Problems with post nasal drip..can anyone help

[carole]

I am having a real problem with this at the moment, a month ago i kept getting a sore throat and sore ear, so went to the doctor who said i had post nasal drip and gave me a decongestant to take, it worked and for about two weeks i felt ok, of course it has now returned, i have a permanent sore throat, and sore ears, especially my right ear, it aches all day long, and i feel like i am going to get a chest infection, i assume it is the same problem as i feel exactly the same.

I know this is a common problem for a lot of people and wondered if you have any suggestions or remedies that work for you, i am not keen to go back to the doctor as i am certain he will just refer me to an ENT specialist, i guess i may have to go there eventually, i have always suffered from sinus/allergy problems, but this is something i have not endured continually before only once in a while.

So folks any suggestions would be welcome, i am feeling a tad miserable on a daily basis and just want to feel better. thanks.

[Catty1]

Hall's lozenges. :-)

[K9karen]

I know a lot of docs here, hesitate to prescribe antibiotics anymore, die to nonresistant strains of bacteria etc.

Anyway, I've suffered for years with bi-yearly severe sinus infections. Like clockwork, April and October (knock on wood I just jinxed myself)

Nothing, and I mean NOTHING works except major antiobiotics. However, I've been using saline solution spray every morning and night (I don't have allergies per se, but the ac makes the air dry) and notice a huge difference. I've heard a "netty pot" works wonders, used on a daily basis. It's like a teapot, filled with saline, whose spout is used in one nostril and then the other.

I feel for you. Sinus infections are gruesome and wicked and painful. I hate headaches especially. I feel for you, and I hope you find a solution, Carole. Hugs, Hugs, Hugs.

[Catty1]

RIGHT! I KNEW I forgot something. Glad it works so well for you Karen.

My mom's doc told her that the post-nasal drip comes from the body trying to keep the nasal passages moist when it's really dry. She suggested saline solution - comes in a nose-spray container(like Dristan), in the regular pharmacy, OTC.

But my mom never used it.

I did - mostly during colds, etc - and it is great.

[jennielynn1970]

I'd try that will dry you up a little. I've been using the generic of Zyrtec. It's not too bad.

If you get congestion in your chest, try Mucinex, with an expectorant. Normally that's what your post nasal drip can lead to, the chest congestion.

My mom's one friend swears by the Neti Pot, where you use the saline to irrigate the sinuses. I've found other types of applications other than the pot to do the irrigation. One was basically a squeeze bottle, and it works like a charm. Comes with premeasured salt packets for the saline solution. There are also great aerosol type can with saline in them. I use the Simply Saline brand. It's got a great nozzle on it.
Simply Saline

[carole]

Thanks all, i will give those ideas a go, i am doing an inhalation daily and taking an allergy pill nightly, which i do not want to keep taking all the time, feel a bit better today, i don't actually have a sinus infection, but of course it is all because of my sinuses i have these problems,here's hoping something works i am sick of having a sore throat and sore ear, no headaches so i guess that is something positive.

[Karen]

I take allergy medication all year round, that's all that keeps the congestion and post-nasal drip (and accompanying sore throat) away. The allergy meds I currently take have been discontinued by the manufaturer while they build a new plant (sigh) but a pharmacist suggested I try a combination of Coricidin and a Sudafed when my supply of Drixoril runs out.

[carole]

I do use a nasal spray for my allergy's all year round too, but this is the first time i have encountered this problem to this degree, it is always there now and does not seem to go away, despite me taking a allergy pill for the last week, and doing inhalations, i guess i will have to go see a doctor sooner or later, but i am in no hurry right now, forever hoping it will pass, drinking lots of water too, i read that helps break the mucous down,so here's hoping, thanks for all of your input everyone.

[jennielynn1970]

If you mean inhalations as in nasal spray, as in the medicated kind, did you know that you can end up using it too long and having the symptoms flare back up and be even worse?

I had use the prescription kind, Nasonex or something, and I didn't read the directions (oops), and it worked for the first week or so, but then got worse. Here you were supposed to use it for so many days, then off for so many, and back on, then off again.

I know they're all different, but just make sure if you are using the medicated sprays that this isn't happening to you.

[RedHedd]

Try the Neti pot or if you don't want to buy a special pot, use a measuring cup with a spout - makes it easier to get the saline solution up your nose. Basically, you're flushing out your sinuses with saline. Do it over a sink or in the shower - it's a messy process!

It helps keep my sinuses clear during the allergy time of the year. I do it regularly anyway as I was having horrible problems with sinus infections. No more infections since using the Neti pot (or method).

[columbine]

Drinking anything hot, either thermally (tea) or spicy (miso broth with a splash of tabasco) will loosen the secretions and make them more watery, so it's not so annoying in the back of your throat. Guaifenesin will do the same thing, but it's hard to find by itself except under the overpriced brand Mucinex (otherwise, it's usually mixed in cough syrups that make you feel like a zombie). I get it from guai-aid.com.

Love, Columbine

[carole]

When i mentioned inhalations, i meant putting hot steamy water with salt in it in a bowl, towel over the head and breathing in, does wonders for the skin on the face too, doctor told me to do these, i have been on an aqueous spray for allergies permanently, they are the type that are supposed to be ok, i know using sprays to clear the nose for longer than a week are a big NO NO, i do not have a blocked nose at all, today i feel a much better not such a sore throat or ear, maybe the inhalations are working and the allergy pill after all, fingers crossed, i think i need to invest in a neti pot though as you all suggested. thanks again everyone.