drugs

Laryngitis Treatment Medications

Definition

By laryngitis is meant any inflammatory process affecting the larynx and vocal cords contained in it: when inflamed, the vocal cords modulate their ability to vibrate, consequently altering the sound of the voice, which sometimes disappears completely.

Causes

Laryngitis is often the most immediate consequence of a viral infection; excessive voice use, alcohol abuse, smoking, medicines and chemicals, and gastro-oesophageal reflux can also irritate the larynx and create inflammation. In the most severe cases, chronic laryngitis is a light-signaled laryngeal tumor.

Symptoms

Laryngitis begins with the alteration of the tone of voice, which becomes hoarse and hoarse, nasal congestion, sore throat (pharyngitis), a runny nose and a strident and difficult breathing; sometimes, laryngitis is accompanied by other symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing solid and liquid food, dysphagia, fever, headache, tonsillitis and other typically flu-like symptoms.

Natural Care

Information on Laryngitis - Drugs for the Treatment of Laryngitis is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Laryngitis - Laryngitis Treatment Drugs.

drugs

Acute viral laryngitis tends to self-remodel, sometimes even without the use of specific drugs; for the chronic forms of laryngitis, the treatment is essentially based on the cure of the underlying causes (gastric pyrosis, alcohol or smoking abuse, etc.).

The following are the classes of drugs most used in laryngitis therapy and some examples of pharmacological specialties; it is up to the doctor to choose the most suitable active ingredient and posology for the patient, based on the severity of the disease, the health status of the patient and his response to treatment:

Antibiotics and antifungals

Antibiotics are only rarely used in therapy because, as analyzed, laryngitis depends most often on viruses: however, if laryngitis is related to bacteria (which is rare in any case), antibiotics are the therapy of choice .

The choice of the drug must always be established by the doctor on the basis of the responsible bacterium; otherwise, it is recommended to take drugs with a broad spectrum of action. For example:

  • Clarithromycin (eg Biaxin, Macladin, Klacid, Soriclar, Veclam): take 250-500 mg of active every 12 hours. In case of infection with Haemophilus influenzae, take 500 mg of the drug for 10 days.
  • Telithromycin (eg. Ketek) belonging to the class of macrolides, this drug is indicated both for the treatment of laryngitis and bacterial pharyngitis. Take one 400 mg tablet per day for 7-10 days.

For the same reason, antifungal drugs are used in therapy against laryngitis when laryngeal inflammation depends on a fungal attack.

Corticosteroids

Corticosteroids (eg Cortisone, prednisone), powerful anti-inflammatory drugs, are used in therapy for the treatment of laryngitis exclusively in extreme, serious and complicated cases.

Antacid drugs

As we have analyzed, gastro-esophageal reflux - also closely related to gastric pyrosis - can favor or exacerbate laryngitis; for this purpose, it is possible to take specific drugs that can reduce the amount of acid produced by the stomach.

In this sense, IPP (proton pump inhibitors) are very useful, such as:

  • Lansoprazole (eg Lansox, Lomevel, Pergastid): the drug should be taken at a dose of 15 mg (one tablet) once a day, before the main meal; in general, the therapy should be continued for 4 weeks, as prescribed by the doctor.
  • Omeprazole (eg Antra, Nansen): start therapy by taking 20 mg of active (1 tablet) per day, for 4-8 weeks. As needed, increase the dosage to 40 mg / day.

The use of these drugs is essential for healing reflux diseases; if laryngitis is closely related to these diseases, PPI therapy is particularly effective.

Therapeutic subsidies and behavioral therapy

Given that there is no specific treatment for the treatment of laryngitis, it is possible to use the aid of some therapeutic aids, very useful to accelerate the patient's recovery and decrease the painful perception in the throat:

  • Ibuprofen (eg. Brufen, Moment, Subitene): take an active dose of 200-400 mg (tablets, effervescent sachets) every 4-6 hours, as needed. In some cases, the analgesic can also be taken intravenously at a dose of 400-800 mg every 6 hours, as needed.
  • Paracetamol (or acetaminophen, eg Tachipirina) indicated to reduce throat pain and to decrease fever in the context of laryngitis. Taken orally in the form of tablets, syrup, effervescent sachets, or suppositories, the drug is generally administered at a dose of 325 - 650 mg every 4-6 hours for 6-8 consecutive days, to balance the body temperature.

A patient with laryngitis is advised to practice a " behavioral therapy ", useful to speed up the recovery of full health:

  • gargling of warm salt water, to be repeated several times a day, are very useful to relieve the inflamed throat
  • take abundant amounts of liquids, even without thirst
  • it is advisable to rest the vocal cords, limiting the use of the voice, until the symptoms improve
  • the use of a humidifier has proved to be very useful for treating respiratory diseases: the humid air seems to exert a discrete expectorant effect, freeing the mucus from the lungs. The use of the humidifier is recommended in the context of pneumonia, tonsillitis, pharyngitis and laryngitis.
  • Natural "drugs" such as arnica, echinacea, helichrysum, sage and dog rose are recommended to speed up the treatment of laryngitis.