Sympathetic System Overactive?

Hi, I have been having this thick saliva in my throat for about a year now, tried acid reflux treatment, allergy treatment.. been to 3 different ENT doctors and countless regular doctors and no solution.

The last ENT doctor I went to said that my sympathetic system is out of sync (he called it hyperfuntion overactive) now I have tried searching online and have not found any reference to thick glue like saliva (often really thick and white) and the sympathetic system. Often it is worse in times off stress and every morning when i wake up it seems like it has gone away until my brain kicks into gear.

Anyone hear of this? Any help will be grateful as this thick saliva is really effecting my quality of life.

[Jules77733]

Were you diagnosed as having acid reflux? Usually, this done via an upper endoscopy and clinical symptoms. Thick saliva is often correlated to acid reflux, which is why you probably tried acid reflux treatment already. The reason I ask is because some patients don't respond favorably to acid reflux treatments, especially if they have a particularly severe case. Rather than discounting acid reflux as the cause of your thick saliva just because you aren't responding to conventional treatments wouldn't be wise, as the list of diseases/conditions causing thick saliva is short.

I've never really heard of your sympathetic system being out of sync and causing thick saliva, though I have heard of it "being out of sync". Do you have any other symptoms; particularly, anything gastrointestinal? Do you recall when this started--perhaps, a result of a certain incident? How old are you and are you a male or a female? (these questions are for the consideration of some genetic diseases I have in mind)

[GAGG]

Thanks for the reply. When it is at its worse i get a tight throat and find it hard to swallow, no problems swallowing food or liquid but when I try and swallow away the saliva caught in my throat. Also when the saliva is really thick and white I get this weird taste in my mouth when trying to bring the saliva up and a strange almost like tingling sensation on my two top back teeth and edge of lips and I get this strange urge to wriggle my toes and am very restless. The only lump I feel in my throat is a ball of saliva and when I hack it up the lump is gone for about 10 minutes. I have only had a burning sensation once since this saliva started and that was after I got the hiccups but no heart burn or any other burning sensation.

It seems to go in cycles, some times I have a productive cough, sometimes the saliva is thick and clear and gets stuck on my epiglottis and irritates it, other times it is really thick (almost solid) and white, sometimes it just disappears.

I am a nervous person and get irritated and stressed really easy often over stupid things, I am a 37 year old male, on and off again smoker, often go months without smoking and never been a heavy smoker and it is definitely not coming from my lungs.

I live in a country where health care is free but the problem with this system I need to be referred and no doctor believes it is serious enough :/ I have though about going privately but it has never gotten worse over the year. The ENT doctors have looked down my throat  with a mirror though and couldn't see any problems, same with my sinuses.

[GAGG]

Oh currently no gastrointestinal problems but I did have a sore upper stomach (just below the sternum sp?) for about a year that the doctors put down to wind caused by stress, it got really bad at one stage and i had green stools and a really bad fever but it has since gone away now.

[Jules77733]

Have they considered cystic fibrosis? I know you don't fit the profile, but this sounds awfully similar. Do any genetic diseases run in your family (autoimmune, etc.)?

[GAGG]

No, although I haven't had a chest x-ray all the doctors I have been to say my lungs are fine. I am also hacking the stuff up from my throat rather than my lungs and sometimes when it is really watery it just pools in my mouth. I also don't or haven't had any chest infections or any infections for that matter.

" At least 97 percent of men with cystic fibrosis are sterile", my wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl 3 days ago :)

I am going to see a ENT doctor on monday for something unrelated so I will bring it up with him anyway.

[nalummulan]

I RECENTLY HAD ALLERGY TESTING   and found out i was allergic to lots of things.. partial list is.... dust mites, cotton lint, and like 8 of 10 molds they tested for and one of the biggest complaints was thick  mucus,...  other problems were runny nose, drainage, light headedness, soar throat... oh and  some times ear pain... anyway over the counter allergy med   has helped alot but dose make me tired ... they gave me other meds so far  allergy med  helps most... long storey short... maybe allergy testing would help you...
what i  found out was like molds cross over into  our foods so... i  am having allergic sensativity to lots of foods like cheese  of all kinds.... cottage cheese to sour cream   anything  with vinager, nuts, shell fish,  and tomato sauces also have mold in them so i am told like  spaggeti sauces to salsa....  also  it seems now that  the cold weather triggers  simular body responces....   good luck finding help i feel for you. it is awful to  try to find help and hit the wall of unsimpathetic dr.s  who don't understand what your going thru.

[nalummulan]

i meant to say also i have   SYSTEMIC  LUPUS...  which is ( long storey short)  an over active system  my body  over reacts to things... and some literature i have read recently suggests we  are 70 times more likely to have allergies ( i had  my problems for  at least 10 years )  I WENT TO  ENT 10 YEARS  AGO with these complants and recently was refered  back to  the ent  because they had become  much more sever ....    he  even said well  he didnt believe i had allergies because i was not "sneezing"... but guess what.... i had many allergies...  so... anyway it  may be worth looking into.....

[tenacious_d]

Hi Gagg

My name is Diana and my mom has the exact same symptoms you are having.  I have taken her to her primary care physcian, ENT's, and Gastroenterology Specialist.  It has been going on for over 3 years. No one can find anything wrong with her.  She is so uncomfortable she spits her saliva out into a cup all day long, every day!  She has even cut back to eating once per day because it is such a hassle.  I am wondering if you have found any causes or treatments?

[GAGG]

I am much better now after having it for almost a year, it just seemed to have cleared up on its own, although i do get it again in times of stress. So I believe it is all anxienty related, I believed that since i stress and worry a lot I was always thinking about it and worried that i had some deadly disease and it just never cleared up. You might want to see if she can get prescribed a short term prescription of a benzodiazepine (xanax, lexotan etc) and if that helps you know it is all stress and anxiety related.

Does you mum also have occasional somach problems like gas and gas related pains and sometimes loose stools?

[scander]

I am an internist and have experience good result with a medication called bisolvon or generic bromhexidine 3 t.dailt one tab.
Try it and let me know.

ale

[lynny1402]

i have the same problem when i get the excessive saliva in my mouth it tastes metallic and it happens day and night i ahve had it two years now they want to do ray treatment on my glands  i just hope it works

[nalummulan]

I ALMOST DIED ON AMBIEN THEY SAID IT WAS A DEPRESENT AND IT WAS DEPRESSING   EVERYTHING. ( and i  dont mean mentally... i was  frustrated cause i  felt so bad... but i was not depressed mentally, It  GOT TO THE POINT I COULD BARLY FUNCTION. WENT TO MANY ,MANY DRS  FINALLY CAME ACROSS THIS ONE  noticed i was on ambien took me off it and i got batter   in every way the phlem problem and  many other things ( i almost commited suiside it got so bad!!!!!! i was in pain and  thought i  had heart problems cause i  could  barely walk with out getting out of breath and exausted... but i am convinced the thick  phem  was  even caused by the  physically depressed  state  i was in.,.. i was told that ambien was a narcotic that  ( was  putting  people to sleep so they marketed it as a  sleeping  pill) i cant  imagine all the people that have gone thru  hell cause of this medicine!!!!!! like i said i almost commited suicide it had me feeling  like  i had mono... i wish i could warn  people ...  so if  by chance u r on ambien... my advice would be  stop or at least have a  long discussion  with your dr ...  an never never  use ambien  every night... !

[jojo984]

I have the same things that you described. Are you better..... My quality of life has been affected seriously for the last 3 years. I have seen many specialists, been operated for reflux, yet I remain very uncomfortable