Cough relief? - 1267977

I'm sorry to hear about his cough, which can be a tough symptom to manage. Here's a summary post by one of the experts here on symptom management:

http://cancergrace.org/cancer-treatments/2009/05/09/managing-cough/

I hope it helps.

Good luck.

-Dr. West

Hubby has had significant issues with cough even when his cancer was being controlled. It has greatly affected QOL. We are trying Hyper tonic Saline Solution 7% (nebulised) twice a day along with 1.5 mg of dexamethasone which he takes every 2nd day. He has been able to clear mucous from lungs thereby lessening need to cough and dexamethasone has assisted with lung inflammation. Why more research or attention is not given to this quality of life killer is baffling. It takes your breath away, causes blood vessels to rupture, fatigue, irritability and, yes, even depression.

Dr. West can it be that since 2009 no expert has any more to say on this concerning subject?

I'm sorry to say that there haven't really been any developments of which I'm aware, though it's not because people are minimizing it. There are many big problems in the world that are easy to identify but hard to solve. The fact that it typically takes hundreds of millions to a billion dollars to develop a new drug probably makes it hard to motivate companies to focus on an agent that isn't likely to justify a rapid return on investment -- nobody can charge $1000/bottle for cough medicine, even if it's better than what's already out there.

I actually don't think the economics is the primary barrier. A bad cough is simply very difficult to treat other than by treating the underlying problem effectively. The biggest improvements since 2009 have been in the treatments against the cancer -- if that shrinks, the cough usually improves.

-Dr. West

Thank you for your comments and condor.