Bronchitis Medications

There are two kinds of bronchitis: acute bronchitis and chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is short term and common during cold weather. It is usally caused by a bacterial infection, and is often followed by a viral infection. Acute bronchitis usually disappears within 2 weeks, but the cough sometimes continues. Some cases of acute bronchitis have been known to develop into pneumonia.

Infants with underdeveloped immune systems and elderly with weaker immune systems from aging can easily get acute bronchitis. Smokers and people with lung and heart problems are strongly at risk of getting acute bronchitis. People exposed to excessive air pollution can also get this condition.

Chronic bronchitis is a different illness where the respiratory tract is inflamed as well, but in this case there also is oversecretion of mucus and coughing. Chronic Bronchitis symptoms usually last much longer: from months to years. Chronic bronchitis may be caused more by airway irritants like cigarette smoke and air pollution. Chronic Bronchitis develops slowly, which is why middle aged and elderly people get it more frequently than younger folks.

The purpose of treating acute and chronic bronchitis is to decrease the symptoms. Acute bronchitis treatment often only requires taking lots of fluids and getting enough rest, running humidifiers, and stopping smoking. Medications are usually prescribed only if there is fever and pain: the most common is simple aspirin or Tylenol. Aspirin is not recommended for very young children because it can cause Reye's syndrome, and and it's not recommended for pregnant women as it may cause bleeding.

Medication for a cough is only prescribed if the patient has a very dry cough or a cough without phlegm. Expectorants are commonly used to thin out hard mucus so patients can cough it up. If the cough has phlegm, cough suppressants are often not advised, as the phlegm eventually comes out on its own. If the phlegm stays in the air passage, it may become an obstruction, and it could become a breeding ground for dangerous microorganisms.

Usually if the doctor diagnoses the patient to have bronchitis from bacterial infection, antibiotics are prescribed. Antibiotics must be taken exactly as prescribed: if not, the illness can worsen or the bacteria may become antibiotic resistance. Some common antibiotics that are prescribed are, Azithromycin, trimethoprim or sulfamethazole, tetracycline or ampicillin, clarithromycin and amoxicillin.

Chronic bronchitis treatment can be more complex: usually the patient is examined for other health problems before proceeding to treat chronic bronchitis. Some medications used to treat chronic bronchitis are anti-inflammatory drugs like corticosteroids and Ipratropium. Sometimes, bronchodilator medications are prescribed to relax bronchial muscles to allow increased air flow. They can be taken orally or from a nebulizer. Some bronchodilators are metaproterenol and albuterol.

In addition to conventional medicine, herbal medication can be used for bronchitis. It is often taken as a tea or inhaled. Some people take vitamin C and garlic or colloidal silver. Some chronic bronchitis patients end up needing oxygen masks. If the situation gets bad, the patient ought to be taken to the hospital, so doctors are able to treat it and keep the patient under observation.

This article was written by Jim Krage of Healing Energy News .com.