Hi I wonder if anyone can help me with this
I have this constant need to clear my throat it feels like I have phlegm on my chest but I very rarely cough and when I do there's nothing there, I have had cat scan and it's all clear ,I drive people nuts with this habit,i.m on various inhalers but make lots difference
Hi it sounds to me that you have post nasal drip (PND) that is a classic description of it the need to clear your throat. What I found helpful is being prescribed a nasal spray but douching my nose using Sterimer congestion relief which you can buy from Boots that is natural before hand. Do check with Asthma UK helpline or the asthma nurse at your GP surgery. PND wil make your asthma worse.
Hi if you have a constant need to clear your throat it could be post nasal drip. I have this too and my symptoms are a permanent drip down the back of my throat. I don't feel the need to clear my throat. This is probably because I am use to it. The cause of mine is nasal polyps which can be treated with steroid nasal drops. I have had my treated once successfully but not this time. I am waiting to see if my local NHS will agree funding to have them removed.
I use prescribed in Nasonex nasal spray one spray from two twice a day which really cleared my nose. I have douched my nose in the pass when I was really stuffed up. So I recommend doing this too.
My asthma doesn't seemed to be effected by it. However it can affect your asthma.
My recommendation is to talk to asthma UK helpline and see your GP.
Hope you find it useful. Any questions please ask.
Thank for your swift reply I can't feel anything down the back of my throat it feels more on my chest ,sometimes I get wheezy, I can go for hours at a time then for no apparent reason
it starts again have many people experienced this M.
It does sound a bit like PND... what happens is the mucus (sorry) from your nose drips down into your mouth and can ‘cover’ your windpipe protector (epiglottis). You then ‘clear’ your throat to shift the stuff off again. If left without ‘clearing’ (say overnight) it can start to make its way into your trachea which can then trigger off asthma (or asthma-like) symptoms such as wheeze. You don’t necessarily feel it happening but your body will automatically respond to it with throat clearing.
Like the others I’d advise either speaking to AUK or going to your GP and asking about PND and a steroid nasal spray.
Good luck and hope that helps explain things a little
Thank you so much M
I get like that when I am reacting to an allergen. Certrizine along with ventolin at that point stops it. Are you being constantly set off by triggers? X
I've been the same all my life it's horrible because you know your annoying people around you. I have found a salt inhaler does help.
I had a couple of patients who had this when I was working as a dentist which made doing treatment take longer .
You mention that this is a habit . Is there any way you could try to modify this response to this trigger
Perhaps try not to do it so frequently and wait longer and longer between clearing your throat
Z -
I recall phoning the asthma U.K. helpline and being told until my nose was sorted out my asthma wouldn’t improve. I think I’m yout situation phoning the nurses on the helpline is the best thing to do. They are specialist nurses and as well as being knowledgeable are friendly too.
I'm not sure if this matches. I was always coughing in my throat and getting a hoarse voice. it was after I switched to Symbicort and hadn't learnt the need to gargle with water after taking Symbicort.
If you are taking lots of inhalers, is it possible that one or all of them is attacking the back of your throat ? Gargling after usage solved the problem for me.
I have exactly the same problem. In fact, I originally thought it was affectation, as my father was always clearing his throat, until I was diagnosed with late onset asthma and fixed small airways obstruction. I have pointed out to the consultant that my medication (corticosteroid and long-acting bronchodilator dual inhaler) does nothing for the mucous, but he just checks my chest and says I'm OK! I'll try again next time I see him as I understand that carbocysteine is often prescribed for this, though the salt inhaler, which rattleben mentions, and N-acetyl cysteine (which is available from health shops) can also help.
Can I ask have you ever tried eliminating different food stuffs from your diet to see if the mucus goes away?
I'm fairly sure that cheese exacerbates it, so I don't eat much, but the problem is incredibly variable. The recent calm weather seems to have made it worse, and it's now improved as the wind has picked up. Also, it seems consistently looser than it was originally, possibly as a result of the inhaler, as Matman has mentioned. I tried wheat elimination last year for a week for bowel problems - didn't notice any difference in anything, but perhaps it was too short a period (though not for coeliac disease, I believe). I'm afraid I'm not a great believer in elimination diets; I was advised by a herbalist once to eliminate yeast, which also meant eliminating dairy and sugar - I was already underweight and lost more, and it made no difference to my health after 3 months!
Hi
I am amazed how many people only seem to be discussing what medicine to take, that only deals with the symptoms and not the cause. This condition is not uncommon and is being triggered by something you are eating. In my cousin's case it was oranges and citrus fruits. In my son's case it was wheat. I would try to go two weeks without wheat and dairy and see what happens. You could also try an elimination diet.
best of luck
Sounds like allergies to me hayfever tablets might help .
Might be PND but might also be loosening of Mucus near top of your chest as a result of Inhaler use (inhaler use can act in same fashion as an Expectorant Cough Mixture, loosening Mucus which then needs to be coughed up).
Many Asthmatics regularly produce mucus in their chest due to a few different reasons.
If Mucus you produce / expel when clearing your throat is thin and clear in colour, then at least you’ll know that Mucus is less likely to be infected. (Infected Mucus needs testing / treating).
Presence of Infection will normally be indicated when mucus is thicker than normal and also (though not always) coloured, typically yellow or green.
Inhaled steroids can sometimes also irritate lung lining including the lining near top of airway, resulting in greater mucus production, which can give rise to throat clearing / light coughing.
Definely worth having a word with your GP plus - if the symptoms you mention have been around for quite some time (say 8 Weeks or more) asking for an ENT referral so you can be checked out for Sinus Disease and / or Nasal Polyps.
I disagree that it could be post nasal drip, can I ask do you have this problem all year. I have infection induced asthma so if I get a cold or a chest issue I wheeze and generally need a weeks course of prednisone. Getting back to the clearing of the throat, this tends to be more active in Autumn through to winter. My doctor said it’s probably allergy related. There is a link beetween Asthma, hay fever and allergies and even my doctor said we don’t fully understand it. Just it all tends to be linked.
Yes I take clenil modulate reliever twice a day and Bricanyl reliever as and when required.
I must stress though for maybe 9 months of the year my asthma is and controlled and I don’t have to clear my throat during this time. It could be free sap I was once told.
Thankyou for your reply , yes i do have it all year round I don't think it is PND
Maybe try antihistamine, Claritiyn loratadine if it’s allergy related maybe that will fix it. Good luck
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