I have had a dry cough with not much coming up and a lot of sinus drainage once I got a steroid shot and cefnir antibiotic.

The blowing my nose every 3 minutes is rough.

My question is the cough is starting to get to me, short of breath too.

Any OTC recommendations?

Who gave you the antibiotic? Was it an urgent care? I feel all these urgent cares love giving everyone a steroid and antibiotic to make you think they're doing something so you keep coming back. Chances are it was unnecessary and this is just a viral illness - Unless you had pus coming out of your nose and tender sinuses.

That being said, a couple options. Sounds like you'd benefit most from a decongestant like Sudafed. Make sure it's the kind you have to get from the pharmacist and not the one you get off the shelf. It's still OTC, but people cook it to make meth, so they store it behind the counter. Get the 60mg or 120mg extended release tabs.

Additionally, Flonase is OTC now and will help, but takes like a week to see an effect.

Afrin will provide more immediate relief, but you're not supposed to use it more than 3 days as you risk developing a dependency and what is known as rebound congestion when you stop.

Can also try a neti pot to loosen up a lot of the thicker mucous and get it out at once rather than having it drip out over hours.

I think Sudafed will be your best bet though, +/- Afrin.

Also, honey works well for cough. Just as good as most OTC and prescription meds.

Add in azelastine nasal (astapro OTC) as well as the other stuff bigtruck mentioned.

oh and if not improving after 3-4 days likely have mycoplasma in your bronchi, that needs azithromycin as cefdinir does not cover it.

This has started on November 7th...started feeling bad.

Monday Nov 10 my doc said take Benadryl and Delsyn cough syrup. The Benadryl had a congestion focus..but nothing was breaking up the rest of that week. Still just a dry cough and a lot of sinus congestion.

I went back to doc on Monday Nov 17 and he gives me a steroid injection and the cefdinir and I start getting mucos out of the nose and some break up in the chest.....but over the course of this week...it has been a lot coming out of my head / sinuses and not much from the chest even though some break up has happened.

I am still dry coughing and blowing my nose with a lot of green / yellow drainage.

If I have an allergy to amoxicilian does that mean I can not take azithromyicin?

I have and do nasal irrigation a lot. I have taken other OTC like mucinex and sinus sprays.

Overall a tired, nasaly, dry cough general malaise. Almost feels like I have to sneeze every 3 minutes and clear out my nasal passages.

I would think you had slight improvement from the steroid more so than the antibiotic. But can't say for sure without seeing you.

Without hearing your lungs, can't say if you actually have something in them. But most of the time people feel they have something in their chest they can't cough up, it's usually just mucous dripping down from their sinuses down their throat.

Post-viral cough can last weeks. Atypical pneumonia can also result in a dry lingering cough for weeks, but not usually associated with sinus and upper respiratory symptoms.

I would favor this to be viral based on your description. Sudafed (pseudoephedrine continaing, not phenylephrine) is pretty solid. But in my experience you need at least 60mg at a time to feel the effect. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) is largely a useless medication since the advent of second generation antihistamines like zyrtec, in my opinion. But unless it had to get pulled from behind the counter, it didn't have pseudoephedrine in it. Would recommend you go get actual Sudafed/pseudoephedrine

Azithromycin is fine to take if you have an amoxicillin allergy. I personally prefer to avoid antibiotics at all costs anytime I am sick, unless I actually think I have a bacterial infection - which I haven't had since I last had strep throat over 20 years ago.

If the pandemic proved anythingbecause all of the aggressive viral testing were doingalmost all cases of runny nose, sore throat, bronchitis, sinus infections, "bad allergies" and most other upper respiratory issues that make you want to go to the doctor are all viral.

We have a viral panel that tests for 30 different viruses and people with the above are all positive for something.

Lots of Rhinovirus and Flu B going around right now.

So I added Sudafed with the pseudoephedrine. Seems to continue to break up a bit I have not had as long an infection with as much mucos as this.

Parainfluenza as well in Aggieland! Not much RSV yet.

Those big viral panels are so worthless though. Naming the virus is fun and all but it doesn't change treatment aside from flu.

So I am going on 22 days of this….virus.

Were you able to get started on the Flonase nasal spray? Not sure if you've used it before, but a lot of people use it incorrectly. Even many doctors that prescribe it use it incorrectly. And like I said, will take a few days to start working.

Here are some videos just in case

I have been using BeeKeepers Natural nasal spray....

I will have to get some FloNase because I am not getting any better.

My chest feels like I have been punched over and over and I get very little up; this morning once I was up for a bit I choked trying to get mucos out of my chest, nasal and throat.

And no fevers or breathlessness with little exertion? If you are having either, worth a chest xray. But given most of the symptoms are in your head and upper respiratory tract, less likely to be a pneumonia. But, can always have both.

I have not had fever....but I do get short of breath.

Gotcha, yeah, I'd say give the flonase and afrin a try and see if that helps.

But if you're getting easily short of breath for 3 weeks, worth someone listening to your lungs and an xray. And just to clarify, since I know some people get mixed up, usually when I say shortness of breath I'm referring to a sensation that you've exerted yourself, and not short of breath because you're congested and having difficulty breathing because of the congestion.

But regardless, if a combo of flonase and afrin don't work in a few days, consider revisiting a physician.

Sounds like you still likely had a viral bronchitis. The viral part is only for 3-5-7 days. The bronchitis part can be cough and chest congestion that lasts weeks.

Anything longer than a week would benefit from a chest xray just to make sure you don't have a component of pneumonia too.

How are you doing?

Still had a lot of coughing and drainage thru the Saturday of Thanksgiving....started taking a Bromfen (sp) cough syrup left over from my sister; I had taken before so I knew it wasn't something I would have a reaction to.

Also started some breathing treatments with Albutorol (sp).

These seemed to help but still not over it all. Went back to Doctor on Monday Dec 1 and he gave me a heavier dose of Bromfen with some other decongestants and stuff in it and orded an chest xray....try to get the xray today.

Forgot to mention they also did a nasal swab test that checks for virtually every condition-they called me back today with results and negative for everything.

I usually catch one cold a year that lasts about a week so I can't really complain. But for 1-2 days of that week, my nose runs so much, and so constantly, that I have to sleep with a Kleenex stuck in my nostrils! It's horrible, and nothing else I've tried seems to work. It's embarrassing to admit on here, but I'm hoping maybe this doesn't happen to just me and someone else has found a solution for this. (No drugs I've tried work on the worst days of my cold, even the ones that work on the other days.)

There's a mild cold going around. It's hitting me a bit right now. Very weak symptoms but still annoying.

My nose always runs when I am out in cold weather. No matter what I take. It's quite annoying. Fortunately it's so thin it's almost like water.

My cheat x ray showed bronchitis. I just keep taking my

Definitely a lot of things going around. I have a slowly creeping sinusitis (buncha green and yellow now).

Last two days as it's gotten real and not just feeling "crummy with weather change"

Before bed:

Hot shower
Nasal rinse (this makes the pressure so much better immediately wow)
Flonase
Ibuprofen
Magnesium

Morning:

Nasal rinse
Flonase
Real Sudafed
Mucinex (just mucus thinning)
Hit the steam room
Ibuprofen

Docs on here not gonna like it but started my "amoxicilliano" we stock up with whenever we go to Mexico as it's def bacterial. (It's the combo kind "Augmentin").

My chest x ray came back with bronchitis.

CAR96 said:

---

My chest x ray came back with bronchitis.

---

Like I said above, likely mycoplasma.

AI clip:

Mycoplasma bronchitis is a respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It's often characterized by a persistent, dry, hacking
cough that can last for weeks or even months, longer than typical viral bronchitis.
Here's a breakdown of its key features:

Causative Agent:
Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a unique bacterium that lacks a cell wall, making it resistant to many common antibiotics that target cell walls (e.g.,
penicillin).
Transmission: Primarily spread through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, making it common in close living quarters like
schools, dorms, and military barracks.
Symptoms:
Persistent dry cough: This is the hallmark symptom, often worse at night.
Sore throat
Headache
Fever
(often low-grade)
Fatigue/malaise
Chest discomfort
Earache (less common)


Diagnosis: Can be challenging as symptoms overlap with other respiratory
infections. Diagnosis often involves a combination of:
Clinical evaluation: Doctor's assessment of symptoms.
Chest X-ray: May show mild infiltrates,
though often normal.
Laboratory tests: Blood tests (antibodies), PCR tests (detecting bacterial DNA/RNA) are more definitive but not always routinely
performed.


Treatment: Antibiotics effective against Mycoplasma are used, typically macrolides (e.g., azithromycin, erythromycin) or tetracyclines
(e.g., doxycycline) or fluoroquinolones. Penicillins and cephalosporins are ineffective.
Complications: While usually mild and self-limiting,
complications can occur, including pneumonia ("walking pneumonia"), asthma exacerbation, reactive airways disease, and, rarely, neurological or
cardiac issues.
Course: The infection can have a gradual onset and a prolonged course, with the cough lingering long after other symptoms improve.

In
essence, Mycoplasma bronchitis is a prolonged, irritating, and often non-severe respiratory infection that requires specific antibiotic treatment due
to the unique nature of the causative bacterium. It's notorious for its persistent cough and can be difficult to differentiate from other forms of
bronchitis without specific testing.

Yes...kid doc...I would say that is correct. No fever...but almost everything else I have experienced.

Could be, but he also had a lot of nasal and sinus congestion, not common with mycoplasma. And the swab he had done, if it's anything like the one we use, also tests for mycoplasma.

Knock on wood, haven't seen a high prevalence of mycoplasma like we did last year. At least not yet

bigtruckguy3500 said:

---

Could be, but he also had a lot of nasal and sinus congestion, not common with mycoplasma. And the swab he had done, if it's anything like the one we use, also tests for mycoplasma.

Knock on wood, haven't seen a high prevalence of mycoplasma like we did last year. At least not yet

---

I see a lot of what I think is mycoplasma in the school age kids every year, usually after a parainfluenza or RSV laryngitis. I don't have the PCR easily available so I have to treat based on exam and course but they get better quickly.

I do teach school and there have been a lot of illness going back to prior to Halloween.

On a side note I had been feeling sinus headaches and pressure for the last couple of hours and got home to do a sinus rinse and a huge 'blood clot' like dark brown mucus came out of one nasal passage-got immediate relief n the sinus headache pain.

Only other time I had such a clot was after my jaw surgery where they cut through my sinus cavity to move my bite back into place & prevent TMJ.

CAR96 said:

---

I do teach school and there have been a lot of illness going back to prior to Halloween.

On a side note I had been feeling sinus headaches and pressure for the last couple of hours and got home to do a sinus rinse and a huge 'blood clot' like dark brown mucus came out of one nasal passage-got immediate relief n the sinus headache pain.

Only other time I had such a clot was after my jaw surgery where they cut through my sinus cavity to move my bite back into place & prevent TMJ.

---

Dark brown mucus makes me think Streptococcus pneumonia, doing a quick AI query to see if my turn of the century med ed is standing up. Looks like it generally is.

Deep brown mucus (sometimes described as dark brown, rusty, or "currant jelly") can be a classic sign of **Streptococcus pneumoniae** (pneumococcal) pneumonia in adults, but it is neither highly sensitive nor completely specific. Here's what the evidence shows:

### Classic Association
- In lobar pneumonia caused by **Streptococcus pneumoniae**, patients often produce **rusty, blood-tinged, or dark brown sputum**. This occurs because of red blood cell leakage into the alveoli and subsequent oxidation of hemoglobin (giving the rusty/brown color).
- This "rusty sputum" is mentioned in virtually every major textbook of medicine (e.g., Harrison's, Cecil Medicine, Mandell's Infectious Diseases) as a classic (though not universal) finding in pneumococcal pneumonia.

### How Common Causes of Dark Brown Mucus/Sputum
| Color/Appearance | Frequent Causes |
|---------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| Dark brown / rusty | Pneumococcal pneumonia, chronic bronchitis flare in heavy smokers |
| Chocolate-brown or black | Old blood (e.g., from prior nosebleed), heavy smoking ("smoker's sputum"), anaerobic lung abscess |
| Bright red or pink frothy | Pulmonary edema (heart failure), acute hemoptysis |
| Green/yellow | Neutrophil-rich infection (Pseudomonas, Haemophilus, etc.) |

### Important Caveats
- Only ~3050% of confirmed pneumococcal pneumonia cases actually have the classic rusty sputum (studies vary).
- Heavy smokers or people with chronic bronchitis frequently have brown sputum even without pneumococcal infection.
- In children and the elderly, pneumococcal pneumonia often presents with white/yellow sputum or no sputum at all.
- Other bacteria (Klebsiella, Legionella, some staphylococcal infections) and even noninfectious causes (pulmonary infarction, cancer) can occasionally produce similar sputum.

### Bottom Line
Deep brown or rusty-colored mucus **raises suspicion** for **Streptococcus pneumoniae** pneumonia in the right clinical context (sudden onset fever, chills, pleuritic chest pain, lobar consolidation on exam/X-ray), but it is **not diagnostic by itself**. Many patients with proven pneumococcal pneumonia do **not** have brown sputum, and many people with brown sputum do **not** have pneumococcal infection.

If someone has fever, cough with dark brown sputum, and feels very ill, they should seek medical evaluation promptly (chest X-ray, possibly blood/stool antigen tests or culture) rather than relying on sputum color alone.

I got sick with the flu early this year and it turned into a viral bronchitis. It lasted almost a month (maybe a bit more) and I was hacking up some of the darkest, brownest gunk ever. I'm was used to sinus infections growing up, and that stuff even caught me off guard. Really hope you feel better soon.