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.

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.

The best treatment for treating a cough is dependent on the type of cough that you have. If you have a dry or tickly cough then the medication that you should use will be different than the one you should use for a chesty or mucus cough. For more information on the best types of cough medicine to use, check out our guide in the link below.

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.