Smog Season Lung Care: Cough Relief Medicines, Allergy and Asthma Tips

Every winter, smog settles over many Indian cities, bringing scratchy throats, runny noses and coughs that will not go away. Polluted air irritates the airways and can trigger allergies, worsen asthma and cause chest congestion. This guide matches common smog-season symptoms to the kind of help that suits them, from cough relief medicines and anti allergy tablets to asthma care, and adds simple habits for smoggy days. Some of these medicines need a prescription, and children, older adults and people with lung or heart conditions need extra care. Browse respiratory care medicines on Davaindia once you know what you need.

What Smog Does to Your Airways

Smog carries fine particles and gases that you breathe deep into the lungs. In the short term they can:

• Irritate the nose, throat and airways, causing a scratchy throat and cough

• Set off sneezing, itching and watery eyes in people with allergies

• Inflame the airways, which can make breathing feel tight

• Trigger flare-ups in people with asthma, bronchitis or other lung conditions

Children, older adults, pregnant women and people with asthma, COPD or heart disease are more affected, so they should take extra care on high-smog days.

Find Your Symptom, Find the Right Kind of Help

This table is a general guide, not a prescribing guide. A doctor or pharmacist should confirm what suits you.

Cough: Dry or Wet?

A dry cough feels tickly and brings up nothing. A wet cough brings up phlegm. Cough relief medicines are chosen by the type of cough, so tell your pharmacist which one you have. Cough suppressants suit a dry cough, while mucus-loosening medicines suit a wet one. They may help some people, but the evidence for many cough medicines is mixed.

Do not give cough and cold medicines to young children unless a doctor says so, and ask your doctor about current rules for children, because regulators have restricted some combinations.

Allergy Symptoms on Smoggy Days

Sneezing, a runny nose and itchy eyes on smoggy days are often allergic reactions to irritants in the air.

• Anti allergy tablets calm the body's allergic response. Many cause drowsiness, so avoid driving and alcohol until you know how they affect you, and ask your doctor if you are pregnant.

• Nasal sprays come in different types. A steroid spray such as a mometasone nasal spray is used for allergic rhinitis and works gradually over days, not instantly, and is generally prescribed by a doctor. Saline sprays can help rinse the nose. Decongestant sprays should not be used for more than about three days because they can make congestion worse.

Mucus and Chest Congestion

Thick phlegm and a heavy chest are common after days of polluted air. Drinking enough fluids helps thin mucus, and mucus-loosening tablets may help some people. Steam inhalation has weak evidence and a risk of scalds, so keep children away from hot water and steam.

If congestion comes with fever, chest pain or breathlessness, or lasts more than about a week, see a doctor. It could be an infection. Most bronchitis is caused by viruses and does not need antibiotics, so never take antibiotics without a doctor's advice.

Asthma and Smog: Keep Your Plan Close

Smog is a common trigger for asthma flare-ups. Doctors usually prescribe two kinds of treatment: a controller, often an inhaler taken regularly to keep airways calm, and a reliever inhaler for sudden symptoms. Tablets can be part of treatment for some people, but they do not replace inhalers.

• Follow your asthma action plan, and take your controller as prescribed even when you feel well.

• Carry your reliever inhaler on smoggy days.

• Keep enough medicine at home through winter, and refill before it runs out.

• A nebulizer system turns liquid medicine into a fine mist you can breathe in. A doctor decides whether you need one and which medicine to use in it, and the device needs regular cleaning. Many people manage well with an inhaler and a spacer.

A Smog-Day Routine

Before you go out

• Check the air quality index (AQI) and avoid outdoor exercise on high-smog days.

• Wear a well-fitted N95-type respirator if you must go out. A loose cloth mask gives limited protection against fine particles. Ask your doctor first if you have a lung or heart condition, as respirators can make breathing harder.

At home

• Keep windows closed during peak pollution hours, which are often morning and evening.

• Do not smoke, and avoid burning waste, incense or mosquito coils indoors.

• Drink warm fluids through the day to keep your throat and airways comfortable.

At night

• Keep your reliever inhaler and medicines within reach.

• Raise your head with an extra pillow if a blocked nose or cough disturbs your sleep.

When to Get Medical Help

Get emergency care right away for severe breathlessness, trouble speaking in full sentences, blue lips or fingertips, chest pain, coughing up blood, or wheeze that your reliever inhaler does not relieve.

See a doctor soon if you have:

• A cough lasting more than two to three weeks. A cough that long needs a medical check, including for tuberculosis.

• Fever that lasts, or chest pain with a cough

• Wheeze or breathlessness that is new or getting worse

• Symptoms in a child, an older adult or a pregnant woman that do not settle quickly

When should I go to the emergency room for breathing problems?

Go right away for severe breathlessness, blue lips, trouble speaking, chest pain or coughing up blood, or if your reliever inhaler is not helping.

Breathe easier this winter, and upload your prescription on Davaindia to order the medicines your doctor has prescribed.