Morphine for Cough. Really!
Majid Ali, M.D.
I Am Simply Telling You What The New England Journal of Medicine Is Telling Me.
First, A Few Clinical Pearls
1. Chronic cough is generally defined as cough that persists for more than 8 weeks.
2. It is common and often disabling.
3. As for its cause, I think of the big three:
A. Mold allergy
B. GERD-gastritis complex
C. COPD, Asthma, Bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis
Treatment for Chronic Cough
First, rule out lung tumors in adults.
Second, think of the colon and restore colon flora.
Third, restore stomach flora.its the
Fourth, restore immunity with nondrug therapies.
The New England Journal recommends the following (which is not my choice):
“Limited data from clinical trials support a benefit of low-dose morphine, gabapentin or pregabalin,and speech therapy for patients with cough persisting after other investigations and empirical treatments.” See below for the Journal text.
