Chronic Cough: Causes, Treatments, and What Really Works

When a cough sticks around for more than eight weeks, it’s not just annoying—it’s a signal. This is what doctors call a chronic cough, a persistent cough lasting eight weeks or longer, often linked to underlying respiratory or systemic conditions. Also known as persistent cough, it’s not something you just need to tough out. It’s your body’s way of saying something’s off. Many people assume it’s just a lingering cold, but if it’s still there after two months, it’s probably tied to something deeper.

A chronic cough, a persistent cough lasting eight weeks or longer, often linked to underlying respiratory or systemic conditions. Also known as persistent cough, it’s not something you just need to tough out. It’s your body’s way of saying something’s off. is often tied to three main culprits: postnasal drip, asthma, and acid reflux. Less common but just as important are infections like pertussis, side effects from blood pressure meds like ACE inhibitors, or long-term lung damage from COPD, a group of lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. Also known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it’s a leading cause of long-term cough in smokers and former smokers. Even asthma, a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways that causes wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, especially at night or early morning. Also known as reactive airway disease, it’s a common but often missed cause of cough in adults who don’t wheeze. can show up as nothing more than a dry cough—no wheezing, no trouble breathing. That’s why so many people get misdiagnosed.

What you take matters. Over-the-counter cough syrups rarely fix the root problem. If your cough is from acid reflux, you need to manage your diet and maybe take a proton pump inhibitor—not a suppressant. If it’s from postnasal drip, an antihistamine or nasal spray might help. If it’s from an ACE inhibitor like lisinopril, switching meds could end it overnight. And if it’s tied to respiratory infection, an infection affecting the lungs, bronchi, or upper airways that can trigger prolonged coughing, especially after viral illness. Also known as lung infection, it’s often the starting point for chronic cough in people with weakened defenses. that didn’t fully clear, you might need targeted treatment, not just rest.

The posts below cover real cases and real solutions—from how certain blood pressure drugs trigger coughing, to why some people with asthma never wheeze but still cough all night, to how antibiotics like lincomycin are used in stubborn bronchitis cases. You’ll find guides on when to question your meds, how to tell if your cough is linked to something more serious, and what lifestyle changes actually make a difference. No fluff. No guesses. Just what works, based on what’s been tried and tested.