what to take to get rid of gunk in back of throat?

[Anonymous]

I had a cold a couple weeks ago, and I've got this lingering gunk I can feel in the back of my throat. It makes me cough at night sometimes (now, which is why I'm up at 4am) and sometimes when I wake up for the day and get vertical, I sometimes almost throw up. It's at the back; I can breathe through my nose.

I take Zyrtec for allergies but looks like I need something to break this up. Does anyone have any suggestions, from tea to OTC stuff to take?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

What you are experiencing is post-nasal drip. If you had a cold a couple of weeks ago, it may not have gone away and shifted so drainage is going down your throat instead of through your nose. You may now have an infection. Cough some of the gunk up and see if it is thick and discolored (yellow or green). If so, get to the doc for some antibiotics.

[Anonymous]

Mucinex really helped me.

[Anonymous]

Mucinex for this.

Be warned: I get REALLY bad "medicine head" from Mucinex. That crap is strong.

[Anonymous]

Also, saline rinse/neti pot (don't use tap water). Every night, even when you're not sick.

[Anonymous]

Right now I'm on the Mucinex/Sudafed mix. The Mucinex is not as strong as if I had purchased the maximum dose mucinex.

I can feel that the back of my throat is clear and almost too dry, but I still have a lot of mucus. Ugh.

I got this cold 18 days ago - initially I was taking Mucinex and separately the cold and flu Sudafed. I've weaned myself down to the lower dose mucinex/sudafed combo.

I always have a problem with too much phlegm in my throat. I'm susceptible to bronchitis and sometimes sinus infections. (note to PP who said go to dr and get antibiotics - there's a newish school of thought that you don't need anti biotics for a sinus infection).

I went a few days earlier this week with no medicine, and it was miserable. So I'm going to stick with what's working. Though I was thinking of avoiding meds during the day and just taking at night.

This cold has been awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Right now I'm on the Mucinex/Sudafed mix. The Mucinex is not as strong as if I had purchased the maximum dose mucinex.

I can feel that the back of my throat is clear and almost too dry, but I still have a lot of mucus. Ugh.

I got this cold 18 days ago - initially I was taking Mucinex and separately the cold and flu Sudafed. I've weaned myself down to the lower dose mucinex/sudafed combo.

I always have a problem with too much phlegm in my throat. I'm susceptible to bronchitis and sometimes sinus infections. (note to PP who said go to dr and get antibiotics - there's a newish school of thought that you don't need anti biotics for a sinus infection).

I went a few days earlier this week with no medicine, and it was miserable. So I'm going to stick with what's working. Though I was thinking of avoiding meds during the day and just taking at night.

This cold has been awful.

I am the PP who mentioned antibiotics. I am a chronic sinusitis sufferer and have had sinus surgery to open my sinuses thanks to years of infections and one misdiagnosed infection that went on for months and became non-responsive to antibiotics. I am currently riding out a cold that's over the two week mark with some green discharge and will go to get antibiotics next week if not better sooner.

[Anonymous]

You need an expectorant, try mucinex. Don't take cough suppression. And anti-inflammatory stuff. I drink chrysanthemum tea or ginger tea with lemon.

This is going around a lot. I'm in my 3rd week and it's slowly going away. I took Mucinex for 2 days only- I don't take anything often. I think if the 'gunk' is clear, there's not much you can do except to ride it out-no antibiotics for that unless your mucus has coloration. I could be wrong but this is what the doc tells me all the time.

[Anonymous]

Take Benadryl to dry up the mucus and to help you sleep and Delsym for the coughing before you go to bed. Yellow/green gross mucus is not necessarily a sign of infection, but it sounds like it's been dragging on for a while so you may want to get checked out if it doesn't resolve quickly.

[Anonymous]

Don't do sudafed. You may get a rebound effect and it will end up worse than b/f.

Gargle with warm salt water. Elevate your head at night.

[Anonymous]

Gargle with warm salt water.

[Anonymous]

I take an allergy tablet for this. It really helps dry up that stuff so it no longer drips down my throat from my sinuses.

[Anonymous]

Can you recommend what an 8 year old could take to get some relief from this lingering cough that worsens at night? Other than the salt water gargle, would any of these meds have a dose for a child? Thanks

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't do sudafed. You may get a rebound effect and it will end up worse than b/f.

Gargle with warm salt water. Elevate your head at night.

I and hear symptoms and do for said I had a sinus infection. He gave me antibiotics and told me to take OTC Sudafed and an expectorant for 10 days straight. The real stuff. The point was to drain out and dry up so the bacteria would go away.

OP my sinus infection had no other symptoms but this drainage. No fever, no headache or facial pressure. Might be worth a trip to the doc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gargle with warm salt water.

This. I have it OP - Im on week 2 - its a weird cold where all I had was a bad headache, malaise, and an awful sore throat. never had a runny nose. only salt water and advil seems to be helping. but i started myself on echinacea mixed with goldenseal too - that cures a lot of post-cold infections in a few days, fingers crossed.