Ask HN: What is the best way to deal with recurring post-nasal drip? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: What is the best way to deal with recurring post-nasal drip?

5 pointsantgly3 comments

From a young age, I’ve been told by doctors of whichever sort (I’m 28 at the moment - been having it off and on since forever - I was asthmatic for some time when I was prematurely born) that my throat clearing is due to a tic, asthmatic symptoms, or allergies. I seem to have it in periodic bouts of time, however with little rhyme or reason. Some things like weather, dairy intake, potentially cats, even absolutely nothing at times causes me to have a ton of mucus production. Essentially hit or miss. The only thing that’s helped is Flonase, which gives me periodic skin rashes on my chest and random fevers which stop as soon as I stop taking it (under the advice from a doctor). Mucinex helps, but it’s only as good as its effects last. I’m seeing an ENT this upcoming week and I’d rather have a more effective treatment. It’s driving my husband and I nuts. Thanks for reading!

I have less frequent and less severe onsets in the last few years. I am having good results with Xizal. It's over the counter, twenty-four hour and non-daily. I take it when I start experiencing mild symptoms and sometimes for a few days prophylacticly when I think prophylactic use is prudent, e.g. hard travel.

But I'm also managing my diet to avoid the non-acute allergens I'd been ignoring since junior high. Mainly potatoes and tomatoes. They're pervasive and avoiding them without diet drama in ordinary communal eating is impractical. Pizza is one of the four food groups of American social dining. Fries are another. Xizal handles my occasional consumption.

For many people, significant dietary modification is impractical because it dictates menu and grocery autonomy. "Just change your diet" is an it works on my machine. And the social implications of dietary restrictions are there whether it's veganism or a shellfish allergy.

Anyway, my non-expert belief diet modification has ended several continuous non-acute allergic reactions. My less mild allergies seem to mask milder food allergies. After avoiding tomatoes for a while, the effects (and non-effects) of other foods were above a new lower noise floor.

Not that I think it's all food and pills. Environment also plays a role. There's mold in the south. Pollen in the spring. Dander on the pets. A sigmoid with multiple inputs might be a good model for the perniciousness of allergies. The cost of changing the inputs may not be worth the benefits. Even if "a vegan lifestyle in the New Mexico high desert" might have a high probability of success, it's reasonable and rational and emotionally sound to decide the tradeoffs would be too much.

Combining Benadryl & Zyrtec along with a cough drop containing menthol usually dries out my post-nasal drip before bed.

It might be worth taking generic Zyrtec daily if you find that reduces the problem. Allergy shots have also been super helpful in reducing my immune response to plants, cats & dust.

Cheap and effective: Xlear nasal spray

Try it first thing in morning and just before bed for a week or two and see what happens.

It works off the theory that xylitol is a 5 carbon sweetener that bacterial will consume, but starve on. No antihistamines or other substances to make you feel woozy, tired, or amped up.

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