Cough

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A cough will usually go away within 3 weeks on its own.

How you can treat a cough yourself

Most coughs go away on their own within 3 weeks. There’s usually no need to see a GP.

You should:

• rest
• drink plenty of fluids
• drink hot lemon with honey (not suitable for babies)

Hot lemon with honey has a similar effect as cough medicines.

A pharmacist can help with a cough

Speak to your pharmacist if you have a cough. They can give you advice or suggest treatments to help you cough less, like cough syrups and lozenges. These won’t get rid of the cough.

Some cough medicines shouldn’t be given to children under 12.

What happens at your appointment

To find out what’s causing your cough your GP might:

• take a sample of any mucus you might be coughing up
• order an X-ray, allergy test, or test to see how well your lungs work
• refer you to hospital to see a specialist, but this is very rare

What causes coughs

Most coughs are caused by cold or flu.

Other causes include:

• smoking
• heartburn (acid reflux)
• allergies – for example, hay fever
• infections like bronchitis
• mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose

A cough is very rarely a sign of something serious like lung cancer.