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.