During a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation, a person experiences a sudden worsening of their symptoms. Did you know that as a COPD patient you can require up to 10 times more calories compared to a person without COPD, this is because your body with COPD burns excessive amounts of energy breathing. 4) Avoid canned vegetables and soups:---These are both very high in sodium. Everyone has different triggers, so it’s important to determine what yours are. A … Potassium-sparing Diuretics, which include the following drugs: Spironolactone (brand names Aldactone and Carospir). Avoid breathing in dust. Generic albuterol is … Salt leads to the retention of fluid, which may increase swelling and the buildup of fluids in the lungs. Long-term oxygen treatment should be used for at least 16 hours a day. This can cause side effects like muscle weakness, blurred vision, slurred speech, reduced coordination, and—you guessed it—respiratory depression. Many COPD medications are not exactly cheap, and many COPD patients are on a fixed income. That's why, in general, COPD patients should avoid taking benzodiazepines and other sedative medications if possible. Although doctors sometimes prescribe benzodiazepines to COPD patients, experts acknowledge that this practice comes with serious risks. The biggest COPD trigger by far both in terms of the onset of the condition and managing it down the road is smoking. coughs that brings up mucus) that are typical in people with COPD. These are mainly combinations of either two long-acting bronchodilators or an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting bronchodilator. Dextramethorphan, a cough suppressant that is sold under the following brand names: Hydrocodone, sold under the following brand name medications: You can find a list of additional brand name medications containing hydrocodone in the section on opoid pain relievers above. Since these drugs are so common, it's important to be absolutely sure that you aren't taking any medication that contains them before you decide to imbibe. Sorry, but for people with COPD, coffee and other drinks that contain caffeine (tea, energy drinks, sodas, and unfortunately, chocolate) should be avoided. In fact, some researchers suggest that this effect on the respiratory system is so strong that antihistamines may actually contribute to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a condition in which a baby dies during his or her sleep for no apparent cause. Nutritional Guidelines. Avoid Crowds. Choose complex carbohydrates, such as whole-grain bread and pasta, fresh fruits and vegetables.. To lose weight: Opt for fresh fruits and veggies over bread and … When you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exposure to certain lung irritants can mean the difference between huffing and puffing and easier breathing. Though medications like these may effectively relieve the symptoms they’ve been created to treat, sometimes they have unintended consequences. Because the effects of central nervous system depressants stack on top of one another, it can be very dangerous—even life-threatening—to take more than one CNS depressant at a time. I am presently on 80 mg of Zocor daily for high cholesterol and four inhaled medications for my COPD: Symbicort 160/4.5 twice … Sleep is important for mental as well as physical health. The FDA has issued a special warning for the medications gabapentin and pregabalin for causing dangerous breathing problems in people with respiratory conditions like COPD. Refill your medicines before you are out so that you do not miss a dose. Because of this, taking potassium-depleting diuretics (especially thiazide diuretics) can be particularly risky for people with COPD who take these other medications. However, whether prescription or over the counter, they too can also potentially depress the respiratory system, resulting in the same effect as opioid-based medicines. non-prescription sleeping aids) tend to have a lower risk, while prescription medications (e.g. Even common drugs like alcohol and over-the-counter cough medications—which many people are accustomed to using without a second thought—can be risky for people with COPD. Got a headache? Over-the-counter medications can still have serious risks, and those risks are simply not worth taking on your own when you have COPD. Our Lung Health Line is a free, confidential service offered between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Monday to Friday. To find more helpful COPD information, check out our resources guide. COPD Patients should avoid unhealthy and polluted environment as all the allergens tend to sensitise the respiratory epithelium, cause dyspnea and cough leading to respiratory distress and thus causing worsening of COPD. For most people with COPD, doctors prescribe a combination of medications. Refill your medicines before you are out so that you do not miss a dose. Don't reach for the first salt substitute you see, though. It brings down swelling in the lungs and opens your airways. We also provide an example meal plan for COPD… The two mainstays of … Common COPD Medication Mistakes to Avoid . Air pollution, smoking, a developing infection, or changes in weather are just a few that might prompt an exacerbation of your COPD. Because of this, many people who who take diuretics need to be monitored carefully by a doctor and take regular blood tests to ensure there are no adverse effects. This article describes how diet affects COPD and outlines the best diet for COPD, including foods to eat and avoid. Common Sedative Medications that Act as CNS Depressants: Anti-convulants are medications used primarily to treat seizures in people with epilepsy. Having an Erratic Sleep Schedule. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a severe lung condition that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. That’s why we look at the strongest clinical studies when we choose COPD drugs for our drug list. Several COPD drugs come as combination medications. Appointments … That's because lungs affected by COPD already perform at a sub-optimal level and struggle to work efficiently enough to meet the body's oxygen needs. However, we haven't talked much about what kinds of mistakes patients are making and what exactly they are failing to do. As long as it's under a doctor's close supervision, taking carefully-controlled doses of opoids is generally safe for people with COPD. This drug, which is a powerful narcotic that's given by injection to relieve pain, can … Smoking also damages the … This is one of the major reasons why these medications are dangerous, and why you should never assume it's safe to take any drug or over-the-counter medicine without asking your doctor first. That's because many of these medications only have low risk, if any, of causing respiratory depression when used correctly on their own. by mpatino | Jan 18, 2018 | COPD, Disease Education, Lung Disease, Medical, Product Reviews. Look out for first-generation antihistamines in wide range of over-the-counter products, including: Common Drugs and Medications Containing Sedative Antihistamines: Always check the active ingredient labels for all over-the-counter medications to make sure.Because of this, it's important to always check the active ingredient list on over-the-counter medications, especially combination medications. Many respiratory depressants are also central nervous system depressants (CNS depressants for short), a broad and loosely-defined group that include many different types of medications, including sedatives, tranquilizers, painkillers, antihistamines, hypnotics, and more. Some medications are bad for people with COPD not because of potential adverse effects (such as respiratory depression), but because their intended therapeutic effects just don't mix well with COPD. If COPD causes a low level of oxygen in your blood, you may be advised to have oxygen at home through nasal tubes or a mask. Rehab is a program run by specialists who help you learn to manage COPD. However, other antihistamines (known as second-generation antihistamines), such as loratadine and terfenadine (often used for everyday allergy management) are much less likely to have respiratory depressant effects. Some people feel that a nightcap can help them fall asleep. You must use these medicines every day for them to work well. You don't need to remember every drug or brand name, but learning to recognize the broader categories of potentially-dangerous substances is an important safety precaution for every person with COPD; after all, this knowledge is bound to come in handy at some point, and in the right situation it could even save your life. Because opoids interact with a wide range of over-the-counter and prescription medications, you also need to be extra careful about any other drugs or medications you use. This is a common side effect known as respiratory depression, which happens when your breathing becomes “depressed”—which means that it's slower and shallower than usual. You might take it with a long-acting bronchodilator. These medications have the potential to cause severe electrolyte deficiencies that can cause trigger dangerous respiratory complications. 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