bronchitis decongestant?

[jacky54]

Only been suffering form this since coming to Thailand, maybe it's the pollution or air con? Anyway trying to get something over the counter as a decongestant seems difficult, all the pharmacies we have been in say there is not anything available, seems hard to believe. They suggest decolgen or fishermans friend, is it something to do with people using such medicine to make drugs with?

[Minnie the Minx]

Steam works, as does chest rubs containing Menthol. Buy some cold and flu meds with a decongestant, Tylanol. Get a big bowl of boiling water, put some menthol in it, put a towel over your head and bowl making a tent, lean over the bowl and breathe for a few minutes deeply. Old skool but works.

Get your A/C cleaned properly too. Good luck getting something and hope it clears up or a visit to the doc is in order.

Edited January 19, 2016 by Minnie the Minx

[Minnie the Minx]

Any type of salt? There is more than one? What do you mean?

[Minnie the Minx]

I'll keep that in mind. I have a humidifier if I'm rocking the A/C and sprinkle eucalyptus oil on the vents.

[colinneil]

Ask pharmacy for acetin. Only 5 baht each works for me.

[nowork114]

Try NAC-Long (tablets dissolving in water)

[DogNo1]

NAC-Long plus Meptin Mini 25mg are good. If you suspect that you have a lung infection or pneumonia, don't mess around. Get an appropriate antibiotic like Avelox right away. The Eagles' founder Glenn Frey just died of pneumonia at age 67.

[manarak]

acetylcysteine, pharmacists sell it in small bags.

you can take 600 or 800 mg once a day or 400 mg twice a day.

acetylcysteine should be a cheap and widely available over the counter drug, I am puzzled why pharmacists didn't offer it to you.

Edited January 19, 2016 by manarak

[AyG]

Get a big bowl of boiling water, put some menthol in it, put a towel over your head and bowl making a tent, lean over the bowl and breathe for a few minutes deeply. Old skool but works.

Recently there was a case of someone doing this and accidentally tipping the bowl of boiling water over his genitals. Probably not the first case, so only to be done with extreme care.

[SantiSuk]

Try NAC-Long (tablets dissolving in water)

Sure NAC Long is great if you have mucus on the lungs which is hard to cough up, which indeed you may have in the final stages of bronchitis. It is acetylsteine - a mucolytic (some European countries sell carbocysteine instead - both drugs are very similar). I find such mucolytics very useful with my own chronic lung infection. But the OP specified a decongestant, not a mucolytic, suggesting that he/she is looking to clear his sinuses rather than lung mucus build-up. OP may of course have been talking about decongesting lungs in which case NAC Long is a good solution. 150-190 baht* (more in a hospital pharmacy) for 10 x 600 mg soluble sparkling solution tablets one a day is full dose and realtively few side effects/counterindications.

If its the sinuses OP wants to clear then I'm sure Thailand has western or Chinese remedies to do this but I'm sorry I can't point to specific available drugs in Thailand as I source my solutions for that particular in the UK, it might be worth following up the availability of any of these:

Vick or any other vapour rub - either as a bowl fo steam inhalant or rubbed on the chest with a vest then worn (at night). I have heard people swear by rubbing it on the soles of their feet at night but have not got round to trying that!

Mometasone furorate - usually as a nasal pump spray. Reduces inflammation of the nasal passages

Phenelyphrine Hydrochloride - blocked nose tablets - effective and cheap but I've noit seen them in Thialand. Tesco UK does an effective over the counter generic

You will see most Thais holding some kind of menthol tube up to their noses at regular intervals - seems to be more of a tick, rather than pharmacy but may help - probably quite cheap. Even 'sewens' (711) stock them I think.

I like Transam's bowl of saline kept at bedside. Saline is a well known disolver of mucus in the lungs or sinuses (my old mum used to snook up saline solution - never got quite advebturous enough to try that!). Would not work very well though if you are trying to shift nasal congestion and you are not breathing freely through your nose at night - ie you wake up with a dry mouth.

*A big well-stocked Chinese pharma on the way to Big C from Sukhumvit, 50 metres into soi On Nut (soi 77) on the eastern side of the road is the only place I have found it as cheap as 150. Great place for cheap meds generally for anyone with recurring expensive drug requirements. It's a zoo inside, with customers queuing 2-3 deep, so not worth seeking out unless you are buying a long supply or many items or visiting between say 10:00 and 15:00. It's every man for himself in the late afternoon/evening. The Chinese pharmas at Sukhumvit/soi Nana well-known to falang charge around 185 baht.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Five or so years back I had what I thought might be bronchitis. Had a bad spell so trotted on down to Vibavadii Hospital for a check. Turned out to be Adult Onset Asthma, which I'd never heard of. Doc there put me on Symbicort which I'm still using, and have checkups every 3-4 months now.

Might be best to check with a medical professional rather than self-diagnose.

Mac

[manarak]

Try NAC-Long (tablets dissolving in water)

Sure NAC Long is great if you have mucus on the lungs which is hard to cough up, which indeed you may have in the final stages of bronchitis. It is acetylsteine - a mucolytic (some European countries sell carbocysteine instead - both drugs are very similar). I find such mucolytics very useful with my own chronic lung infection. But the OP specified a decongestant, not a mucolytic, suggesting that he/she is looking to clear his sinuses rather than lung mucus build-up. OP may of course have been talking about decongesting lungs in which case NAC Long is a good solution. 150-190 baht* (more in a hospital pharmacy) for 10 x 600 mg soluble sparkling solution tablets one a day is full dose and realtively few side effects/counterindications.

If its the sinuses OP wants to clear then I'm sure Thailand has western or Chinese remedies to do this but I'm sorry I can't point to specific available drugs in Thailand as I source my solutions for that particular in the UK, it might be worth following up the availability of any of these:

Vick or any other vapour rub - either as a bowl fo steam inhalant or rubbed on the chest with a vest then worn (at night). I have heard people swear by rubbing it on the soles of their feet at night but have not got round to trying that!

Mometasone furorate - usually as a nasal pump spray. Reduces inflammation of the nasal passages

Phenelyphrine Hydrochloride - blocked nose tablets - effective and cheap but I've noit seen them in Thialand. Tesco UK does an effective over the counter generic

You will see most Thais holding some kind of menthol tube up to their noses at regular intervals - seems to be more of a tick, rather than pharmacy but may help - probably quite cheap. Even 'sewens' (711) stock them I think.

I like Transam's bowl of saline kept at bedside. Saline is a well known disolver of mucus in the lungs or sinuses (my old mum used to snook up saline solution - never got quite advebturous enough to try that!). Would not work very well though if you are trying to shift nasal congestion and you are not breathing freely through your nose at night - ie you wake up with a dry mouth.

*A big well-stocked Chinese pharma on the way to Big C from Sukhumvit, 50 metres into soi On Nut (soi 77) on the eastern side of the road is the only place I have found it as cheap as 150. Great place for cheap meds generally for anyone with recurring expensive drug requirements. It's a zoo inside, with customers queuing 2-3 deep, so not worth seeking out unless you are buying a long supply or many items or visiting between say 10:00 and 15:00. It's every man for himself in the late afternoon/evening. The Chinese pharmas at Sukhumvit/soi Nana well-known to falang charge around 185 baht.

errr... OP said it was bronchitis

[Farma]

I take "MUCLEAR" acetylcysteine 600mg effervescent tablets for hard to clear gunk after bad chest colds. My pharmacist recommended it to me.

It comes in a 10 tablet small white tube with a little pic of lungs and olive green writing. It's OTC, made in Turkey, imported by Mega Lifesciences Samutprakarn

Edited January 20, 2016 by Farma

[jacky54]

acetylcysteine, pharmacists sell it in small bags.

you can take 600 or 800 mg once a day or 400 mg twice a day.

acetylcysteine should be a cheap and widely available over the counter drug, I am puzzled why pharmacists didn't offer it to you.

Eventually got some but had to try 5 different places, trying it today

[Gonsalviz]

Solmax. Same company as Decolgen. A pharmacist gave it to my daughter when she had a chest cold. I tried it and it clears out the stuff.

[Lozza]

Best I have used and worked well is Mucosolvan 1 a day slow release capsule and Ovitrin for nasal congestion most pharmacies stock it,

[SantiSuk]

errr... OP said it was bronchitis

err ... I know that! What part of my post did you think was indicating that I thought it was something else?

I was discussing around the subject because congestion of the lungs and sinuses can come with bronchitis in any of its forms, but the treatments differ. .