Anyone else suffer with daily chronic phlegm ? - Thyroid UK

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Anyone else suffer with daily chronic phlegm ?

Maynan17 profile image
13 Replies

I am hypothyroid and on Levothyroxine.

I have always suffered with catarrh as long as I can remember , having to clear my throat. I also have a small goitre . In recent months it has got a lot worse to the point I am wheezing now and trying to catch my breath, also feels like I cannot cough up and sometimes have a metallic taste in back of my throat.

I have had to see the Dr this week who thinks I have allergic asthma and prescribed me with an Easyinhaler to take with a review in one month. Unsure what I would be allergic to? I did suffer with asthma in childhood and have since been in remission in adult life.

I’m not convinced as having researched Levothyroxine there appears to be some evidence that on T4 there is a link with production of phlegm and sinus related problems.

Whilst I will try the inhaler to see if it has any effect I wondered if anyone else suffers or has any thoughts.

TIA

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Maynan17
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13 Replies
SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

looking at previous posts

You have Hashimoto’s

Extremely common to be dairy/lactose intolerant

Suggest trying cutting dairy out completely

Are you already on gluten free diet?

Maynan17 profile image
Maynan17 in reply to SlowDragon

Thanks for your reply.

I have been tested for coeliac recently with negative result and no other allergies tested for.

Interesting you say dairy as I do feel I’m worse after eating cereal with milk and have a yoghurt daily. So it’s worth eliminating dairy out of my diet to see if that has any benefits. Is there a blood test I can have for dairy intolerance do you know?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Maynan17

You just have to try it

Loads of different non milk alternatives available these days

Oat milk is good option in tea, coffee and cereal

Non butter alternatives. “Pure” sunflower spread is good

There is a test breath test for lactose intolerance but not sure you can get it on NHS

nhs.uk/conditions/lactose-i...

As I said in reply on your previous post

Over 86% of Hashimoto’s patients find gluten free diet beneficial (only 5% test positive for coeliac)

And at least 50-60% find dairy free beneficial

Neet62 profile image
Neet62 in reply to SlowDragon

Hi

I have Hashi’s & take Levo, between 125-150mcg daily, depending on symptoms. Since being diagnosed I’ve been unable to tolerate white bread, biscuits etc, without developing widespread joint pain. Oddly, the only bread I can eat is sourdough & wholemeal. In terms of dairy, I’ve never had an issue. Still a case of trial & error with me, but always found the bread thing a bit odd; thoughts?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Neet62

Extremely common to develop wheat or gluten intolerance with Hashimoto’s

You’re likely to have fewer symptoms is go to strictly gluten free

Read all food labels……wheat, barley or rye hidden in loads of foods

Poor gut function with Hashimoto’s can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances.

Most common by far is gluten.

Dairy is second most common. 

 A trial of strictly gluten free diet is always worth doing

Only 5% of Hashimoto’s patients test positive for coeliac but a further 81% of Hashimoto’s patients who try gluten free diet find noticeable or significant improvement or find it’s essential

A strictly gluten free diet helps or is essential due to gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link) 

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and may slowly lower TPO antibodies 

Ideally…….. While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first 

but probably too late to consider doing if largely gluten free already

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet 

(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially) 

Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Non Coeliac Gluten sensitivity (NCGS) and autoimmune disease

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/296...

The predominance of Hashimoto thyroiditis represents an interesting finding, since it has been indirectly confirmed by an Italian study, showing that autoimmune thyroid disease is a risk factor for the evolution towards NCGS in a group of patients with minimal duodenal inflammation. On these bases, an autoimmune stigma in NCGS is strongly supported

nuclmed.gr/wp/wp-content/up...

In summary, whereas it is not yet clear whether a gluten free diet can prevent autoimmune diseases, it is worth mentioning that HT patients with or without CD benefit from a diet low in gluten as far as the progression and the potential disease complications are concerned

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

Despite the fact that 5-10% of patients have Celiac disease, in my experience and in the experience of many other physicians, at least 80% + of patients with Hashimoto's who go gluten-free notice a reduction in their symptoms almost immediately.

Similarly few months later consider trying dairy free too.

Approx 50-60% Hashimoto’s patients find dairy free beneficial

Hashimoto’s and leaky gut often occur together

Neet62 profile image
Neet62 in reply to SlowDragon

thanks for that, but my point is I don’t get gut symptoms at all. I get painful joints and the only time that happens is when I eat white bread, not sourdough/wholemeal, so with me, I don’t think glutens an issue. Why painful joints and why just white bread?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Neet62

yes…zero gut symptoms is quite normal with leaky gut .

It probably is still happening with sourdough/whole meal ……but not so obviously

Modern white bread has higher level of gluten

optimallivingdynamics.com/b...

The ONLY way to know for sure is to try cutting out completely

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to Neet62

loads of info on differences between white and other breads

bonappetit.com/story/gluten...

Regenallotment profile image
Regenallotment

hey yes I get this, I’ve cut out gluten and dairy as suggested but a real winner for me was taking the amino acid NAC granules (a teeny tiny scoop) in orange juice each morning. Within 15 20 minutes it’s all clearing out and after taking it for a few weeks it’s definitely getting less.

The other improvement is not eating anything after 7.30pm game changer. Stomach gets a rest and I sleep better.

Good luck with it 🌱

Regenallotment profile image
Regenallotment in reply to Regenallotment

I got mine from My Protein website, NAC lasts ages comes with a teeny red scoop.

Health warning it smells like the devil vomited in the bag, sulphurous in the extreme but in orange juice it’s fine and tastes like it’s definitely gastric in a good way!

Hedgeree profile image
Hedgeree

Hi Mayan17,

I did have terrible problems with excess phlegm and catarrh when I used to eat a lot of cheese. It got to the point where my sinuses would gurgle, it wasn't pleasant.

That was many years ago and once I stopped eating dairy products, mainly cheese, it all subsided. Sinus gurling and frontal headaches all stopped and clogged phlegmy throat no longer a problem.

If you're not dairy free it might be an idea to try it for a while and see if your symptoms resolve.

Best wishes.

Maynan17 profile image
Maynan17

Thanks for your response.

I did have nasal polyps years ago and a deviated septum so maybe they have grown back due to an allergy.

I will ask GP when I see her next in the hope for a nasal examination.

Rosebud1955 profile image
Rosebud1955

hi May, I suffer from the excessive mucus in my throat. Started at the beginning of my thyroid disease and progressively got worse over the years (6 years). I have seen 5 different ENT specialists which were all useless. Mine goes on 24/7, no relief. Worse after eating and drinking any fluids and worse at nights. I had 3 upper endoscopies and they all order PPI, stating that I have GERD. I finally decided to compl and started taking the PPI for two weeks now. My problem has gotten worse since I started the PPI and I am now having hypo symptoms again. A naturopathic doctor told me that my problem could be related to LOW stomach acid as opposed to high stomach acid. It’s an awful feeling, very debilitating. What is NAC? Is it the same as the NAC capsules? If you ever find a remedy for this annoying throat mucus, please post it so others can benefit. It must be thyroid related. I have hashimotos and had complete thyroidectomy for cancer. Thank you for posting.

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