Are you suffering from the recurrent feeling of mucus in your throat? Do you feel like you have difficulty clearing your nose or throat of mucus? Mucus is typically swallowed without realizing it but when mucus frequently builds up in your throat or drips from the back of your nose, it’s called chronic postnasal drip. Many people suffer from postnasal drip, oftentimes due to allergies, sinus inflammation or an anatomical obstruction.

What Causes Post Nasal Drip?

The glands in the nose and throat normally produce mucus throughout the day and night. Sometimes, the mucus can change and become thicker or more excessive than usual, making us more aware of it. There are various causes of postnasal drip, including colds, allergies, sinus infections, pregnancy, weather changes, certain foods, or anatomical obstructions such as a deviated septum or enlarged turbinates.

What Are The Symptoms Of Postnasal Drip?

Postnasal drip can create a variety of symptoms. It can irritate the throat, making you feel like you have to constantly clear your throat or cause it to feel sore or scratchy. Postnasal drip can also cause you to cough or make your voice sound hoarse. It can also make the back of your nose feel blocked from mucus and can even cause your ears to feel clogged or painful when mucus blocks the Eustachian tube (the tube that connects the inside of your ear to the back of your nose).

Symptoms of post-nasal drip can include:

• Feeling that mucus is draining into your throat
• You swallow a lot
• You feel the need to frequently clear your throat
• Your speech is raspy, maybe gurgling
• Your throat becomes irritated
• You may even feel that there’s a lump in your throat

What Are The Treatments For Postnasal Drip?

Once the cause of postnasal drip has been identified, a variety of treatment options are available to you. One method to try is using an over-the-counter saline rinse to flush the excessive mucus out of the nose. If postnasal drip is caused by allergies or sinus inflammation, nasal steroid sprays and antihistamines can be prescribed to treat your symptoms. Drinking more water can help to thin out thick secretions. If anatomical obstructions such as a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates are identified as a cause of your postnasal drip, simple and successful outpatient procedures can be performed in your nose and/or sinuses to relieve the obstruction.

At BergerHenry ENT Specialty Group, our board-certified postnasal drip doctors will examine your nose and sinuses, identify the cause of the postnasal drip and provide you with a treatment plan to get rid of it once and for all!