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Post nasal drip

(22 Posts)
Ramblingrose22 Thu 29-Apr-21 00:37:25

For months I have had a runny nose that gets worse in the evening and I have to cough many times during the day to clear the mucus from my throat.

It started after the end of a virus last year and has just carried on. I am fed up with it and having at least one nostril constantly blocked.

I have read that a neti pot can clear the nose but it's offputting to stick a long tube up the nose that pours water in to clear the nostril.

If anyone has tried it I'd be interested to know how they got on.

B9exchange Thu 29-Apr-21 00:56:07

DH uses one successfully whenever he gets a cold, but I couldn't get on with it, might be worth trying. Or you could just use a saline spray such as Sterimar. I assume you have tried steroid sprays such as Pirinase? I do sympathise.

keepingquiet Thu 29-Apr-21 07:35:24

I have no end of problems with this recently. I think it is hay fever related. Now I have a sore eye too!
No need to buy fancy meds- just make up a solution of cooled boiled water, salt and a little bicarb. Pour a small amount into the palm of a clean hand, block one nostril and sniff with the other. It can get messy but it is natural, cheap and works for me. Good luck because this sinus thing is miserable.

Oopsadaisy1 Thu 29-Apr-21 08:47:48

DH went to a consultant (Ear Nose and Throat about his) , he found some small polyps, but recommended

Flixonase nasal spray, on prescription, not the drops, apparently they are awful and Beconase from the GP is ‘useless’ IHO.

Sterimar spray from supermarkets

They have helped, the polyps could be removed but DH doesn’t want that at the moment.
He also needs Hay fever tablets about now until Autumn.

Thye meds have certainly helped a great deal but nothing has totally stopped the ‘drip’ but at least he has stopped getting Sinus problems along with it.

Nonogran Thu 29-Apr-21 08:48:30

Keepingquiet (above) offers good advice & it's what I do too. Takes a bit of getting used to but it gives me more control than using a Nettipot.
My post nasal drip is year round & associated with allergic rhinitis.
Be brave, give it a try.

Redhead56 Thu 29-Apr-21 09:14:27

It’s sounds like rhinitis I have had it since childhood. It has no particular season it can flare up anytime. I get Nasonex on prescription from the doctor who said my sinus are totally dry. If I would have been diagnosed properly as a child it would not be this bad now. Keep your nostrils moist with a tiny smear of Vaseline.

Alexa Thu 29-Apr-21 10:25:58

Rambling rose, I recommend a salt water rinse for the naso pharynx(the part of your nose that joins on to your throat).

Get some warm water in a shallow bowl and add enough table salt to make it taste salty like blood tastes. Get another bowl for spitting into and an absorbent towel to stop your jumper getting wet. Immerse your face in the salty water and very gently suck it up until it runs into your throat then spit it out. Repeat as often as you can be bothered to do so.

I usually put a very little more salt in than blood saltiness but be careful as too much will irritate the mucus membranes.

Old nursing remedy for post nasal discharge after scarlet fever.

Ramblingrose22 Thu 29-Apr-21 12:51:38

Thanks to everyone who has replied.

Alexa - would a gargle with the salty water do the same job? I hate immersing my face in water. Have never swam because of this.

vampirequeen Fri 30-Apr-21 07:38:29

See your GP. I have had it for years and sometimes it gets so bad that wake up choking. I take fexofenadine and a steroid nasal spray. If it gets really bad I take a decongestant too.

Oopsadaisy1 Fri 30-Apr-21 08:52:05

ramblingrose a gargle wouldn’t help, everything has to go up your nose, Sterimar just gets sprayed up, no immersion of head. But you really need to see your GP, sometimes a polyp gets so big it can block the passages so it needs to be checked out.
DH had a bendy thing with a camera put up his nose at the Consultants office so we had a good look up there, interesting!

Gingster Fri 30-Apr-21 08:58:11

I’ve had this for a long long time. It causes a tickly throat and dry cough . I’ve tried so many things but found nothing to cure it. I’ll try some of your ideas.

Alexa Fri 30-Apr-21 11:56:46

Rambling rose thanks for your reply. A salt water gargle (NB 'blood' saltiness only) is one way to stave off a sore throat if it is not too severe an infection. Saline gargle woilf help I suppose.
However if you want the salt water to clean the back of your nose where it joins your throat you need the nose-to-throat douche. I perfectly understand why your experience with immersing your face hurt. It is uncomfortable even sore to sniff water or salty water up the sinuses! So , if you do the douche thing do not sniff! Instead you do a very gentle sucking almost like slow very slight breathing -in without using your diaphragm.If you were taught breathing exercises for childbirth you will know what I mean. You actually feel the water run into your throat and of course if you swallow it that will do you no harm.

foxie48 Fri 30-Apr-21 12:04:11

I developed this after starting on beta blockers and used the Boots equivalent of Beconase with some success. It's just an antihistamine.

B9exchange Fri 30-Apr-21 12:08:06

Flixonase changed its name to Pirinase, but it is exactly the same, and well worth trying.

MayBee70 Fri 30-Apr-21 12:13:51

That most glamorous of afflictions the post nasal drip is how I describe mine. I sniff constantly and have to carry a hanky at all times. DH says ‘just blow your nose’ and doesn’t understand that blowing my nose does nothing at all. I’d forgotten which nasal spray I used to use so I’ll get some of the ones mentioned on here. My eyes run when I’m outside in the cold: I assume there’s a link. I did read that cherry brandy helped. It probably doesn’t but was very pleasant when I did try it (at night to help me sleep of course) but it was far too expensive and more’ish to partake of on a regular basis. I have used a neti pot in the last (actually it’s a small metal child’s teapot that I’ve had for many years) so I might try that again.

foxie48 Fri 30-Apr-21 19:39:39

It's very annoying, isn't it MayBee70? Every pocket is filled with soggy tissues, I stuff dry ones in my handbag, in my bra if I don't have a pocket and try not to annoy people. However, the antihistamine has made a huge difference to me so I think I'm quite lucky!

MayBee70 Fri 30-Apr-21 21:02:43

I’m thinking of tying a hanky to a piece of string and hanging it round my neck, like some people do with reading glasses.

Puzzled Sat 01-May-21 12:23:43

Until my sinuses were flushed and drained, had headaches which lasted for days.
After flush and draining, over forty years ago have had post nasal drip. This causes a need to blow nose, or sniff, and sometimes cough. At least the terrible catarrh no longer afflicts me.
Have learned to live with it (NO alternative, cannot repair the fractured bones) A better alternative than the terrible headaches, but still a nuisance.
As usual exchanging one problem for another one, but marvelously, in this instance, a lesser one.

gardenoma Tue 04-May-21 07:32:58

Mine has been diagnosed as non allergic rhinitus but the effects are the same. Except that the nasal drip has turned into a stomach tap, I don't do the hanky thing but feel constantly sick from all that accumulated yuk in there. It also hangs around in my sphenoid sinus, apparently we have 4 different pairs and these are further in the back of your head! Which creates the dreadful headaches. However if they strike I have found a dose of Sudafed really helps me, nothing else will. The other thing I've learned is flowering houseplants!! They are the worst so I've given them all away and now just have a green jungle as I can't do without my plants indoors. Btw orchids are the worst culprits for me. Hope this helps somebody.

M0nica Tue 04-May-21 07:52:28

I have had it for about 10 years. Doctor was dismissive: 'It is post-nasal drip' (live with it, thank you and goodbye). No suggestion of treatment.

I did take otc antihistamines for a month or so, that helped but because of side effects these are not something I can take for long or frequently. I also use Sterimar, otherwise I just live with it.

Fortunately I am headache free, but my chest wheezes at night. Odd noises, not in and out with breathing. Same 'helpful' doctor just told me that it was wheezing and that was that.

All this follows a severe respiratory infection about a decade ago that lasted a year and did not respond to treatment. I remain convinced that there is a bit more to it than just post nasal drip but have given up on my GP.

Welshy Sat 08-May-21 21:33:36

Instead of a Neti Pot I purchased one of these
lloydspharmacy.com/products/neilmed-adult-sinus-rinse-starter-kit-10-sachets
Once I used all of the sachets I made my own solution as 'keepingquiet' mentioned above.
Another two things I have used from Home Bargains is 'galpharm' blocked nose relief and 'Bells' Mucus Cough medicine.

Lillie Sat 08-May-21 21:48:46

That's what I use Welshy. It is quite simple and there's no tubes, just pressure by squeezing the bottle to send the liquid squirting up into the nose. It helps.
My tubes are quite dry and I have a deviated septum. I have spent my life breathing through my mouth, but my throat has suffered the consequences.
I might try the gargles mentioned here.