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Have COPD, Having A Flare Up. Give Doxycyclene, Prednisone And Ventolin Inhaler. Suggest Treatment?
Question: I have COPD. Apparently having a "flare up". Give Doxycyclene, prednisone (medrol pak) ventolin inhaler. Still coughing horribly in a.m. and p.m.. Already did a Zpak. Should I ask for some type of cough meidcine to get rid of white phlegm that is so hard to get up it hurts my ribs and back.
Dear XXXXXXX
Indeed there are adjuvant symptomatic medications that can help in these circumstances; you don't want to completely eliminate cough reflex since it may predispose to reinfection; what you need is a mucolytic, meaning a medication that can make that phlegm more fluid and easier to expectorate; examples include acetylcysteine and guaifenessin.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
Indeed there are adjuvant symptomatic medications that can help in these circumstances; you don't want to completely eliminate cough reflex since it may predispose to reinfection; what you need is a mucolytic, meaning a medication that can make that phlegm more fluid and easier to expectorate; examples include acetylcysteine and guaifenessin.
Yours truly,
Dr Brenes-Salazar MD
Mayo Clinic MN
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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