Recently diagnosed w/ chronic bronchitis, what works best for cough and chest congestion?

Hello tallguy865, I just read your note, though apparently you posted it two weeks ago. I am an ex-smoker, and had smoked for over 30 years. A few years later I began to have the symptoms of cough & chest tightness. Those symptoms, like yours, were also on again / off again, and seemed to occur more often in evenings or on dry cold days. It was always worse if I had been outside a great deal (as I live in a city racked by poor air quality).

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You didn't mention it, but if you have not seen a doctor (preferably a pulmonary specialist) then I would urge to do that very soon. My diagnosis was COPD related to chronic bronchitis. It almost assuredly was caused by the years of smoking I had done. The important thing is to get treatment early as, while COPD isn't curable, the symptoms can be greatly reduced and life extended. I cannot comment on what you should be taking in the way of meds, or what other means you might employ to decrease your symptoms. Nor should you accept and act on advice from anyone that isn't a doctor that has examined you. I can very much relate to the urge to avoid this. I did, just refusing to believe there was anything wrong until I could not deny it anymore and even then I attempted to self prescribe meds based on reading on the web. It was a mistake as I was doing nothing in particular to improve my condition until I did see a doctor. Medical advice you might get will likely draw from the many meds that approach the problem from one of two (or both) approaches. The first will likely be an inhaled bronchial dialator,(a beta agonist) which will relax and enlarge air passageways to increase air volume that reaches your lungs. It may come in a combination with other drugs that serve to reduce mucus production and/or mucus density (such as the guaifenesin you are already using), to speed up expectoration. There are many of these kinds of drugs and the best for your case would best be prescribed by a doctor you can work with. It may take a while to find the best. A second therapy that may be prescribed is the use of steriods such as your Qvar, a fluticasone propionate or even prednisilone. These can be very helpful but have side affects and need close management. In the case of these, they can do little to stop an "attack". For that, a bronchial dilator is a first choice for bronchial conditions with symptoms similar to yours. If you are seeing a doctor you should discuss this. For me the best med, with the most symptom relief has been Spiriva. Good luck in your search for relief.