What meds should I take?

I frequently get  sinus drainage going down the back of my throat that gives me a bad sore throat, and then a day or two later a bad cough.  I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a very large amount of mucous going down my throat.  If I swallow it gets into my stomach, or if I am sleeping I imagine it goes into my bronchial area.  Should I take a decongestant or an antihistamine to try to get a grip on this?  The drainage is mostly  thin and yellow.  I get bronchitis (or next to it) quite easily.  I don't know if I should get an anti-histamine to dry everything up, or a decongestant or expectorant.
Thanks for any replies.

[National Jewish]

This is not an easy question to answer. Antihistamines may cause the drainage dry up and not be a problem. However, it may make the mucus thicker and more difficult for you to cough up and away. A trial of a small dose might give you the answer to this.
A decongestant may make the mucus thinner and easier to deal with. However, it may increase the sensation of the drainage because it will run thinner. Again, only a short trial will let you know the effect.
Another approach is using an inhaled nasal steroid. This can decrease the inflammation and decrease the drainage.
Hope this helps.

[starion]

Dear Starfire,
Sorry there are no clear & easy answers I know of for post-nasal drip.
Post-nasal drip can be caused by many different things--do you have allergies?  It can be caused by allergies.  It can also be caused by a viral or bacterial infection.  When the mucous is yellow, it may be an infection.  In any case, I would suggest discussing it with your doctor, particularly if it occurs frequently and often leads to bronchitis.  The prescription antihistimines and steroid nasal sprays can help with minimal side effects, particularly if the post-nasal drip is caused by an allergy.  If you have an infection which needs antibiotics to be cleared up, your doctor will need to prescribe them anyway.
I have allergies & am regularly taking Zyrtec (prescribed antihistimine--none of the others work at all for me), nasal saline & Flonase (nasal steroid) to control my allergic post-nasal drip.  I also have allergy-control barriers on all my bedding.  When the mucous gets yellow for me, it is a sign of respiratory infection & I take prescribed antibiotics.  Hope this is helpful.  
There are various over-the-counter remedies, but many of them are shorter-acting and have more side effects (including drowsiness and/or jitteriness) than the prescription medications.  In any case, please drink lots of fluids & discuss using a saline nasal spray with your doc as well.
Aloha,
Starion--thriving in HI

[starfire]

Thanks for your reply, starion, but I don't seem to have any post nasal drip with this.  Nor do I have any known allergies  (except for aproxen).  I have been drinking a lot of fluids today, and the sore throat doesn't seem to be as bad right now, but then again, I imagine it will hurt more when I get up tomorrow.  I AM starting to cough with it.  It DOES seem to always bother the left side of my throat more than the right, and there have been times when I get those gross white pus pockets on my left tonsil.  (sorry to be so graphic.)
My husband got me some Sudafed today, and I think MAYBE it has helped some.

[Victoryia]

cough, cold, and sinus meds can be tricky to suggest to someone else. Many of the meds for those things can't be taken by some people with other medical conditions.

One instance is, with people who have rapid heart rate taking some of those over the counter or rx'd meds can make it much worse which could be dangerous.

Also, often high blood pressure and couch and cold meds do not mix.

[starion]

Dear Friends,
It's always best for us to work with our docs, to be sure that whatever we do is best for US, since we are all individuals and do have different reactions & different conditions.
I would strongly recommend talking with your doctor to see what suggestions and recommendations he/she has.  It is really tricky to stop the sinus drainage at the best of times & sometimes we even need specialists to help us on these issues--an allergist or even an ear, nose, throat specialist might be recommended by your doctor if he/she can't help you.
Aloha,
Starion--thriving in HI

[starfire]

Thanks for all your comments.  I have been taking Sudafed, and now I have the laryngitis that always follows the first few symptoms.  Fortunately, my throat isn't hurting quite as much, but my nose is more congested.  
I will probably continue with the Sudafed, and maybe take some Robitussin CF to try to keep a grip on the cough that is starting as well.

[starion]

Dear Friend,
Just curious, have your doctors ever considered gastroesophogeal reflux disease?  Sometimes it can cause sore throat & lung symptoms & is frequently missed as a consideration by even the most conscientious of doctors.  Here's more info about it.  There are great prescription medications to help control GERD if that's what your docs figure out that you have.

http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/reflux.html

Aloha,
Starion