I've had a relentless cough for months... help!

So, here’s the situation... I’m 17 and I smoke... back in the day, if I caught a cough, it would last maybe ten days at most, a little bit of smoking, some honey tea, and boom—I was good as new.

Back in August, my sinuses went absolutely haywire, just running non-stop, and then once that finally cleared up... the coughing started, and it just won't quit. It isn't that deep, heavy, wet cough you get from your lungs, either; it’s coming from my throat... it feels like this constant irritation right in my throat, you know? So, it’s clearly not my lungs... and honestly, it doesn't even seem to be the cigarettes themselves, because even when I'm barely smoking, I'm still hacking away. I've tried taking Benadryl, drinking honey, gargling... but the coughing just keeps coming, and coming. For instance, after I eat, I have to cough so violently that I actually feel like I'm going to throw up before things settle down, almost like I’m constantly trying to clear some sort of obstruction in my throat... and then there was last night, where the coughing kept me wide awake all night long.

I have a hunch the whole thing is actually a sinus issue... like, the drainage is just sliding down the back of my throat and triggering the cough, and the tobacco is probably just making everything ten times worse.

Robin Morris2 said:So, here's the deal... I'm 17 and I smoke. In the past, if I got a cough, it would last maybe ten days, I'd cut back on the cigarettes, have some honey and tea, and I'd be good as new...

Back in August, my nose started running like crazy. Once that finally cleared up, the coughing just wouldn't stop. It isn't that deep, wet lung cough either—it's right in my throat. It feels irritated, you know? So it’s not my lungs. I don't even think it's the cigarettes, because I barely smoke and I'm still hacking away. I've tried taking Benadryl, honey, gargling... nothing works. I'm always coughing. For example, after I eat, I have to cough so hard I feel like I'm going to throw up before I finally settle down, like I just need to clear my throat one more time... and last night, the coughing kept me wide awake all night...

I honestly think it's a sinus issue. Like, the drainage is hitting my throat and triggering the cough, and smoking just makes everything worse.

First thing, go see a doctor. Not sure why you haven't gone yet.
I dealt with a cough like that for months and it ended up being asthma.
The symptoms were pretty much the same until I basically couldn't breathe anymore.

I ended up heading over there, and they handed me some serious heavy-duty pills, so everything finally settled back down to normal

Why don't you just go get your nose and throat swabbed, then take some targeted therapy if you actually have a beast of an infection?

And those horse pills are probably weak as hell, handed out by the handful without any real precision. 🙄

They weren't just weak... there was something much more intense about it, though I can't quite wrap my head around the specifics right now... then again, I've dealt with an incredibly sensitive and reactive throat since I was a kid, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at all...

Look, my advice? Just wait about two weeks, then go get a nasopharyngeal swab or a throat and nose test. Don't bother doing it any sooner than that. Since you've already been on antibiotics, you run the risk of getting a false negative.

Robin Morris2 said:Look, I'm 17 and I smoke... back in the day if I started coughing it would last maybe ten days, I barely smoked then, just some honey and tea and I was good as new...

Back in August my nose started running like crazy, and ever since it finally cleared up, I haven't stopped coughing. It’s not that deep, wet lung cough either—it’s coming from my throat, like there's this constant irritation right there, you know? So it's definitely not my lungs... and it can't be the cigarettes because I don't even smoke much and I'm still hacking away. I've tried Benadryl, honey, gargling, but the coughing just won't quit. Like, after I eat, I have to cough so hard I feel like I'm gonna throw up before I finally settle down, almost like I'm constantly trying to clear my throat... and last night, the coughing kept me wide awake all night...

I honestly think it's my sinuses... like the drainage is just sliding down my throat and triggering the cough, and smoking is probably just making the whole mess worse.

I really hope it isn't bronchitis.

Go get checked out by an ENT; I'm pretty sure melloworca6 already gave you some solid advice on which tests you need.