I have a cough that produces phlegm, is it better to take a cough suppressant or bring up the phlegm

Answer 1

Bring it up. My primary told me cough is a natural body reaction to pass out the phlegm, better not suppress it.

Answer 2

Coughing is basically the body’s reflex action to clear foreign substances such as dust from your lungs and windpipe. The reflex action works when the body detects that the airway has a foreign substance that should not be present in typical air and is causing internal irritation.

Answer 3

The pharynx will block most of the intrusions, but a small amount will enter the trachea. The mucus secreted by the trachea will adhere to the impurities that have been stolen in and then expel them from the body together, which is actually what we call phlegm. If you have sputum, you must cough up it. It's better to cough it out when the sputum is not too much and the symptoms are not too serious. If sputum is left in, harmful bacteria may stimulate the bronchus and lungs, cause infection and inflammation, make mucus secrete more, and increase the burden of ciliary columnar epithelium, which is not conducive to mucus discharge, but also easier to breed bacteria and aggravate pathological changes. 

Comments

I have been coughing but clear to yellow. Phlegm..For 4 days NOW I just cough & whez, should I go to ER ?

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It is not that urgent to warrant an ER visit. However, if it still does not improve, you need to see a lung doctor. If you develop a fever or the phelgm turns yellowish, you need to see a doctor ASAP

Answer 4

It's way better to bring it up but not at work or in a public place. But you really need antibiotics to treat that cough. Good luck, physicians hate prescribing stuff these days. Tell him you took deoxycycline last time and it worked real well.

Comments

You're super helpful, thank you!