Respiratory agents, also known as respiratory medicines, are divided into seven classes, further divided into more. Doctors prescribe these respiratory drugs to treat and provide relief from respiratory diseases such as asthma, pneumonia, COPD, rhinitis, and common flu.  

Here we have described all the major respiratory drug types, you should know if you have recently been diagnosed with any respiratory disease. 

• Antihistamines block histamine release to manage allergies.
• Antitussives suppress coughs, but don’t cure them.
• Expectorants thin mucus for easier coughing.
• Decongestants relieve nasal congestion and sinus pressure.
• Bronchodilators relax airway muscles for easier breathing.
• Corticosteroids reduce inflammation and swelling in airways.
• Leukotriene modifiers block inflammation-causing substances.

Antihistamines block the release of histamine from histamine-1 receptors in your body. Typically, histamine is released when your body senses some danger. It can be any infection. To protect your body, histamine expands the blood vessels and helps the skin to swell.

Fexofenadine (Allegra): Fexofenadine generally treats hay fever, hives, eczema, food allergies, and insect bites. It does not make you as drowsy as other Antihistamines.

Cetirizine (Zyrtec): This is generally prescribed to treat allergies and hay fever. It can be taken in the morning as well; it does not induce drowsiness.

Diphenhydramine (Benadryl): It relieves red and itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and other common cold and flu symptoms. Diphenhydramine is also prescribed to treat cough.

Loratadine (Claritin): It is used to treat allergy symptoms, including food allergies and insect bites.

I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.

Antitussives are also known as respiratory suppressants, as they work to suppress dry coughing. It is not the antitussives’ responsibility to eliminate cough. 

Dextromethorphan (Robitussin): It treats coughs caused by the common cold or influenza. It is not prescribed to chronic cough patients.

Benzonatate (Tessalon): It helps make the cough reflex less active by desensitizing the lungs and throat. Benzonatate can make the patient drowsy.

Antitussives are generally used to control dry, allergic, and spasmodic coughs and relieve cold symptoms.

The most noted side effects of antitussives are:

Expectorant drugs remove the respiratory secretions. They work by increasing the water quantity of the secretion. This process reduces the thickness and stickiness of the content, and it becomes easy to cough the content up.

Guaifenesin (Mucinex): It works best when there is chest congestion due to cold and flu. It clears the phlegm from your chest to improve the condition.

Potassium iodide (iOSTAT): It makes the mucus thinner to help cough up the phlegm and breathe easily. It can be used in chronic cough as well. The symptoms of asthma and chronic bronchitis can be relieved with this drug.

Expectorants have one job, and that is to make mucus easy to cough up. Expectorants also help relieve asthma and chest congestion caused by cold or flu. Other than that, these respiratory drugs are also used to treat COPD and chronic bronchitis. 

Decongestants are the drugs that relieve nasal congestion. They work by reducing the inflammation and mucus from the nasal tracts and eye.

Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed): It helps clear up nasal congestion when you have a common cold. It is also prescribed to ease up sinus pain and infection.

Phenylephrine (Sudogest PE): It helps in cold, hay fever, and allergies to ease up your nasal congestion. It also helps with sinus pressure and allergy.

Decongestant drugs provide relief from nasal congestion that can be caused by a common cold, hay fever, or an allergy reaction. They help in reducing rhinitis and sinus congestion.

Bronchodilators are those respiratory drugs that make breathing easier by removing the pressure from the lungs’ muscles (bronchial smooth muscle) and dilating the airways. For people with asthma or other lung conditions, bronchodilators help them by relieving them.

Albuterol (Proair/ Ventolin) : It treats bronchospasm in patients with lung diseases. It is prescribed to treat shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and wheezing.

Levalbuterol (Xopenex): Patients with breathing problems are prescribed this drug. It treats shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. The patient feels better within minutes.

Epinephrine Formoterol (Preformist): It treats wheezing, chest tightness, and other symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Ipratropium (Atrovent): It treats the symptoms of asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. It keeps COPD from worsening.

Tiotropium (Spiriva): This drug is used as a treatment for the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Theophylline (Theo 24): It helps with breathing by clearing the airways in the lungs. Moreover, it can be prescribed to treat some lung diseases and supports lung health.

Bronchodilators treat chronic conditions where the breathing passages may narrow, such as asthma. Besides, bronchodilators are offered to treat COPD, emphysema, allergic reaction, and chest congestion. 

Corticosteroids, also known as steroids, are anti-inflammatory drugs used to reduce inflammation and relieve bronchial asthma. There are many ways you can take corticosteroids. They are available in tablets, injections, inhalers, and gel. 

Budesonide (Pulmicort): It treats the symptoms of asthma, including cough, chest tightening, and wheezing.  It is available for oral inhalation only for adults and children 6 years or more.

Beclomethasone (Qvar): This is a steroid that helps control asthma attacks. It eases up chest tightening and difficult breathing.  

Fluticasone (Flovent): It is available in spray form to control the symptoms of hay fever such as runny nose or fever. This is available both on your doctor’s prescription and OTC.

They can cause muscle wasting and osteoporosis in long-term use. 

Leukotriene modifiers are medicines used to prevent leukotrienes’ effect on the body. Leukotrienes are substances that narrow the airways and produce mucus, swelling, and inflammation in the lungs. This all leads to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Montelukast: It works when the asthma is mild and treatable with medicines. It helps people who face difficulty breathing while exercising. Sometimes it is prescribed to control the symptoms of allergies as well.

All the above-mentioned respiratory medicines should be used only if your doctors have prescribed them. And if any side effect is getting severe or causing discomfort, you should promptly contact the helpline or your doctor.