Mucus in throat

[Sally1234567]

Someone told me that eating dairy stuff causes excessive mucus in the back of ur throat. I have this problem when I lie down in bed. Anyone else have this prob?

[Hidden]

Yes i have it as a classic feature of my Sjögren's. I avoid dairy for other reasons but it makes no difference to the thicker saliva.

[Wengc]

I have limited scleroderma and mucus in my throat....it has got much less since I reduced dairy, and I notice an increase when my dairy consumption increases....I try to be dairy free not always successfully....

[Gillg]

I have same problem. I'm trying lactose free milk at the moment to see if it helps

[marilynmcl]

Yes...not just lying down in bed though...all the time....so much that it escapes down the sides of my mouth and I dribble like a teething baby! I have no awareness of the dribbling...until I feel it wet on my chin...most embarrassing! I take carbocisteine capsules for helping with the thick mucus from the damage to my lungs but not sure if this is what is causing this excessive saliva. Good luck going forward for you though!

[cpns in reply to marilynmcl]

I use Carbocistene / Mucodene as I seem to produce thick mucus on my lungs which is difficult to shift. I spend most of the autumn & winter coughing as if I have consumption, just trying to stop the crackling in my lungs. I didn't realise that the congestion had anything to do with my Raynauds, or scleroderma - none of the doctors ever said - I just thought it was a part of being me!

[marilynmcl in reply to cpns]

I never had any problems with mucus or too much saliva until after I became unwell with hospitalisation for pneumonia and was then examined and tested for scleroderma. After the coughing went on for over a year they sent me for xrays and scans to find out my lungs are affected and damaged by systemic sclero. The cyclophosphamide and subsequent meds of mycophenalate are to stop the progression of further damage to the lungs. They have told me that it seems to be working but the damage is irreversible for my lungs. I get regular lung function tests and am being sent for further tests on my swallowing as I am having a wee problem with that..not a big one hopefully as already had this checked out last year with barium meal ..yuk..test and it was okay -but it has gradually became worse on swallowing ..need to drink a lot between mouthfuls. Another happy stance on this lovely S.sclero. disease!

Anyway....hope you feel a wee bit better with your mucus problem knowing you are not on your own with this. Just make sure that you can cough it up when it starts to choke you a bit...I keep paper hankies handy at all times so I can spit it out instead of swallowing it...this leads to me being sick if I do that! Isn't it wonderful!! NOT!!

Take care and feel better soon pet.x ps never did take a lot of dairy products by the way....would say that if it helps you not to eat a lot or drink a lot of it then great! But...I never ate much [including anything dairy] of anything for months...lost two dress sizes in weight and still produced loads of mucus!

[Delissedoesclay in reply to marilynmcl]

Wow never thought that the thick mucus was part of this I cough and clear my throat quite a bit I been gargling with sea salt twice a day now seems to help with not getting sick I also use the Nettie pot

I have an ulcer on my index finger is quite pain full it's from the raynaud's it's been there sense June I just started taking a herb for circulation and it seems to help it's starting to heal haven't been to my art studio for a real long time because of my hand and the pain the warmer I am the better I feel I am at the point can't drink anything cold or I have purplish fingers so I've been doing lots warm stuff I am really tired feel lIke I am dragging so started taking vitamins do any of you have acid reflux also ok enough for one night

[marilynmcl in reply to Delissedoesclay]

The type of Ssc. I have is internal...it has damaged my lungs and this is why I have the trouble with thick mucus and cough...not necessarily everyone who has Ssc. will have same....some get problems with their skin tightening...I don't have this -yet. So, if you haven't been checked out for lung problems maybe you should say to your rheumatologist about this just to be on the safe side. Best wishes going forward pet.

[resilient7 in reply to cpns]

I have had catarrah in the throat for years now. i thought it was a result of having repeated attacks of laryngitis in the winter though I get the problem all the year round. Maybe it could be linked to Sjogrens which i think I have had for years (still not properly diagnosed). Are your drugs working for you cpns ?

[cpns in reply to resilient7]

I have real problems with any cold I get leading to a self perpetuating cycle of coughing - leading to increasingly thick mucus - created by my body to clear whatever is causing me to cough, which in turn causes me to cough more & so on until I reach the point that it is out of control & treated with steroids & antibiotics. I am 50 & was diagnosed with asthma at 14 having had whooping cough (despite vaccination in infancy) . I had always been treated for asthma which had limited affect & in 2012 following another surprise diagnosis of whooping cough - only diagnosed through a blood test when I refused to fill out a depression questionnaire (3 months of sleeping upright in your bed, when you work full time will take you to that place!) Since then I have been given Mucodyne 375mg capsules (Carbocisteine) x 4 a day. I work in a day nursery full of walking disease magnets all too happy to share! So whenever we hit the coughs & colds season I put myself on these & take them diligently until we all look healthier. It helps anything I pick up to pass easier. I never really thought that it could be linked to my scleroderma. I do have bi-annual lung function tests & heart scans, but in truth my Raynauds & Scleroderma treatment does feel a bit like sticking plasters on the surface of very much bigger problems. But, I think that the Carbocisteine tablets are certainly worth a try, I have had some success & no side effects so far. I would certainly raise it with your specialist. Having read all of these posts I am going to ask at my next appointment for more details on this area of my health & treatment - so a big thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences - between you all, you are the best specialist I have spoken to!!!

[marilynmcl]

Oh....and forgot to say.....I don't eat much dairy products at all.

[Delissedoesclay in reply to marilynmcl]

Yes I found that I do better without dairy it's hard in the cold months not to have any though I love 1/2 & 1/2 in my coffee I know when I don't do dairy I don't have as much mucus

[marilynmcl]

and never drink any milk!

[Hidden]

I have thick mucus in my throat, especially when laying down. It has gotten better since I have the acid reflux under better control.

[nanapat112]

I had this problem. the specialist put a camera up my nose, he said it was post nasal drip. He also said it was made worse by cheese & chocolate. I have cut then out. My cough is much better now. It can also be due the acid re flux. It damages the back of the throat & causes me to cough day and night.

[Delissedoesclay in reply to nanapat112]

I also have this problem

some times I had to sleep sitting up

it is not fun

[bertreeed]

Yes,

I switched to non-dairy but I do still eat feta cheese.

[cowhide]

There is actually published research that shows there is no link between dairy and increased mucus production but that this belief is so widespread that many people convince themselves of it. For example, a randomised double blind trail with people being given soy or cows' milk (flavoured to mask the different taste), with some (who believe the milk-mucus link) reporting the same apparent sensory responses to the placebo (soy milk) as to real milk e.g. reported 'thicker saliva, harder to swallow;. The conclusion is though, that as some people are so convinced that there is then if they feel better by reducing dairy then professionals are better not to argue with them.

However, they must make sure that they continue to eat a well balanced diet - for example, dairy is the biggest source of iodine in a normal diet. Many young women are deficient in iodine due to low dairy intake and this can impact on foetal development if they are pregnant.