Summarize:

If your bronchitis symptoms last for more than one week without any sign of improvement, make an appointment with your physician.  Additionally, if your symptoms are getting progressively worse, consult your doctor.  Schedule an appointment with your doctor if your cough persists for over one month. Call the doctor as soon as possible if you begin coughing up blood, having difficulty breathing, developing a fever, or feeling especially weak or ill. You should also schedule an appointment if your feet begin to swell, as congestive heart failure can cause backup of fluid into the lungs, resulting in a chronic cough. Sometimes people mistake this for bronchitis. Contact your doctor if you begin coughing up a bad-tasting fluid. This is usually caused by stomach acid coming up from the stomach and dripping down into the lungs during sleep. A doctor will prescribe an acid-reducing medication to deal with this particular type of bronchitis. A doctor may prescribe an antibiotic if he or she suspects that a bacterial infection is setting in. Be aware that there is no concrete evidence that antibiotics are helpful in the resolution of acute bronchitis if it is viral, not bacterial.  Under normal circumstances, a doctor will not prescribe an antibiotic. Bronchitis is most commonly caused by a virus and antibiotics only fight bacterial infections. If you begin coughing up more mucus or if that mucus becomes thicker, you may have a bacterial infection. This is when your doctor will usually prescribe an antibiotic as the appropriate treatment. These antibiotic treatments usually last anywhere from five to 10 days. These medications are usually used to treat asthma. They might be prescribed if your bronchitis makes it difficult to breathe. A bronchodilator generally comes in the form of an inhaler. The medicine is sprayed directly into the bronchial tubes, where it opens the tubes and clears out mucus. If you have chronic bronchitis, you may need long-term therapy to strengthen your weakened lungs. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a special breathing exercise program. A respiratory therapist works with you one-on-one, designing an exercise plan that will slowly build up your lung capacity while helping you to breathe more easily.
Know when to see the doctor. Discuss antibiotics with your doctor. Find out about prescription bronchodilators. Consider checking into pulmonary rehabilitation.