Bronchitis refers to inflammation of the air passages that lead to the lungs, including the distal part of the trachea and the bronchi. While physicians usually consider bronchitis to be due to an infection, allergens and environmental irritants can also cause the inflammation, according to the "Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine." Spiriva is an inhaler medication that helps open up the air passages in people with lung disease and can sometimes be helpful against bronchitis.
Antibiotics
Physicians frequently prescribe antibiotics for patients with bronchitis. The most common antibiotics for bronchitis are erythromycin and azithromycin. The use of antibiotics for bronchitis is controversial, since most cases are associated with viral and not bacterial infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients with chronic lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, need antibiotics for bronchitis to prevent more serious bacterial infections that may form as a result of the bronchitis.
Analgesics
Bronchitis frequently causes muscle and joint pains, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Physicians frequently recommend ibuprofen and acetominophen to people with bronchitis for pain relief. Those analgesic medications have an added benefit in that they also treat fever, which is another common symptom of bronchitis.
Cough Suppressants
Cough suppressants, such as guaifenesin with codeine, can relieve the cough associated with upper airway irritation. Although these medications offer limited cough relief, physicians frequently prescribe them because they also function as expectorants, helping the patients cough up phlegm. According to the Mayo Clinic, cough suppressants are especially useful in patients with severe cough that interrupts their sleep.
Bronchodilators
Physicians prescribe bronchodilators for bronchitis, as they often provide effective symptom relief. Bronchodilators, such as albuterol, relax the airway's smooth muscle and prevent the spasms that force people to cough during airway inflammation. According to the Mayo Clinic, bronchodilators are especially useful to improve breathing in patients with chronic lung diseases who already have narrowed air passages.
References
- "Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine"; Marc Sabatine; 2004
- Mayo Clinic: Bronchitis
- Cleveland Clinic: Bronchitis
