How do you get rid of a really bad cough?

Depends....: Before a cough can be treated, the etiology of the cough needs to be diagnosed. Possible causes of an acute cough include acute bronchitis, bronchospasm or a combination of factors. Possible causes of a chronic cough include bronchospasm from any etiology, gerd, post-nasal drip or a combination of factors. Any of the chronic causes can also be a factor in acute coughs.

Diagnosis: The secret to getting rid of a frustrating cough is to make the correct diagnosis as to what is causing the cough. This problem often requires seeing either an allergist or a pulmonologist. The majority of these problems are a combination of cough varient asthma, chronic post nasal drip and/or gastroesophageal reflux.

Acute or chronic?: Chronic is either from chronic bronchitis from smoking, gastric reflux, cough variant asthma, post nasal drip, etc. Therefore the underlying condition needs to be identified and treated. Acute cough often responds to honey, dextromethorphin , hydration, narcotic based cough preparations, lozenges, and humidity.