If your cough does not get better in a few days of trying these home remedies, see your doctor. If you cough up green; yellow; or brown mucus or blood or bloody mucus, visit the doctor immediately. Shortness of breath accompanied by chest pain, night sweats, persistent chills, laryngitis, skin rash, ear ache, tooth ache, headache, etc., needs medical attention. Persistent coughing also needs a doctor's attention at the earliest.