Fundamentally, Bronchitis is of two kinds –chronic and acute bronchitis. Although the names of both are similar, there’s a whale of a difference between them as they are caused by different agents. Therefore, there are various sorts of medications for bronchitis.
Acute Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis is common throughout the winter and doesn’t last for quite a long time. A viral or a bacterial infection or both generally follows this ailment. This disorder doesn’t need any special treatment. It clears within a few weeksnonetheless, the cough can persist for a longer time. There’s a threat of acute bronchitis resulting in pneumonia.
Elderly people, young children, and infants are the typical sufferers of acute bronchitis. The immune systems of babies and young children are still in the developing phase, and this also makes them vulnerable to the disease while the immune systems of older individuals are weakened with age. Smokers and people who have a heart or lung disease stand the chance of contracting actue bronchitis. People living in polluted regions also commonly suffer from severe bronchitis.
Medicines for Acute Bronchitis
First of all, the medications for acute bronchitis aim to eliminate the signs of the disease.
People diagnosed with acute bronchitis must drink loads of water and fruit juices, stop smoking for good, take loads of rest, relax as much as you can, and use humidifiers in their homes. The doctor prescribes medicines like acetaminophen if the disease is accompanied by mild pain and fever. Sometimes, aspirin can also be taken. However, pregnant women and children shouldn’t take aspirin because it’s supposed to cause significant bleeding in elderly women and Reye’s syndrome in children.
In the event of dry cough, the patient can take an anti-cough medication. But if it’s cough accompanied by phlegm, it’s sensible not to take any anti-cough medication and to enable the body to cleanse itself. If such a cough is suppressed with an anti-cough medication, the phlegm may collect in the lungs and host harmful microbes. An expectorant is much more advisable than an anti-cough medication since it liquefies the thick mucus from the air passages and makes it easy for the patient to cough it out.
In the event of bacterial infection, an antibiotic should be taken as prescribed by the physician. Someone who fails to take antibiotics is at risk of suffering a relapse. Moreover, the bacteria could create a variant that’s immune to medication. Antibiotic medications include clarithromycin, azithromycin, trimethoprim or sulfamethazole, etc. Children below age eight are given amoxocillin rather than tetracyclin. Tetracyclin is supposed to cause discoloration of new teeth in young children.
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is characterized by inflammation of the respiratory tract. A frequent symptom is a persistent, productive cough that is accompanied by plenty of phlegm. Unlike acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis is a long-term illness, and its symptoms are observable for three months to 2 decades.
Inhalation of certain irritants may lie at the root of chronic bronchitis. Some examples of irritants are cigarette smoke or air pollution or a mix of both. The disease progresses slowly, and the most frequent groups diagnosed with chronic bronchitis comprise the older and the middle-aged.
Medicines for Chronic Bronchitis
Medicines for chronic bronchitis are different from those prescribed for acute bronchitis since it’s a more complex condition. Physicians carefully examine patients to other medical conditions before designing a treatment plan to control and manage the disease. Treatment also has massive changes in lifestyle such as giving up smoking for good and moving to cleaner, non-polluted places. Regular exercise also helps the patient cope with chronic bronchitis in a better way.
Someone suffering from an advanced stage of chronic bronchitis might require supplemental oxygen. Hospitalization may be required if the individual has developed severe complications.
Herbal Treatment
Besides the standard medication, the treatment plan may also include herbal medications. Herbs like eucalyptus may be inhaled while a tea can be brewed from herbs like mullein or verbascum thapsus, anise seed or Pimpinella anisum, and coltsfoot or Tussilago farfara.
