Therapeutic drugs are an effective tool in the treatment of many illness and conditions. While medical professional prescribe therapeutic drugs to alleviate or control disease, side effects may lead to new symptoms. Several commonly prescribed drugs can cause coughing, including medications used for the treatment of high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and other ailments. Coughing associated with medication usually persists throughout the course of treatment.
ACE Inhibitors
The National Lung Health Education Program reports that cough is a well-known possible side effect of ACE inhibitors, or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Doctors commonly prescribe these drugs to lower blood pressure and to manage certain types of heart conditions.
A dry, persistent cough develops within the first month of therapy in a minority of people taking ACE inhibitors, report Drs. Nishant Sangole and Vaishali Dadkar in a February 2010 article published in the "Indian Journal of Pharmacology." The cough remains mild in most people who experience this side effect. In rare instances, severe cough necessitates discontinuation of the offending drug. Examples of ACE inhibitors include fosinopril, enalapril, captopril, perindopril, trandolapril, ramipril, quinapril benazepril, lisinopril and moexipril.
Beta Blockers
Cough can occur as a side effect of beta blocker therapy, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Beta blockers are used to manage heart-related chest pain, certain types of heart rhythm abnormalities, high blood pressure, glaucoma, anxiety and migraine headaches.
As with ACE inhibitors, a usually mild, dry cough can develop in a small proportion of patients taking beta blockers. Examples of commonly prescribed beta blockers include nadolol, labetolol, sotalol, metoprolol, bisoprolol, acebutolol, atenolol, timolol, propranolol, esmolol, penbutolol, carvedilol, pindolol, betaxolol and carteolol.
Chemotherapy Drugs
Cancer chemotherapy drugs can cause adverse lung reactions, which commonly present with cough, shortness of breath, wheezing and fever, report Drs. Nicholas Pastis, Jr., and Gerard A. Silvestri in an October 2009 article published on the medical professionals website CCO inPractice. Chemotherapy drugs that may cause coughing include cyclophosphamide, chlorambucil, busulfan, mitomycin C, bleomycin, cytosine arabinoside, methotrexate, carmustine, gemcitabine, lomustine, docetaxel, paclitaxel, etoposide and vinblastine.
Medical Marijuana
The District of Columbia and 14 states have medical marijuana laws allowing the therapeutic use of marijuana by people with an array of diseases and medical conditions, states reporter Jeff Brady in a June 2010 article published on the NPR website. Smoking is the primary route of medical marijuana delivery.
The particulate matter in marijuana smoke can irritate the lining of the airways, provoking a chronic cough. In an April 2007 review article published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine," Dr. Jeanette Tetrault and colleagues report an increased risk for the development of cough associated with long-term marijuana smoking.
References
- National Lung Health Education Program: Chronic Cough
- Indian Journal of Pharmacology; Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors: A Prospective, Randomized, Open-Label, Comparative Study
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute: What Causes Cough?
- "CCO inPractice"; Oncology--Pulmonary Toxicity; Nicholas J. Pastis, Jr., M.D., Gerard A. Silvestri, M.D., M.S.; October 2009
- NPR: State Medical Marijuana Laws Are Getting Stricter
