Chesty Cough Medicine

If you have a chesty cough then the best thing to do is get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids.

These will help your body to recover from the cold, flu, or other infection that’s causing your cough, and therefore help to ease the cough itself.

You can also try to make a hot drink with honey and lemon, which may help to soothe your irritated throat.

There are two common types of cough, a dry, tickly cough and a chesty, mucus cough, and they’re pretty easy to tell apart.

If you have a dry cough you won’t produce any mucus or phlegm when you cough.

On the other hand, if you have a chesty cough you’ll bring up phlegm when you have a good coughing session.

Different types of cough need different types of cough medicine, which is why there are so many available.

Children’s cough medicine for chesty coughs is usually only suitable for kids aged 6 and over and is not right for babies.

If your baby or young child has a chesty cough, we’d recommend asking your doctor or pharmacist for advice, as they can recommend suitable treatment and doctors can provide a prescription if needed.

Choosing the right cough medicine can be as irritating as the cough itself.

There are lots of different types to choose from - treatments tailored for tickly and chesty coughs, to medicines designed to be taken at night and during the day.

It’s important to recognise the type of cough that you have - is it dry or chesty? Does it trouble you more at night or during the day?

If you’re struggling to understand the type of cough you have, speak to a pharmacist and they will be able to help you choose a suitable treatment.