/day. This course has finished. Throat pain is somewhat better, I can eat soft foods such as soups and scrambled eggs, but not much else. All other symptoms continue. Nighttime fever and chills have begun to get worse again.
​
I'm a little at my wit's end trying to figure out what this could be. I've never had an illness that came and went like this so much. I'm trying to get in to see a new primary care, but until then any advice is very welcome. Thank you in advance for your time and help!

I've got an upper respiratory infection going on. Not COVID, I've been tested. It's been a week.
I've been coughing so hard and so much that it's effecting my quality of life, as I am unable to sleep longer than 30-45 mins at a time before I start choking and coughing for 10-15 minutes non stop. There seems to be a plug of phlegm in my throat that WON'T come up, and WON'T pop for any breakthrough. I also have this phantom hair in throat feeling that starts about midway through each coughing fit.
No matter how hard I cough or what I try (deep coughing for example) I cannot get this past the top of my throat to where I can actually get it up and out. The mucus is just too thick to move.
I am a smoker. Not nearly as much since this started, but strangely enough, it seems when I do have a cigarette, it's the only time I'm not hacking. I am totally aware that smoking isn't helping and probably part of the reason I can't get this up.
I have a history of getting pneumonia every time I get the sniffles, and I have started to feel the rattle in my lungs that is usually a sign for me I'm heading toward pneumonia. My diaphragm hurts from all the coughing, andy lungs hurt/feels like I'm getting pluresy from all the coughing.
Doctors have me on Prednisone, a Z-Pack, and Benzonatate (3/day) for this. Is there anything I can take that can thin the mucus out enough that I can actually express it? Prefer OTC, if it exists, but I am willing to make an appointment to ask a doctor to call in a prescription for something. (It's just the matter of the wait for the appointment, and I'd like to actually sleep sometime soon!)
Any little nudge in a direction of something that can thin this would be wonderful.
38, female. Pack a day smoker. No drugs. Alcohol is social and rare, like once or twice a year. History of pneumonia and ear infection when I get sick. Onset of symptoms, last Saturday, July 31.
Other medical conditions that have nothing to do with this I'm sure, but just to be thorough. PCOS, suspected endometriosis (In process of ruling in/out). Arthritis (suspected RA, but without RA factor showing up in tests I forgot the word for it. Trying to get that ruled In/out). Psychological (Borderline Personality, PTSD, and anxiety disorders).
No other meds other than the ones listed above for this issue. Rare OTC pain med usage (Alive or ibuprofen for the arthritis during horrible flares).
I think that's all the information.
Anything at all to thin the mucus? Hot drinks/steamy showers aren't working.

Hello Everyone,
I'm a 23 year old female. I tested positive for COVID-19 today. I took a rapid test at urgent care. Me and my dad both went in, he actually got a negative result on his test but the doctor presumed it was a false negative. I honestly started to feel symptoms on Tuesday night, I had a cough and a sore and itchy throat. I thought it was the pollen but turns out otherwise. As the days went by I would check my temperature and it was a 98.6 so I believed I was in the clear, I also started to feel better. But unfortunately today on Day 5 everything started to get worse. I had a fever of 102.4, I took some tylenol and it went down but now it's back up. I felt extremely fatigue and tired, I had spoke with a doctor and based on it being my allergies they prescribed be methyl prednisone...however I found out today I should stop that. I was thinking it was the medicine but I just didn't feel right. I began to continue on coughing, I had sinus pressure in my forehead and my chest started to hurt when I exhale a little. That's when I finally decided to go get tested and got the bad news. I've honestly been fine for a year and I can't believe I caught it. I've been out but I've been wearing my masks and washing my hands as directed. The doctor said that me and my dad sounded fine when he checked our lungs and heart and he also said that if it was going to get worse it would be happening right now. I know he made it sound like this is gonna be easy but just the history of how COVID affected a lot of people i'm really scared. I've racked up on vitamins like Vitamin C,D, Elderberry and some Lemon-Ginger Tea, I was also prescribed Benzonatate and I have my rescue inhaler. I feel like my taste and smell are both gone. Any other suggestions on what to do?