Neti pot with saline rinse and maybe a drop or two of grapefruit seed extract. Save some of that saline solution to gargle afterward.
I always have some pseudoephedrine antihistamine (the kind you have to go to the pharmacy counter for) for when it really gets bad and I can feel it spreading to my sinuses and ears.
I take generic version of Zyrtec daily.
Have been able to keep the wprst of it at bay tis way, but it really is a multi-step process...
Tuesday I had a sore throat and a stuffy nose. Wednesday same thing and I took a Theraflu Honey Lemon Tea Infusion and that made me feel a little better. I also have been drinking green tea with honey and Twinnings Lemon and Ginger tea as well. Today my nose is still stuffy and my throat isnt sore (I took Aleve and more Theraflu tea) BUT it feels like it needs to be cleared like something is there. When I do clear it, it feels like that is not enough and something is still stuck. Been drinking about 3-4 500ml water bottles daily. Anything to fix constant throat clearing? I can deal with stuffy nose but this constant throat clearing is what is really bothering me. It doesnt hurt just very annoying...
Pharmacy Student here: How long has this been going on for? What other symptoms are you experiencing?
When you saw the ENT, what was their assessment?
It's quite possible it's allergies, and persistent allergies can go on for months. I can see someone here recommended benadryl. Benadryl can thicken up the mucus, and can also make you drowsy, so possibly a better option would be aerius or claritin, which are non-drowsy. A great idea is to get someone at the drugstore to help you select from the large range of products.
also tip: if you're not suffering from congestion, DON'T GET THE 12 HOUR FORMULA OF CLARITIN OR AERIUS. The 12 hour formulations contain decongestant which you don't need if you don't have congestion. 24 hour formulation works just fine and you only have to take it once a day.
Whatever you decide to do with your post nasal drip, make sure you get assessed to just rule out if it's anything other than allergies. All of us here are recommending ideas based on very limited information.
Hey guys,
Im new to this community, i just registered to reddit to see if i could find a cure to my condition and also if i could find people with similar cases...
Since i’ve read almost all posts i could find about the topic i can confirm that this condition NPD (Post Nasal Drip) sucks and there is many people suffering like me, i cant remember when it started but has been at least 10 years (im 26 years old)
I’ve done many treatments such as claritine sp, claritin D, allegra, nasal sprays, nasal washes, i had my adenoid glands removed, my nasal turbinates reduced, seen many allergists, done several allergy tests (im allergic to mites), constantly use dehumidifier in room, use anti mite bed sheets.
Everything helps but it does not make the dripping go away for good.
Im also allergic to NSAIDs, so the spectrum of medicine i can take is small...
I have not tried yet the immunological treatment for allergies because it usually takes from 2-3 years, so i dont want to waste time and money on something that wont probably cure me...
If anyone that has done it please share your experience.
I have also been told by an ENT, it may be caused by gastric reflux but i dont have any symptoms, so i doubt about it.
Also, i would appreciate if someone could share some alternative medicine, such as acupuncture or herbs... that has worked..
Finally, the big question is, has anyone cured from this ???
Please let me read possitive experiences.
Thanks a lot.
For the longest time, I used a down blanket because I liked how heavy and warm it is. I figured my postnasal drip was because I'm allergic to cats but I have (and love) a cat.
When we moved, we ended up just throwing out the down blanket because it was ripped and we didn't want to haul all those feathers to the new house.
Things got SO MUCH BETTER. I'm still allergic to my cat but that doesn't stop me from loving on her and sometimes letting her sleep right in the bed with me, but now that I'm not rolling around in feathers, I feel a lot better. (Also, I told this story to my dad, who realized he ALSO used a down blanket and ALSO had postnasal drip from hell. We figure we're both allergic to down, lol.)
Several months ago I started posting here in hopes to get advice for remedies about chronic post nasal drip (constant throat clearing - constant needing to blow my nose - daytime and nighttime nasal congestion - no OTC allergy meds work - general miserableness) Posing here with a possible remedy that I hope make help someone.
First I felt like my air purifier wasn't cleaning the air as well as it should be. I was having to dust daily inside my bedroom and noticed my allergy and asthma symptoms were worse this year. When I would vacuum my bedroom (the only room in my apartment with carpet) the empty canister would be full of dust and lint by the time I was done vacuuming less than 100 square feet of carpet. I did some research about air purifiers since I was tired of cleaning every day. Found out my Ionic Turbo air purifier -- that I've had for 10+ years -- generates OZONE which is TOXIC to humans. Before covid I would typically keep it out in the living room to suck up cooking odors from the kitchen from seeping into my furniture but I moved it into my bedroom since I was spending more time in there while I WFH. Could visibly see it was cleaning some crud out of the air when cleaning the plates (its "filter"), but it was simultaneously polluting the air. I threw it out three weeks ago and within a couple of days, my asthma was 80% better. I purchased a new air purifier that is Asthma-Allergy Foundation approved HEPA air filter with a carbon pre-filter. I have had to dust ONCE in the past two weeks compared to dusting daily before. I am sneezing and coughing a lot less and have not had to take a single allergy pill since the day I brought it home.
Secondly I finally went to see an ENT doctor about the post nasal drip the same week I threw out my Ionic air purifier. He said it happens to a lot of people living in cities with poor air quality and the city where we live has had terrible air quality this year due to being situated perfectly to catch all the smoke from the wild fires out west plus the Saharan Dust Cloud from June. He gave me a cup of alkaline water to drink. And he said "in 10 minutes, tell me how your mucus is in your throat." He did a quick head CT to look for a deviated septum (which I do have). And after the mucus (post nasal drip) was nearly gone. He explained something about a high ph water helps clear out mucus, which is why gargling salt water helps (but he said drinking it would be better but it tastes nasty). So he recommended finding an alkaline water with a ph of 9+ to keep in hand for sipping on days when the mucus is bad. I keep a bottle of Essentia (9.5+ ph) and it does help clear out my post nasal drip and mucus better than Mucinex or any medication.
Third I got a cool mist humidifier finally for sleeping. I have always had a warm vapor humidifier for when I get bronchitis or pneumonia after the common cold. The cool mist helps shrink the inflammation in my nasal passages thus helps me to breathe better at night, and I think this helps with the deviated septum issue as well.
Are my allergies and asthma cured? No. But they sure as hell are a lot better and my quality of life is better too. I have gone from overly medicated with OTC allergy meds, Sudafed, and Mucinex daily to no meds in the last three weeks. I can't say this will be the case when the tree pollen explodes in spring but I at least can now enjoy a winter where my allergies and asthma aren't making me miserable every day.
Well that's all I have right now. I hope this information helps someone else who is suffering with the same issues as I have been. Peace.
UPDATE 2: Also changed my diet to a GERD-friendly diet. Basically nothing spicy, super fatty/fried, acidic, or carbonated. Holy shit! I can breathe normally again! I also did a 14-day course of a PPI inhibitor OTC drug and it helped a lot. Tomato sauces and spicy foods were a staple in my diet. I will miss pizza and Thai food but they are worth giving up to have a better quality of life and sleep. So my doc was on the right track about heartburn being the cause of my breathing issues and post nasal drip. For anyone who is suffering the same way, I suggest an elimination diet and see if that helps your "sinusitis."