For months, it seems, I’ve been bothered by low level inflamation of my throat and nasal passages. Nothing major, just enough to be annoying.
I live in Atlanta. The pollen count here in the spring is truly freakish. Currently, it appears to be wavering in the “high medium” to “low high” range. Smog is also an issue around here in the summer.
My nose has been stuffy, but that I can deal with. It is the throat irritation, hacking, coughing, almost gag reflex that bugs the everliving crap out of me.
I just took a peek down my throat and it certainly looks angry, and feels like I’ve got a lump of something where my nasal passage meets my the back of my throat. The worst of the worst is how irritating air conditioned air is on my throat. It seems to dry it out and cause the sensation of pins being stuck in my tonsils.
I’m not looking for medical advice, but I’m am interested in hearing from allergy sufferers who have experienced symptoms specifically in their throat. I’m thinking maybe it is post-nasal drip irritation?
As colorful as my descriptions might be, it really isn’t that major. Just annoying. I’m basically wondering if it is worth a shot to try some over-the-counter allergy meds to see if they help.
It sounds a lot like the post-nasal drip annoyance I have pretty much constantly. Mine is caused by allergies, including a mild allergy (apparently) to carrots.
I have head symptoms more than you’re saying, but I do end up with a burning, stinging throat. It sucks. No solution that I’ve ever found, either.
I think if you tend to wake up with a sore throat, it can be other things like snoring or sleep apnea? I might be mistaken about that.
It could very well be allergies. For most of the summer my throat is scratchy almost every day, as if I’m getting a cold. Even antihistamines are of little help.
I’d say your best bet would be to try an antihistamine to see if that helps. If it continues to bother you, see if you can get in to see an allergist or an ear, nose & throat specialist.
Hmmm…seems like the Goddess is trying to tell me something.
I’m giving “non-drowsy Claritin-D 24 hour Allergy & Congestion” a try. At $17 for a box of 15, I better have the best night of hack-free sleep I’ve had in a long time.
Decongestants usually make me sleepy, even the non-drowsy kind. But if I take these once a day a few hours before I go to bed, I’m hoping I’ll only be sleepy while I’m sleeping.
That worked pretty damn good. I feel well-rested and only slightly doped, but not nearly as bad as most other meds affect me. I definitely slept more soundly than I have in a long time. My nose stayed clear all night, so I could keep my mouth closed and didn’t have to expose my tender throat to the air conditioning.
The Sudafed that’s just a decongestant might not make you as drowsy since it doesn’t have the antihistamine in it. Of course, the antihistamine might be what made you able to sleep. You’ll have to guinea pig yourself.
It is the best nasal flooding system I’ve tried ( I’ve used old Afrin bottles to clean out the sinuses.) The solution is sodium (salt) and baking soda.
I think it rocks and I am trying to get my kids to do this as to save mama $160 a month on various RX’s.
If you get really bad headaches during your experiment, stop taking it. The pill is supposed to be “slow release” for the 240mg pseudoephedrine, but apparently my body doesn’t digest it slowly. It raises my blood pressure by about 30 points, and makes my head pound. Regular Claritin and 30mg of pseudoephedrine (separately) is a lot better for me, anyway.