Lingering cough guide

Online review for a lingering cough after a cold or flu

For adults with a cough lasting 3 to 8 weeks after an illness that is otherwise better. This visit provides a care plan without prescriptions.

Start online

Start a $59 online review for Lingering cough after an infection.

An adult’s cough lasting 3 to 8 weeks after a cold or flu-like illness may fit this review if the illness is otherwise better. The physician checks whether your answers fit a probable post-infectious cough, meaning a cough that lingers after an infection. A definite diagnosis also needs an exam and a normal chest X-ray. This option provides a written care plan and does not prescribe medicine.

This visit does not include a prescription. Your physician sends guidance and next steps through the portal.

Start this visit See response times

Quick facts

You must be physically located in Virginia or West Virginia at the time of request.
Starts at $59
No insurance needed
No app download
Physician review around the clock
A work or school note can be included when medically appropriate
Response times apply 24/7, every day

Common symptoms

A dry, tickly cough a month after a chest cold
A cough that is worse at night after a viral illness
A cough that is worse with talking after a viral illness
Throat clearing and mucus dripping down the throat after a cold

May fit online care

Adults 18 and older
Adults with a cough lasting 3 to 8 weeks after a cold or flu-like illness
The original illness is otherwise better
No fever and no lung or heart disease
None of the warning signs that need an examination
Seeking a care plan without a prescription

Look for another care setting

Severe shortness of breath at rest or trouble speaking in full sentences; coughing up more than streaks of blood, or any blood with breathlessness, chest pain or dizziness; chest pain or pressure, blue or gray lips, confusion or fainting; or sudden new shortness of breath, sharp chest pain when breathing in, or one leg newly swollen or painful (call 911).
Streaks of blood in phlegm, a fever now or a fever that came back, breathing fast or feeling very unwell or unable to keep fluids down, shortness of breath lying flat or waking breathless, new leg swelling or quick weight gain, or new wheezing or breathlessness with activity (same-day in-person care).
Night sweats, unexplained weight loss or possible tuberculosis exposure.
Known asthma, COPD or other lung disease, heart failure, or a weakened immune system.
Age 40 or older with any smoking history, or age 40 or older with tiredness, shortness of breath, chest pain, weight loss or loss of appetite along with the cough.
Coughing fits that end in vomiting, gasping or a 'whoop', or contact with whooping cough (pertussis).
A cough that began with choking, or coughing when eating or drinking.
Pneumonia treatment, a hospital stay or an abnormal chest X-ray with this illness.
A past blood clot, surgery or a hospital stay in the last 4 weeks, active cancer, or estrogen pills, patch or ring.
Dust, fumes, chemicals or mold at work or home that worsen the cough.
Pregnancy or giving birth in the last 6 weeks.
A cough under 3 weeks, over 8 weeks, or that did not start with an infection.

What to have ready

How long the cough has lasted
Details of the cold or flu-like illness that came first
Whether the original illness has otherwise improved
Any fever or history of lung or heart disease

What happens next

Standard

$59

Within 6 hours

Priority

$99

Within 3 hours

Rush

$149

Within 1 hour

Start the request on the website, answer a few questions to check that this visit fits you, and choose how fast you want an answer (the response window). If your concern still fits this service, a physician reviews it and sends you a secure update after you sign in. A basic work or school note can be included at physician discretion.

Your physician

Every visit is personally reviewed by Ankur Fadia, MD. He is board-certified, has extra training in heart care (a cardiology fellowship), and is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, a medical honor society. He is licensed in Virginia and West Virginia, and your care is never handed off to someone else.

Verify Virginia medical license Verify West Virginia medical license Verify board certification

Can an online review confirm post-infectious cough?

The doctor can check whether your answers fit the usual pattern of a cough that lingers after an infection. Online, this can only be a likely cause, not a definite diagnosis. A definite diagnosis also needs an exam and a normal chest X-ray.

Will I get cough medicine or antibiotics?

No medicine is prescribed through this option. Antibiotics (medicines that fight bacteria) do not help this kind of cough. The doctor writes a care plan that covers what to expect, what may be making the cough last, and where to go next.

What if my cough has lasted less than 3 weeks or more than 8?

A cough under 3 weeks belongs in the cold or bronchitis options. A cough over 8 weeks needs an in-person evaluation. This option is for a cough lasting 3 to 8 weeks after an infection.

Other conditions we treat

Not quite what you have? Here are other conditions we treat.

Acute bronchitis Rebound congestion COVID-19 antiviral Flu (influenza) antiviral Hoarse voice & laryngitis Mono (infectious mononucleosis)