COPD: Taking Steroids and Antibiotics
How can steroids improve my symptoms?
Steroids make your breathing easier if you have COPD. Physiologically, steroids try to reduce the swelling of the airways. Mucus production is also decreased with the use of steroids according to some studies. The dosage and length of course of steroid medications rely on the severity of breathing difficulty. Steroid treatment can last up to 14 days.
How can antibiotics improve my symptoms?
Can you remember the time your doctor asked you what color your phlegm was? Doctors use this technique to identify whether or not your cough is caused by a bacterial infection. The color can determine which drug must be prescribed.
Antibiotics help address the bacteria that causes unwanted complications. Your physician can advise you to drink the prescribed medication at a specific time of a day
- example: every 12 hours, twice a day
- example: every six hours, three times a day
You have to be diligent and precise when it comes to the timing and dosage. You have to understand that stopping your antibiotic without finishing the entire course will cause further complications in the future.
There are cases in which a combination of steroid and antibiotic therapy is used. Again, this practically depends on the manifestations of signs and symptoms. We have to remember that these treatment regimens should be prescribed by physicians. Do not try to perform self-medication. It is also not advisable for you to take these drugs based from what you saw on the Internet, or as advised by a friend or relative. You must understand that a consultation with a real physician is needed so that proper physical assessment, laboratory examinations and referrals can be conducted.
