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Coughing from last 10days
My girlfriend has had a continuous cough for about 10 days and fever for the last 3 days. She has been taking amoxicillin, but the cough has not improved.
There is also a possibility of pregnancy, so we want to make sure any medicine prescribed is safe if she is pregnant.
Please advise:
1. What could be causing the cough and fever?
2. Could this be viral or bacterial?
3. Should she continue taking amoxicillin?
4. Does she need a chest examination, chest X-ray, blood tests, or any other tests?
5. What cough medicine and fever medicine would be safe if she could be pregnant?
6. When should she take a pregnancy test?
7. Could the illness or medicines affect an early pregnancy?
8. What symptoms would require urgent medical attention?
Please advise us on what she should do next.
Answers (3)
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A cough running 10 days with fever starting later, especially when amoxicillin hasn't helped, points more toward a viral illness than a simple bacterial one, though a secondary infection is possible. Since pregnancy is a real possibility here, that needs to be confirmed first, because it changes which medicines and tests are safe to use.
Next Steps
Take a home pregnancy test now rather than waiting for the cough to settle. Paracetamol is generally considered safe for fever in pregnancy, while ibuprofen is best avoided. A chest X-ray can still be done with abdominal shielding if needed. Please see a physician or obstetrician so amoxicillin can be reviewed and continued or changed based on the test result.
Health Tips
Seek urgent care if she develops breathing difficulty, severe weakness, a fever above 102°F that won't come down with paracetamol, or starts coughing up blood.
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