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Suggest Treatment For Asthma And Cough
Question: F 53 5'4" 130lb must be the pollen in florida right now. my asthma hasn't bothered me for 6 years and now....oh my. puffed through one albuterol cannister in a few weeks.. on my second and also on cipro. lung xray clear. coughing up jell like phlegm clear but formed sort of. mostly regular phlegm but some of it is this jelly like stuff. also when I cough it has a taste to it. I'm thinking maybe the albuterol? pro opinions?
Brief Answer:
Need different antibiotic
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your question. It sounds like you have bronchitis that is flaring up some underlying asthma. Cipro is not good for respiratory infections. Doxycycline or Septra would be a better choice. Cipro is good for many infections but is not considered a respiratory drug. Asthma results in a great deal of mucus production. If it tastes or smells bad then it may be an infection. You may also want to consider a long-acting bronchodilator like serevent. It can last up to 12 hours and drastically cut down on your use of albuterol. If it is really severe and you can not tolerate an inhaled steroid (the standard treatment for asthma) then you may need to have your doctor prescribe a short course of oral prednisone to calm down the inflammation.
I hope you are better soon,
Dr. Robinson
Need different antibiotic
Detailed Answer:
Hello and thanks for your question. It sounds like you have bronchitis that is flaring up some underlying asthma. Cipro is not good for respiratory infections. Doxycycline or Septra would be a better choice. Cipro is good for many infections but is not considered a respiratory drug. Asthma results in a great deal of mucus production. If it tastes or smells bad then it may be an infection. You may also want to consider a long-acting bronchodilator like serevent. It can last up to 12 hours and drastically cut down on your use of albuterol. If it is really severe and you can not tolerate an inhaled steroid (the standard treatment for asthma) then you may need to have your doctor prescribe a short course of oral prednisone to calm down the inflammation.
I hope you are better soon,
Dr. Robinson
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Ok so should I contact my doc and tell them I need doxycycline? Also, the Serevent, I think it is a steroid based inhaler. I simply cannot have steroids of any kind. Also, they x-rayed my lungs...does bronchitis not show on an xray? So you don't think it could just be the high pollen count bringing on my congestion and asthma?
Brief Answer:
need to see doctor
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for your follow up. I think it would be good for you to see your doctor and see if they think you have allergies/pollen stirring up the asthma or if you have bronchitis. Bronchitis is an infection in the bronchial tubes and does not show up on xray. The xray would have shown it up if you had pneumonia. Once the doctor decides if it is primary allergies or primarily bronchitis then they would need to make the decision about an antibiotic like doxycycline. Serevent is not a steroid, it is a long acting bronchodilator, like albuterol but lasts longer.
Hope you get some relief soon.
need to see doctor
Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for your follow up. I think it would be good for you to see your doctor and see if they think you have allergies/pollen stirring up the asthma or if you have bronchitis. Bronchitis is an infection in the bronchial tubes and does not show up on xray. The xray would have shown it up if you had pneumonia. Once the doctor decides if it is primary allergies or primarily bronchitis then they would need to make the decision about an antibiotic like doxycycline. Serevent is not a steroid, it is a long acting bronchodilator, like albuterol but lasts longer.
Hope you get some relief soon.
Note: For further information on diet changes to reduce allergy symptoms or to boost your immunity, Ask here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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