Self-Medication Practices with Over-the-Counter Cough Medications in Patients with Chronic Bronchitis

Abstract

Chronic bronchitis is a prevalent public health concern. Remediable cough—its hallmark symptom—affects quality of life and well-being, yet remains grappled with in distressing solitude. Hence, patients often resort to—indeed, gravitate toward—over-the-counter (OTC) cough medications. Indeed, contemporary aerosol therapies can substantially alleviate cough in the clinical setting; yet OTC options—affordably priced, effortlessly procured, and capable of inducing self-reliance—beckon insidiously and repeatedly. The allure of convenient, cost-effective tackling of discomfort remains, even now, a perfect retro fit for bronchitic patients, characterizing an ongoing, unyielding, and largely preventable ordeal (S. Braman, 2006).