Contents:
- Medical Video: What Causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)? – Manipal Hospital
- Various options for shortness of breath
- Bronchodilator
- Antibiotics and antivirals
- Diuretics
- Can you use herbal breathless medicine?
- Various other ways to treat shortness of breath
Medical Video: What Causes Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)? – Manipal Hospital
Many think that shortness of breath is definitely asthma. Though not necessarily. Difficulty breathing can be caused by medical problems or certain diseases, such as pneumonia, heart disease, obesity, and panic attacks. Exercise is too heavy, the weather is very hot, and being at an altitude can all cause shortness of breath in healthy people. Therefore, the drug for shortness of breath for each person is not the same - depending on the cause.
Various options for shortness of breath
It should be emphasized that before taking any breathless medication, you need to consult with your doctor to get a proper diagnosis of your health condition. Because the type and dosage of shortness of breath medication must be adjusted to the exact cause.
The following are the most common types of shortness of breath medicines available, at the pharmacy and with a doctor's prescription.
Bronchodilator
Bronchodilators are a group of drugs used to facilitate breathing by widening lung capacity to breathe oxygen. Bronchodilators are available in the form of inhalers, tablets / pills, syrups, injections, and nebulizers.
There are three types of bronchodilator drugs commonly used, including:
- Anticholinergics (tiotropium, ipratropium, glycopyronium, and aclidinium)
- Beta-2 agonist (salmeterol, salbutamol / albuterol, and formoterol)
- Theophylline
Based on the time of work, bronchodilators are divided into two: fast reactions and slow reactions. Bronchodilator rapid reaction is usually given to someone who experiences acute (sudden) shortness of breath due to inflammation and narrowing of the airways, as in acute asthma attacks. While the bronchodilator slow reaction is more intended to control symptoms of shortness of breath in chronic lung disease (COPD) or chronic asthma.
Common side effects that can arise from the use of these drugs are usually chills, coughing, headaches, and diarrhea.
Antibiotics and antivirals
In cases of shortness of breath caused by pneumonia infection, prescribed shortness of breath medication will depend on the microbes that cause it - bacteria or viruses. Antibiotics will be prescribed by doctors to treat pneumonia caused by bacterial infections. One example is Xorim (cefuroxime). If your pneumonia is caused by a virus, your doctor can prescribe antiviral drugs, such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (relenza).
Do not stop or increase the dosage of the drug without the doctor's knowledge.
Diuretics
This type of drug is given to treat shortness of breath that occurs due to heart failure. In general, this drug inhibits electrolyte reabsorption from the lumen of the nephron, increases osmolarity and increases water excretion.
A side effect of using diuretics is that you will continue to urinate because diuretics increase urinary excretion of water and electrolytes. Therefore, this drug is called a "water tablet".
Can you use herbal breathless medicine?
For the use of herbal medicines, you should first consult your doctor. Because, the use of drugs together without further knowing the effect will risk worsening your body's health. For this reason, doctors need to check the content of herbal medicines and see how your kidneys and liver are.
Various other ways to treat shortness of breath
In addition to drugs, you need to pay attention to the condition of your environment if you have a respiratory disorder. Keep your home clean from dust, dirt and animal hair. Then, pay attention if you are outside the house. The air in the environment is mixed with various pollutants, such as cigarette smoke and vehicle fumes. So, use a mask and stay away from cigarette smoke. Stop smoking as soon as possible if you are a smoker.
