Ok ladies my mother needs your help. She has continuous Post Nasal Drip and it is driving her crazy. It makes her cough constantly and eventually ends up gathering in her chest which makes her sick. Do any of you know of anything that works miracles on your for this? She has tried musinex, claritan and nothing seems to work. Thanks in advance for your help.
dear J.
know how you feel. have that same problom.
have talked to my doc till i m blue in the face. he has jet to respond.
if you find an answer please let me knw thanks
Sounds like allergies! I use Rhinocort nasal spray daily--the trick is you have to use whether you "need it" or not. Keeping the congestion out completely is what keeps you from getting the chronic sinus infections/ear infections which turn into bronchitis/pneumonia.
It is a prescription, but works very well and has no funky taste or smell like Flonase or others I have tried. Flonase is definitely another answer, and my husband and son neither notice the rose-like taste or smell...but it makes me crazy!
Anyway, hope this helps! Rhinocort does the trick for me! Flonase is another, and I am sure there are others out there too....I would suggest this rather than over-the-counter stuff. Good luck.
OK, the "D" in Claritin D is for decongestant - it will help clear clogged sinuses, but not help at all with the post nasal drip! She should take 1 regular Claritin every day, regardless of whether she thinks she needs it or not. If this does not help after about 2 weeks, then she needs another PURE antihistimine! The lady has allergies. Astelin is a high powered antihistimine, and it is sprayed right into the nasal cavity. It reminds me of the nose drops they gave me as a kid. It should STOP this within 24 hours cold. Then, I would suggest either Flonase or Rhinocort AQ every day to prevent symptoms. I was born with severe allergies, and believe me, I have heard of and tried everything. The bronchitis caused by lack of prompt antihistimine use is really awful, and can turn into pneumonia - especially fast in older people. If your Mom is not too old to do it, the allergy testing and shots will help long term. I had 8 years of shots (usually people take them for 2-3 years), but now I can eat almost anything I want, and go outside without getting sick every time. If it helped me, it will help her. I had my Dad take the shots a few years ago, and he is still doing well.
The Best to you guys,
D.
The Zicam nose spray works wonders! It burns like a mother for about 5 min. then you have relief for hours. It comes in a throat spray too. Wonders for a sore throat.
The Zyrtec / Claritan is allergy meds that the doctor could tell you she may need, but the Zicam is worth the time.
See if she can give up all dairy for a period of time. No milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese. everything that comes from the dairy industry. Those items cause muscus like crazy. I noticed the past few days I'v been having a lot of head congestion and finally remembered that I had some ranch dressing with some raw veggies and I know that is what caused it. So will change to another dressing with lunch today. Maybe some raspberry/vinagerette. yummm
It might take 3 to 4 weeks before she really sees a cleaning. but it will happen. Check out web sites www.notmilk.lcom and www.milksucks.com The health behind the bad influences of milk is astounding. I don't understand why people still think its OK to drink that poison.
I have the same problem and doing nasal irrigation (with a neti pot) once or twice daily helps tremendously to clear out the sinuses and minimize the "drip". Before I started doing that i was getting bronchitis or pneumonia every 6 months. Your mother should see an allergist since allergy is the the most likely cause. My current doctor believes my problem is a fungal infection. I had an allergic reaction to Diflucan (which is a powerful anti-fungal) and am switching to another, so we'll see if that clears things up. Mucinex won't really minimize the drainage, it just makes it easier to get the gunk out once it gathers. But, until she gets it minimized, she should take it to avoid bronchitis. Claritin is an allergy medicine that may or may not help. Anti-histamines (e.g., Benadryl) typically will dramatically reduce the drainage, so your mother might try that, but I caution that most of those cause drowsiness (as does Zyrtec in some folks). Zithromax is a prescription antibiotic that's given for bronchitis that's also a powerful anti-mucolytic. So, your mother might consider asking a doctor to put her on a low dose of that. Also, if your mother does not have HEPA air filters in her house, she should. That will help minimize the irritants that contribute to the increase in the "drip". Right now, mountain cedar and fungus are at the moderate level in the area. It is actually rare for the Dallas area to not have some level of common allergen in the air.
Mucinex for sure. I can make that nose run like a cold but then it goes down and you caugh it up and it is gone. Wonderful and no doctor approval. G. W
It could be enviromental factors, such as cleaning products, make-ups, hairsprays, even milk or wheat products can cause this problem. The best solution is to eliminate one at a time to see if something helps. Also using a netti pot with saline solution rinses out your sinus passages and removes offenders and keeps sinus problems away and from draining into your chest. You can buy theses at Whole Foods or any Natural Health Place. I have switched to these methods and haven't had a problem in more than 5 years. Mucus is a response to toxins, so your body makes mucus to remove it from your body so stopping it by way of mediciene is what makes you sick, it is your bodys way releaseing the problem. I had 3-4 sinus infections a year and 2 or more bronchitis issues before I switched.
J.... I have had similar issues since I've lived in Texas. Last year alone I had 6 or 7 upper respitory infections with bronc. because of it. I have taken probably everything prescribed and over the counter and nothing worked for me. I finally got an xray of my sinuses to make sure nothing was wrong there, then I had an allergy test, and it turns out I'm not allergic to anything!! I will tell you, I've been on 4 different prescribed meds at one time and NOTHING worked. I have what is called Rhinoscitus (not sure on the spelling). Which is when your sinuses are so sensitive that you over produce mucus. Now I have to do a sinus wash every morning (warm water, baking soda, salt - inhalled through the nose and then blown out), 2 nasal sprays, and still working on which antihistamine (not sure of spelling) will work best for me. It's chronic. It's certainly not something that is in any way a quick fix. But I recommend your mother ask her dr about an allergy test because it's all a trial and error basis my son takes an antioxident (noni) and is fine but I'm finally getting some relief. Best Wishes always.... D.
The Neti Pot is amazing. I've been surviving this 2 week head/chest cold by using it 2-3 times daily while avoiding any medications. If she is prone to getting these symptoms, she should use it 1-2 daily, even when she's not symtomatic.
Avoiding dairy is another excellent suggestions.
Tylenol Sinus Congestion & pain (they are red white and green tablets) seems to stop the drip. Two Extra Strength Excedrin will take away any sinus headache within 15-20 minutes. Musinex has to be taken daily for it to be effective it's expensive but I take one every night for the cough. Drink green tea and water to not get too dried up! I've tried so many remedies in the passed from cayenne pepper to honey to ginger and peroxide what a journey! lol
ALWAYS have PUFFS on hand very soft for the nose!
We use Zyrtec or Singulair. Both are prescriptions but have no side-effects (Zyrtec might cause a little drowsiness but I give it at night and you can't tell in the morning). We tried all the OTC remedies but none worked well enough or long enough.
I just recently went to my Doctor for the exact same thing. It had been a problem for years. I started on Nasonex 50 mcg. and a generic brand of Alegra called Fexofenadine 180mg tablets. This combination has been a dream come true. These are both prescription strength. It took about 10 days for the combination to work. My doctor told me I may not get immediate results, but to hang in there, and the meds would show a big difference with in two weeks. I can't believe I waited so long! Good luck! If your Mother needs a Doctor in Flower Mound I can recommend a great Internist.
Try Zyrtec and Flonase, both prescriptions. Claritin is a milder antihistamine than Zyrtec and does not work for some, especially if not taken for 2 conescutive weeks.
If she does not have insurance to cover the cost she might want to try a clincal trial. They have several ongoing studies on FDA approved medications. Best of luck!
Claratin D...get the one with the D. It will help dry her up.
