Can anyone advise me how to get rid of this cough quickly

Not necessarily, mine has been hanging on for months and months. I think allergies must be aggravating it.

I've had a dry cough - nothing major, just irritating - since I had a cold some weeks back and it's accompanied by mucus in the back of the throat from time to time. I'm sure if it were hot and sunny I'd forget all about it

I found something last year that sounds about right for you all - Boots mucous cough relief. It stops it all pretty much instantly. I think I had better get some more in. It's brilliant for dry tickly coughs when you just know there is something down there that you can't get rid of.

If you have an irritated throat because of perpetual coughing, suck an ice cube (or an ice lolly!). It calms the inflammation in a way that hot drinks don't. BTW, codeine has a very 'binding' effect on the bowels - so be prepared with a laxative!

I hope you are all feeling better ny now.
I've still got my cough.

They must lead us to believe it does though Ana as so many (me included) believed they did help to get rid of the cough; maybe misleading us?

I suppose the old chestnut of the Carbolic Smokeball Company is still 'fresh' in their minds

I agree - and so would Poirot

I don't think any of them actually claim to get rid of a cough, HollyDaze, just to ease the symptoms. They have to be very careful what they say about their products these days.

It's true!

Poirot would be proud of you jinglebellsfrocks

Do not go out in the night air. Or have your windows open at night, or once the damp starts rising. Cold dampness will irritate it further.i

Well well well! I had to go for a blood test today and another woman said to the nurse that she had an awful cough and was going to get some cough medicine later. After the woman had gone, the nurse said 'a fat lot of good that will do her'! I asked why and she said that there is no evidence that cough medicines do anything - I was puzzled. So, I have just googled it and she's correct!

There is no good evidence from research studies that cough medicines work. It is thought that they have little benefit on the cough (or cold) symptoms.

www.patient.co.uk/health/cough-medicines

Web MD admits that: "The NHS says there's not much scientific evidence that cough medicines work … The NHS says there are no shortcuts with coughs caused by viral infections. It just takes time for your body to fight off the infection." Sure, if the syrup contains paracetamol, it might ease your aching head; if there's any antihistamine in there, your streaming nose and eyes might dry up a bit. If you want to soothe your throat, honey and lemon is at least as good – the Guardian's told you that already.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/oct/16/cough-medicine-wont-cure-you

The WebMD link (there are 2 pages on this link) also states that we should be wary about which cough medicines we take as the ingredients may interfere with medications we already take or exacerbate an existing medical condition:

Many experts question the use of cough medicines because clinical trials have not found that cough medicines are any better than a placebo or dummy treatment.

If all that is true, how come big pharma can make the claim that these 'syrups' (as I shall now call them) help to get rid of a cough? Isn't that misleading? Have you seen the price of Benylin!

Thank you for the ideas, I too have a ventolin inhaler which I use regularly, I also have some codeine linctus from some other illness but I will try and I have bought some 'vocalzone' lozenges which have helped in the past for voice strain but do help with laryngitis.

Surprised nobody mentionned inhalations with hot steam + Olbas or similar. It works wonders.

Some drugs for heart can exarcerbate a cough and make it last much much longer (OH had a cough for a long time and his drug had to be changed)- so perhaps ask the doctor.

Horrible things coughs and colds- so hope you all get better soon.

Just don't do what I did a few years ago [as Elegran has pointed out]which was to take a cough medicine for dry coughs along with one for phlegmy coughs. It made me realise how dangerous self medication can be.

I currently have practically no voice and a bloody awful cough courtesy of a virus that Mr P seems to have brought home from Hampshire (thanks darling!) Over the weekend it became the sort that needs 3 hands,

1] to place over the mouth (obviously, manners and standards!)
2] To place on the top of my head because when I cough my head REALLY hurts
3] A hand to hold on to and try to minimise the bloody awful pain from a lower rib on my right side which I think might be from some sort of strain on the ligaments or whatever they are between each rib.

The crossed legs go without saying.

Gaga I could no more suck a Fishermans Friend than fly to the moon, although when (years ago) I kept sheep I had one particular one who was very partial to them.

I have just go rid of a "peffy" cough after 3 weeks and 3 days, following a cold. I find Fishermen's Friends really good to stop the tickle and as I am asthmatic I used my Ventolin Inhaler more too, which helped.

Steam inhalations help and Olbas Oil is good too. I find codeine very constipating so avoid it!

Yes, I think you can. You just have to be sure that you are not suppressing a cough which would be removing phlegm from your lungs and tubes. For that, Benylin for chesty coughs, or similar, would "cut the phlegm"

I meant to add I think you can still buy it at the chemist without a prescription.

Codeine Linctus is an excellent cough suppressant for dry coughs. It stops the urge to cough, I was prescribed it when I got a chest infection after breaking a rib in a car crash, coughing was agony and when the GP prescribed the Codeine Linctus it was like magic No cough from the moment I started taking it , it was such a relief.

That was my first post on my new I-pad Mini.

Elegran they gave me that in muslin, to suck on like a dummy, when I was a baby. No wonder I've got a taste for fat and sugar now.

My mum used to make a hot drink of freshly squeezed lemon juice, fresh ginger and a good spoon of honey; honey and lemons have very good antioxidant and antibacterial qualities and ginger acts as a cough suppressant - it seemed to work quite well as I remember.

I've got this too. A dry tickly cough, have been sucking Strepsils and taking honey and hot lemon which is soothing but the problem still exists. Had it for about a week. i never go to the doctor with coughs and colds as there is little that they can do except suggest the remedies on here.
I'm fed up with it and wish it would go. I hate these fits of uncontrollable coughing. Why have we all suddenly got this? Is it due to the drop in temperature? It has gone much cooler lately.

Codeine gave me very strange hallucinations.