The chronic use of p-adrenergic inverse agonists such as nadolol, carvedilol, and ICI-118,551 provides an improved method for the treatment of mucus hypersecretion in subjects with such mucus hypersecretion. One aspect of a method according to the present invention is a method of preventing or controlling mucus hypersecretion in the respiratory tract comprising administering a therapeutically effective quantity of a p-adrenergic inverse agonist to a subject with mucus hypersecretion or at risk o...