How can I get rid of this phlegm at the back of my throat?

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Joe90
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28 Mar 2021, 3:03 pm

I only seem to feel it when lying down, and it's really distracting.
It's not making me cough or have the urge to keep clearing my throat. And it's not heartburn. It's from my sinuses and the only thing I want to do is swallow it down but it doesn't shift.
The reason why it's bothersome at night is because as I'm falling asleep I suddenly wake myself up by a snore because of the phlegm, and I'm otherwise a non-snorer. It's only been happening the last few days.
I take over the counter antihistamine tablets because I suffer bad hay fever, but I've been taking them for months and I've never had this problem.
Even drinking water doesn't shift it (I don't like to drink too much before bed because I get an overactive bladder that also keeps me awake at night).

Anybody know what this is and how I can shift it?
I don't have diabetes by the way.


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28 Mar 2021, 3:23 pm

try using a nasal decongestant...

I personally like Benzedrex, it comes in a little inhaler container and clears things out nicely but not sure that exact one is available in the U.K.


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31 Mar 2021, 5:42 am

Try gargling some warm salt water.

Or swallow 1-2 spoonfuls of vinegar -- I'm referring to white vinegar.


Can't say which decongestant to have. I wish I could for myself.


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31 Mar 2021, 8:37 am

Warm or hot coffee or tea always works for me.


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01 Apr 2021, 6:05 am

Edna3362 wrote:
Try gargling some warm salt water.

Or swallow 1-2 spoonfuls of vinegar -- I'm referring to white vinegar.


Can't say which decongestant to have. I wish I could for myself.


Those can help to...

Sounds like the OP is describing post nasal drip and well Benzedrex or propylhexedrine is the actual drug name is really the only over the counter thing I have tried that seriously gets rid of it for me athough it is only recommended to take it no more than 3 days in a row. I find it a little strange you can get it over the counter considering the molecule for it is almost identical for the molecule for meth.

Image

It is for sure not meth, that molecule difference does make a difference I am just a nerd so I know that random fact about it I research any drug that I take because it is interesting and I like to know what exactly I am taking. There are other nasal decongestants as well but that is just the one I find most useful.


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Joe90
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02 Apr 2021, 3:19 am

I'm always scared to gargle with salt water in case I accidentally swallow it and then I'll be sick.

It's not been so bad lately. Must be hormonal - yes I do get some weird and wonderful ailments related to my hormones, things you wouldn't think the menstrual cycle would affect. :lol:


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SabbraCadabra
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09 Apr 2021, 10:29 pm

I know some ways to get rid of it, but it doesn't sound like you have LPR, so it probably won't work for you.
Although maybe it could be caused by reflux? Maybe that's why you only feel it when laying down?

Anyway, if you think it could be caused by LPR/GERD/reflux/etc. you can check out this article: https://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-ge ... edication/

Otherwise, I find that a good nasal rinse (like a netti pot) helps for a while.


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aspiemike
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10 Apr 2021, 4:12 pm

Perhaps trying a simple hot water and steam inhalation to clear out the sinuses would help. Just be safe when doing it and don't put your head to close to the bowl you use for the steam.


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10 Apr 2021, 4:15 pm

SabbraCadabra wrote:
I know some ways to get rid of it, but it doesn't sound like you have LPR, so it probably won't work for you.
Although maybe it could be caused by reflux? Maybe that's why you only feel it when laying down?

Anyway, if you think it could be caused by LPR/GERD/reflux/etc. you can check out this article: https://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-ge ... edication/

Otherwise, I find that a good nasal rinse (like a netti pot) helps for a while.


The GERD could likely also come with chest pain and problems with the throat. I also had a gallbladder attack that contributed to GERD which meant my upper back and upper right of my abdomen felt a lot of pain too.


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10 Apr 2021, 4:41 pm

I also get this a lot. It seems to come from the back of the nose where it connects to the sinuses. I was taking a nasal spray containing mometesone furorate for a while, but unfortunately it's prescription only. Closest I can get over the counter is Beconase, a spray which contains beclometasone. It helps, but it's not quite as good. When it gets really bad, I've sometimes resorted to snorting saline solution to wash my nose out- I use the purifed stuff they sell for washing contact lenses.


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kitesandtrainsandcats
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10 Apr 2021, 7:43 pm

Right now I don't have a good answer for what to take for it but can say that there was one time several years ago where I got a laugh out of my doctor with,
"Over the counter stuff ain't cutting it, I need something industrial strength which will before I have to take a shop vac, some duct tape, and this leftover straw from Mc Donalds and go literally industrial strength ..."
8O :lol:


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SabbraCadabra
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11 Apr 2021, 12:05 am

aspiemike wrote:
The GERD could likely also come with chest pain and problems with the throat.

I have LPR, not GERD, but the information in the article still applies, and literally changed my life. 30-something years of suffering cleared up in a few months.


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Joe90
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11 Apr 2021, 8:00 pm

SabbraCadabra wrote:
I know some ways to get rid of it, but it doesn't sound like you have LPR, so it probably won't work for you.
Although maybe it could be caused by reflux? Maybe that's why you only feel it when laying down?

Anyway, if you think it could be caused by LPR/GERD/reflux/etc. you can check out this article: https://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-ge ... edication/

Otherwise, I find that a good nasal rinse (like a netti pot) helps for a while.


No, it is definitely not acid reflux or anything else stomach-related. I'm quite good with deciphering the differences between one thing and another when it comes to ailments. This is definitely from the back of the nose going towards the stomach, not from the stomach going towards the back of the nose.
With GERD it's more like a burning or cold sensation that could make you feel nauseas, gassy or acidy. This does not describe what I get, plus I have sinus trouble anyway.


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11 Apr 2021, 11:10 pm

Joe90 wrote:
This is definitely from the back of the nose going towards the stomach, not from the stomach going towards the back of the nose.

That's how LPR feels. It's a "silent" reflux, so you don't feel it, but the remedies certainly help.
But I agree with you, it doesn't sound like you have a reflux issue. And you'd feel it all the time, or at least after eating trigger foods, not just when laying down (although your stomach contents can escape more easily when you're laying down, so I wouldn't rule it out completely).

OH! Also, you could try sleeping at an incline, and see if that helps. They usually recommend putting bricks or some books under the two legs of your bed, so that your whole body is at an incline, rather than just elevating your pillow.

And maybe try a different pillow, in case yours has mold or something (although mold would typically make you cough/choke).

But I think a nasal rinse could possibly help. Even if you don't want to buy a netti pot, if you can find something similar, you just have to mix warm water with 1/4 tsp each baking soda and salt (otherwise it will BURN).


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nick007
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18 Apr 2021, 10:18 pm

I have chronic & sometimes sever sinus & allergy problems but I also have GERD(Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) & the phlegm is defiantly a problem for me sometimes. My GERD is well controlled nowadays by taking Prilosec before breakfast but I still have phlegm problems sometimes cuz of my sinus & allergy problems. I take a couple allergy meds daily & use a nasal spray but that stuff just does NOT help enough sometimes; I should make a post about it here one of these days. When the phlegm is bad I drink a dose of Robitussin Sever Cold & Flue cough syrup. It contains a decongestant & an expectorant & it temporarily helps clear the phlegm out. I would advise against drinking cough syrup for acid reflux related phlegm thou cuz I know from personal experience that drinking cough syrup can make acid reflux worse if it is already acting up.


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Joe90
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19 Apr 2021, 2:30 pm

I think it is there when I'm standing as well but I don't feel or notice it so much because I'm not focusing on it, and it's not causing any problems like difficulties swallowing or breathing or any pain. It's just annoying when trying to sleep. But it is hay fever season.


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