Just to get this out of the way: Doctors only consider a cough to be chronic if it lasts longer than eight weeks. Eight weeks! I would start looking for the cause after three o’clock at the latest. So go to my family doctor or an ENT doctor. Simply because coughing is so physically demanding. Because it ruins your nights and is so annoying that the urge to cough is always stronger than you are.

There are many possible causes. As a pharmacist, the first thing that comes to mind is of course the drug-induced cough. Some of the most common medications can have this side effect, such as ACE inhibitors and beta blockers, which are used for high blood pressure. Then the cough goes away very quickly if you switch to another medication.

Access to all STERN PLUS content and articles from the print magazine

ad-free

Already registered?