Which type of medication is used to relieve coughing?

Antitussives are medications specifically designed to suppress or relieve coughing. They work by affecting the cough reflex in the brain, thereby reducing the urge to cough. This can be particularly helpful when coughing serves no beneficial purpose, such as during a common cold or flu, and can lead to discomfort and disrupted sleep.

Expectorants, on the other hand, are used to loosen mucus in the airways, making it easier to cough it up, and thus are generally not used to suppress coughs. Bronchodilators are primarily used to widen the air passages in conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and do not directly address coughing symptoms. Analgesics are pain-relieving medications that do not have an effect on coughs either. Therefore, antitussives are the appropriate choice for relieving coughing specifically.