Gagging at Night

I just recieved an e-mail the other day saying how vicks vapo rub is being used to relieve cough in many children. What you do is rub it on the bottom of both feet and then put a pair of socks on and go to bed. This is supposed to have worked and I am going to try it on my own children the next time one of them get sick.

My son was doing the same thing last year when he was sick, and my doctor told us it was all of the drainage coming into the back of his throat. The worst nights he was coughing then gagging on it, sometimes to the point of vomiting. My doctor is really against using cold medicines for kids, so they suggested using saline drops in his nose. Ocean brand makes one just for kids (you can get it at any pharmacy) and you squirt a couple of drops into each nostril. It breaks up the mucus so it thins out and drains better, and they can pass it easier. It worked really well for us and I feel it's a safe alternative to having to drug him up with cold medicine.

I have an 8yr. old boy that has this happen once in a while. It is probably allergies if it happens often, from the postnasal drip. Try using a decongestant before he goes to bed to dry him up. Even a preventative nasal spray for allergies- I think there may be one over the counter if you need it right away. Hope this helps!

Have you tried propping him up on several pillows? You can also put something under the top of his mattress to elevate it. Are you running a cool mist vaporizer and keeping the door clossed all the way? Rub mentholatum on his feet as well. Have water there for him to sip on too. When he throws up is it mucus or bile? Has his tonsils been removed? If not are they really large? If they are big they can interfere with his breathing. How long has he had this cough? Is he coughing all day too or just at night? It can turn into bronchitis and then you might have to give him breathing treatments. have you tried breathing strips for the nose? These open up the airway and free up their breathing. I used one last night on my son and he slept well. Good luck and God bless your family with better health.
M.

My five year old has been doing the same thing. She's very congested and it drains down her throat at night, then she wakes up at some point gagging. She often throws up lots of mucous. I finally got in their one night while she was gagging and got the trashcan and told her cough it up in her mouth and spit it out. I kept showing her how to cough it up and growl it up and all that...until she managed to get some out. Every time she started coughing and gagging I would tell her to spit it out. We got through a gagging spell and I told her that the boogies were running down her throat and they were making her vomit. So she had to try to spit them out. Now she goes to the bathroom when she starts coughing and tries to get it out.

It was in the middle of the night and I had to be pretty forceful because she was delirious, upset, and afraid she was going to puke. I had to raise my voice and command her to spit it out. But once we got through all the gagging and spitting she felt so much better and was so glad she didn't puke. We talked about it and then she felt so much better.

So some how you have to teach him to hack it up and spit it out.

My 7 yr old little girl does the same thing. She was diagnosed with asthma a couple of years ago. But it only hits her when she gets a cold. She uses her inhaler but to be honest this is what I do. I put a warm vaporizer with the added menthol it comes with in her room and keep the door shut. She is on antihistamines ( Claritin) and when it has gotten really bad, the only cough medicine that helps her is the Robitussin with codeine. Prescribed by your doctor. You have to push for it because they won't volunteer it. Because if they can't sleep they can't get better. I also use saline nose sprays to clean out her sinuses and moisturize them. A steamy shower before bed also helps some..And A hot cup of tea wit extra honey to soothe the throat...I hope some of these suggestions work...

Its kinda strange to me that the dr said to give him nyquil every night. Maybe get a 2nd opinion. But Triaminic has a sore throat spray I have used many times when my kids have gone through the same thing. Hope this helps. I make I always have this in the house it gives some releif. It numbs there throat so they stop gagging.

Good Luck
Pattie

Insist on a chest x-ray if it has been awhile. Could be pneumonia. That's what happened to my kids in the fall...coughing so hard they were throwing up and exhausted becasue they could not sleep. hOpe he feels better soon.

Hi N.! Our 8 year old went through something similar. The two things that have worked for us in the past with pain in the butt nighttime coughing are putting blankets under the mattress where his head is. They need to be on an angle so that the mucus will go down as opposed to sitting in his chest. The other remedy are the cough strips that you dissolve when you put them on your tongue. I was really surprised but they work quickly and all night. GOOD LUCK!

Try Mucinex. It breaks up all the phlem and he could cough it out before it gets bad when he lays down in bed. Also, a humidifier is good to use in his room. Try Vicks on his feet then put socks on him.

Hello,
I have a 7 year old girl with chronic cough because she was born 6 weeks early and has some slight asthma issues. My DR basically told me the same thing but he said Delsym in place of the Nyquil. My GRANNY advised a spoon full of honey B4 bed and it works My daughter has not coughed at night in over a month... The honey coats the throat and stops the dry scratchy feeling causing the child to feel the need to cough. We also keep a cup of water in her room to sip if she needs a drink. Be cautious of children's Mucinex if a child has asthma you are told not use it my daughter spent 2 days in the hospital after the use of Mucinex she had all the mucus break loose and it tickled her throat and she had a coughing spell and all that "gunk" came up and she needed a breathe and could not take a breathe and she aspitated into her lungs!!!

N.,

It sounds like your son might have asthma. I have several children with asthma and I would suggest taking him to an allergy and asthma specialist to have some tests run.

J.

I would go back to the doctor and say you want to make sure your son doesn't have bronchitis or pneumonia. My daughter's had pneumonia twice (she's 6 now and hasn't had it for a couple years) and vomitted during both bouts with it. The first time she had it, she vomitted once without coughing, but did it again due to the coughing beyond that. She also had a fever of 102 the first time. Until you take him to see the doctor, though, you have to give him light stuff to eat and drink (chicken noodle soup, ginger ale to settle his stomach, crackers, etc). And make sure the water gets pushed, but slowly. But definitely go back to the doctor and tell them you want your son checked for pneumonia and bronchitis. It's best to be safe than sorry. Good luck! This is hard!

It might be caused by mucus - it bothers my 11 yr old sometimes - there is a mucinex product for kids that seems to help my son

homeopathic cough syrup works WONDERS for us. Chestal by Boiron is available at Whole Foods or Fruitful Yield or other natural food stores. You can order it online, too.

Chestal is nothing like the other children's cough syrups and it tastes wonderful.

Homeopathy is natural medicine and has no side effects. To read more on homeopathy, see our homeopathic dr's website: www.dupagehomeopathic.com. She's awesome and if your children have chronic illness, she can help with it (my DS has eczema and food allergies which are treated w/ an homeopathic remedy instead of prescriptions or OTC meds like benadryl and work much better and faster!). she's giving a free seminar on 3/15 in Naperville (the info is on her homepage).

If it is just a cold or virus, try putting vics vabor rub on his feet and then make him wear socks to bed. This might sound funny, but it really works and stops the coughing. Came from a home remedy book. I've tried it on my son and husband and it really works. If it is more than just a cold or virus, I would insist the doctor run tests. You must be your own advocate for your child until you get the results you want. Good luck.

N., I have to agree with the vick's vapo rub and socks on the feet at night(sounds crazy but I did it with my 1yr. old before she was 1 and it worked great, for the cough) also a cool mist humidifier with about 1/2 cup of apple cider vineger or regular if don't have apple cider mixed in with the water(It doesn't smell that great but it stops mold and pollens and bacteria from being put back into the air) and also elevate the head of the bed so gravity can work in helping everything to drain properly. If none of this works I would definatle get a second opinion from a Dr. Good Luck.

My littlest son had a similar problem, but his is caused by allergies. We put a cool mist vaporizer in his room and run it every night and when he is really congested, I rub Vicks on his chest and put on warm pajamas and let it do its work. Another option which we use when he is coughing and having an "attack" is to sit in the bathroom either in or next to the shower and run the shower as hot as it will go and let the hot steam loosen everything up. It is recommended to do this for 20 minutes or so.

Hope this helps. C. - mom of three boys, 11, 11, and 5.

Hi N.,
My daughter used to do this as well. First thing we did was cut out all dairy. Cows milk causes you to produce more mucus. An abundance of mucus makes us cough. We switched to soy milk & now try & only eat cheese made with sheep or goat milk. You can find all kinds of amazing sheep & goat cheese options at Whole Foods & Trader Joes. Other alternatives to cows milk are rice milk, almond milk & goats milk.

hi ugh being sick is not fun! this is going to sound like i am a hippy, tree hugger, i am not really. (not that there is anything wrong with it) just try this. if you put vicks vapo rub on his feet and cover them with socks before bed it really helps a cough. a spoonful of honey is also supp. to work just as well as the kids cough meds. i had my doubts too esp. about the vicks but, that old school stuff works really well. a vaporizer might help thin the mucus too. good luck!

This happens to my 7 year old daughter when she has a cold, as well. I have found that using a humidifier in her room and propping her up to sleep is very helpful. You might need 3 or 4 pillows, to make a comfortable incline for him to lean back on to sleep. If the problem is really severe, let him sleep in a reclining easy chair ( even if it's in the living room ). Just not laying flat seems to help my daughter considerably. Good luck!

Dear N.
When my children have colds, flu, etc.
I remove all dairy: milk, butter, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, etc. These are big at creating mucus. As is soda and heavly laiden sugar items. Orange juice is a mucus maker also.
If you'd like hints for exchanges I'd be happy to share those with you. Blessings, T. momoften

Give your son Robitussin before he goes to bed, they even have a nighttime formula to help him sleep. You can get it over the counter anywhere. This works for my children ALL the time whenever they have bad coughs. Good Luck.

I'de take him to the emergency room and have him checked ou if you don't have faith in your dr. Your son may need a humidifier in his room. In the mean time, keep room temperature liquids in him and have him sleep in a more upright position so the nasal passages can drain without choking him. Good luck mom. I hope it's not bronchitis or anything else.

Hi N., my 5 year old daughter has had upper respritory problems off and on since she was born. (two months premature) Her breathing treatments always seem to help when she gets a cold. Even lessens the use of cold medicines. It might be something to ask you doctor about. Hope your son feels better.

Iam going to put what another poster said...vicks on the feet and then socks on top of them...someone told me to to that as well...my kids and I have been fighting a bad virus for 2 weeks, it is a bad chest cold and no cough meds are working...good luck

Hi,
You could try putting vicks vapor rub on his feet and chest before bed at night. This helps me and my son (he is six).

If he is only coughing at night (most of the time) he could have cough variant asthma. How long has it been? A Normal cold should have cleared up by now. His immune system may be stressed.

You could consider another opinion.

I know of a holisitic chiropractor in Oak Forest that does a good job with nutrition counseling to solve health problems. If you do not know where else to go look him up. Name is Dr. Micheal Gagon.

Good luck

My son, 9, still does this. (Maybe it is a boy thing?) He coughs and coughs until he throws up as well. We put several pillows on his bed, so he is in more of an upright position. A water bottle, with a sports top, is also placed next to his bed. If the coughing increases, we tell him to take a drink to get the tickle out. The combination of the two really does help, thus reducing his exhaustion. Then we all can get some sleep. I send mine so school as long as he gets 8 hours + of sleep. Then he is really tired and he actually sleeps better than if he stayed home. Good Luck, hope he is feeling better very soon.

I agree about the post-nasal drip. My daughter was doing the same thing recently. The doctor gave us the professional samples of Children's Mucinex (which you can get over the counter anywhere now) and told us to run the humidifier and use saline drops for her nose. I got the Little Noses drops. She loves it, and it seems to help. She can use the dropper on her own, too, since it's a combination dropper or spray. What's nice is that it's not medicine, so you can use it as often as necessary. Encourage him to sleep on his side or elevate the mattress if possible. Our doctor recommended that. I shoved 2 spare pillows under the head of her mattress. Hope you find a solution that works!

I had the worst post nasal drip while I was pregnant and I would be up all night (not to mention poor hubby) with my coughing. It was awful. FInally I tried something and it was like a miracle. Buy some Vick's Vapo Rub and rub it on his chest AND THROAT. You just might be amazed, it's simple, cheap and effective! Lemme know if it works...Blessings!

I agree with Jill about it sounds like asthma. I have asthma and my symptoms are similar. Check it out right away (with a different ped) because not being able to breath very well is torture. good luck!

This happens to my son all the time when he has a cold. They used to make Triaminic vapor patches. They worked AWESOME! You would stick it on the front of the child's shirt. They were recalled because a young child got seriously ill when he tried to eat it. I understand the safety issue but these patches really worked. You can still read some of the reviews about them on-line.

Theraflu now makes a vapor patch aimed at adults. It says not to use on children younger than 12. It has the same ingrediants as vicks and the children's vapor patch. I use it on my 6yo. I know that he is not going to put it in his mouth. You could give these a try. I found them at Walgreens but not at Walmart. Also a vaporizer in the room at night seems to help.

Good luck, I've been there.

There was an email that went around not too long ago that said to rub Vicks vapor rub on your child's feet and then put on socks. We tried it with our 6 year old and it really worked and she was finally able to sleep without coughing. Hope it works.

N., I just had that as a result of a virus. Finally went to a pulmonologist. He told me I had set up a reaction in my body and developed acid reflex.

Here is what he told me to do and it worked immediately:
To raise the head of my bed by 4 inches. I went to Home Depot and the main in the lumber department found some scrap wood. He cut the pieces of board for me for free (to my surprise)and nailed to 2" x 4" into the 4" x 4" that the doctor had recommended.

Then I purchased those rubber protectors that you put under table legs (I needed the largest one - you need to measure the width of the legs on your child's bed.

That night I placed one block of wood under each leg at the foot of the bed along with the rubber protectors on top of the wood. Set one leg on each rubber protector (that is sitting on top of the wood block).

WHALA! That night I slept for the 1st time in 4-1/2 weeks without coughing, choking up phlem or vomiting. What a relief with such a simple technique that I never would have thought of.

Good luck, M.
www.super-science-fair-projects.com

Some suggestions that come to mind (one of my children has done this on and off over the years) are to have him sleep sitting up so he can't have the "gunk" go down his throat and gag. Does he have a stuffy nose? Has your doctor checked for allergies? With my son, it was allergies and when he would have a flair up, allergy medication is what worked. You may want to try an OTC allergy medication to see if that works. Making sure that he is cleared out before going to bed (blowing the nose, hot shower to clear the chest, etc.)is also very important. Good luck! Hope he gets some sound sleep soon!

Hello N.,

Sounds like your son has an overload of mucus in his system. There are natural remedies that you can do to relieve him of the congestion. Remove all mucus forming foods like sugars, dairy(especially cheese),and even bananas. Let him drink lemon warm water in the morning. Also what would be a tremendous help is to decrease his food intake to very small servings and to give him an enema.

I just dealt with this last week with my own son. Much encouragement!!!

I have found that Delsym cough medicine works much better than Nyquil. It is the only medicine that helps my sons cough. Also have you tried a warm mist humidifier and placing a second pillow or blanket under his head?

My mom and I both get pretty bad allergies. We found that lying flat at night forces all the stuff to drain down your throat, that could be why he's coughing and ends up throwing up. What we do is prop ourselves up in bed. We take a number of pillows and make a slow incline. This way our head is higher then our lungs. The stuff still drains, but down the back of the throat and doesn't cause nearly as much coughing. It may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but when your able to sleep you get used to it. Hope this helps.

Hi N., I have used the childrens nyquil - took some myself just last night - works like a charm for me and my kids. the medicines are a combination of suppressant and expectorant. it should help thin out the mucous so that he can manage it better without gagging. i have had episodes where i dry heave from the ball of post nasal drip in my throat... poor kid... i hope he feels better.

p.s. - i think mucinex has the same active ingredients, but says it lasts longer (12 hours) compared to 4.

EDIT: I have heard this from numerous sources, many of them nurses, who have done this and it has worked. it's worth a shot, and I'd really be curious to see if it works for you, but the Vicks Vapor rub on the feet seems to be a sweeping trend - rub it on the soles of their feet, put socks on them and it's supposed to stop the coughing. your son's cough sounds like it would be the ultimate test for such a remedy. Can't hurt right? - here's an article on it http://ezinearticles.com/?Vicks-Vapor-Rub-On-Your-Childs-...

personally, I would rather try the 4 hour stuff first... because if it doesnt do the trick, you dont have to wait so long to try something else...

Have you tried avoiding dairy or anything that increase the mucos? Elevating the head of the bed? Using a cool mist vaporizer? Good luck and God Bless!

im a mother of 19 years, and yes ive been thru every ailment. my mother believed in old remedies. i would call her with every sniffle, cough, weeze, and yet my mother always knew the answer. no matter what a doctor said, i would try my mothers remedies. i still do to this day and they seem to work. coughing at night sounds dry and your vents could be producing alot of particles in the air that your son cant breathe. humidiier is a plus! also try giving him a tablespoon of pure honey. it taste sweet and they like it. it somehow coats the lungs and is all natural. nyquil is just going to put him out for awhile. it might be his room that needs purification. had my vents cleaned due to my step sons alergies and they breathe alot better. but truly try the TLSP of honey.

Hi N.,

I've experienced this exact same thing with my son when he was 3 yrs old. I took him to several doctors and they would treat him for a cold or a sinus infection but the couging never stopped. Needless to say both my son and I were tired all the time. Finally, a doctor diagnosed him with a mild case of ashma in which he predicted that he'd grow out of. He was prescribed albuterol suryp at night and he had to use the albuterol inhaler as well. This caused some relief for us. At 4 he was prescribed singulair in which he took every night. Now my son is now nine years old and we rarely have problems. I've now taken him off of the singulair.

I can truly empathize with you and hope you find a solution soon,

Agreed on the post-nasal drip. I've got it too, and a decongestant works best. Since he's working on a cold, you can use the decongestants that have that 'non-sudafed' stuff in them, or something similar.

If the cold doesn't seem to clear up in a week or so, then consider that it might be an allergy, in which case children's Claritin or a similar allergy medicine would be better, as well as frequent sheet-changing, vacuuming, change the furnace filter, etc. A cold and an allergy look very similar. I had a cold for about a month in college before I figured out that it wasn't!

You've had a variety of responses, but I'll add to the asthma/allergy-related ones based on my experience with my 10 yr old son. Unfortunately, his asthma/allergies started within a couple months after birth and we often went to the e/r. His colds often trigger his asthma (particularly at night time.) He has also thrown up a number of times due to coughing. We have since controlled his asthma/allergies with meds for the most part. On occasion, he has coughing fits at night and we give him some cough medicine. He has gotten used to some of the coughing, but I haven't. I still have sleepless nights. Needless to say, I would have him checked out for asthma/allergies. It may just be a seasonal cold, but you never know. It's probably a good idea to check it out. There are plenty of Asthma websites to review. Good Luck!

Sometimes night-time coughing is due to post-nasal drip. You might want to try Benadryl at night instead of cough syrup to dry up the "gunk" that might be dripping down his throat and therefore causing the gagging & coughing. Also, be sure to run a humidifier in his room to keep the air moist. Good luck & hope he feels better soon!