Overview
Mucolytics are drugs that help to loosen mucus in the airway. In certain respiratory disorders such as bronchiectasis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, tuberculosis, and cystic fibrosis causes the production of thick, sticky, and excessive mucus collection in the airway. Mucolytics works by decreasing the viscosity of the mucus by breaking the bond in the mucus so that the mucus becomes less viscous and less sticky. This allows the mucus to be cleared off the airway more easily. Examples of mucolytics are acetylcysteine, ambroxol, bromhexine, carbocisteine, erdosteine, guaifenesin and peptide mucolytics such as dornase alfa. Some mucolytics are available in tablet, pills, syrup or aerosolized forms. Before prescribing mucolytics, proper examination and investigations are done to diagnose the patient and to assess if the mucolytics are needed. Common side effects of mucolytics are nausea, vomiting, sore throat, abdominal pain, drowsiness, difficulty breathing and fever. However, not all mucolytics have these effects.
