constant throat clearing

[tamncam]

I have constant mucus in my throat, mostly white or clear ( sometimes in the morning a little brown and dry). I feel like the mucus is coming from my sinuses, because i have to suck from my nose and spit from my mouth, i also have a dry non-productive cough, well more like a cough then clearing my throat for about 11 months, also some wheezing when i take a deep breath in, and also when i breath in real deep, theres pain in my upper back ( i think that might be a pinched nerve,it happened about 8 weeks ago, and has not been a symptom for long). in feb 05 went to dr. dx'd me with bronchitis, gave me augmenten, prednisone, got somewhat better, but still trying to cough and clear throat and drainage. ( drainage all day ) . went back in May same symptons, got chest xray, it was normal, dr. gave me clyndimycin, nasal steroid and nasal saline spray, took all , still symptoms exist. in oct. 05 saw an ENT sent me for a BA swallow, it was normal, said he thinks it's my allergies, NO HELP. In nov. went to urg. care w/ pulled muscle, and pain in upper back, dr. said pulled muscle and plurisy, another chest x ray, said it looked good, gave me flexeril and decadron shot for plurisy, felt a lot better as far as back goes, but still have other symptoms, and upper back still has pain. dec. made appt. w/ a new dr., still drainage, wheezing, coughing to clear throat, dr. gave me TB test ( came back good),chest x ray again normal,gave me levaquin,zyrtec,flonase,and advair inhaler, i feel little better, but still have symptoms. What shoule I do? Never any MEDICAL PROBLEMS, want to be better!!!

[National Jewish]

Your nose and sinuses are the most likely cause of the constant drainage.  An antihistamine, like Zyrtec® (cetirizine), can dry up the postnasal drip.  However, it may make the mucus thicker and more difficult to move.  A decongestant can thin the postnasal drip.  A combination antihistamine-decongestant will do both.  Check with your doctor to see if Zyrtec-D® (cetirizine/pseudoephedrine), a combination antihistamine-decongestant, would help you more.  Often a prescription antihistamine and decongestant are taken only when the postnasal drip gets bad.  It may be more helpful to take the antihistamine and decongestant on a regular basis.

Your sinuses may well be the source of the infections.  The best way to identify a sinus infection is with a sinus CT scan.  I would recommend that you seek a second opinion from a different ENT and that you try nasal washes.  While the nasal saline spray that you are using will loosen, a nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from the nose and sinuses.  This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip.  Please read our nasal wash treatment information at http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/treatments/alt-ther/nasal-wash.aspx to learn more about this technique.  Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment.

A prescription nasal steroid spray can decrease mucus production by decreasing the inflammation in the nose and sinuses.  To get the most help from a nasal steroid spray use it after doing a nasal wash.  A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms.  It may take several weeks of routine use to become effective.  Sometimes it takes the antihistamine, the decongestant, and the nasal wash followed by the nasal steroid spray ALL used routinely to keep the postnasal drip from bothering you.

It is doubtful that the cause of your symptoms will be evident on a chest x-ray.  However spirometry may be helpful.  This is a simple breathing test that measures how your lungs are working.  It will show if there is obstruction in your airways that could be the cause of your wheezing when you take a deep breath and your dry cough.

Your upper back pain is probably unrelated to your drainage.  You should also have x-rays, of your upper back and neck areas, or maybe even magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

[ozark]

have you been tested for reflux?  this could cause your problems...you should probably have a ph probe done to rule it out    good luck

[Suzi777]

My Nephew was constantly clearing his throat. So my brother took him to an Allergist. He did the basic Allergy tests and found that he was allergic to a ton of stuff in his home. Mold, dust, pet dander  etc. They had to clean their home from top to bottom and bought an air purifier (filter needs to be changed frequently though) It did seem to help, so my brother has said. Good luck, hope you find out what the cause is.

[Inanga]

i had the same problem and it turned out to be a food allergy to corn/maize. Avoidance work really well as long as I read the labels thoroughly. Also I found a low dose of antihistamine helped - for example about 1 or 2 ml of zyrtec helps if I eat something I shouldn't. that's only about 1/10th of the normal dose. Good luck.

[Inanga]

i should have mentioned that the way I discovered this was to do an elimination diet - in summary: start with a minimal diet until symptoms go away, then introduce foods one at a time until symptoms appear. There are pitfalls - some reactions don't appear for days. I started with bread and water - but the bread was a problem (1% maize). So at that stage it wasn't clear there was a food issue. I'd consult a professional who can guide you through and run some tests.

[rflchamps]

I have the constant Post Nasal Drip and throat clearing as a result of it.  This has bothered me for about eighteen years and just keeps getting worse.  Being a stand up comedian, this really hampers my profession.

On December 8,2005 I was doing a show in Virgina and saw a local doctor there.  She gave me Tussionex and within the hour of the first dosage the drainage stopped.  The next week was wonderful as I was even able to cough up stuff for the first time in a long time.

I have tried the 8 mg dosage of Chlorpheniramine but it doesn't work. I have taken hydrocodone before with dental problems and I know that after taking it I get the itch in the nose for about five minutes.

I am convinced that this is a cure and that the Chlorpheniramine somehow bonds to the hydrocodone to be most affective.  Problem is ofcourse that it is a narcotic and no doctor will give that on a daily bases for the rest of my life.

Are there any other drugs that could possibly bond with the Chlorpheniramine and take it right to the nasal area?

I have done all the alergy (allergy) testing three times.  Head xray, Barium swallow, and all the prescription sprays, decongestants and antihistamines.  Nothing has ever worked but this.

Steve

[janzibel]

The only thread of a possible solution I found in another comment, which I am definitely going to try.  This person was given Levaquin, 500 mg, for 30 days & has had good success with it.  The reason why I think this might be a very good answer to this horrid phlegm problem that we are all writing about & almost willing to sell our soul for a resolution is this:  I used to have this excess phlegn problem following a 10 day regimen of antibiotics for a sinus infection, however, after a couple of weeks it would go away, until about 5 yrs ago, when, it decided to call my body home.  I think for some of us, a regular 10 day regimen of antibiotics cures the primary problem, but does not completely get rid of all of it, thus, we are left with this lovely coughing till we puke to try to get out the nasty phlegm to no avail.  I would give my I teeth, not to have to go through this constant hacking up stuff that looks like an alien life form.
I have an appt with an allergist that my husband has seen and I'm going to prompt him for the levaquin.  He currently has my husband on it just in order to clear out his sinuses enough so that the ENT can go in & do surgery for his chronic sinusitus.
I hope this info can help any of you out there going through this unwelcome guest in our lifes.

[ferckle]

A related discussion, clearing throat was started.