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Looking for tips for dealing with a dry irriated throat

Posted , 7 users are following.

maureen05275
maureen05275

I have long-standing (47 years) Sjogren's Syndrome with all the normal difficulties.  Over the past few years I have had increasing problems with a post nasal 'drip' which is more of a 'drag' and do not know if this is causing/adding to my throat symptoms but I have a dry cough and, especially from the early hours of the morning, an irritation that I cannot seem to shift and which makes sleep next to impossible.  It is at the level of the larynx (I think) and I cannot move it, swallow it, cough it up - if, indeed, there is anything there at all.  Has anyone had similar symptoms and found an effective way of dealing with them?  Incidentally, I also have a stuck-open, can't-be-fixed, Eustachian tube (Sjogren's? - who knows?) with associated autophony, so every cough, clearing of the throat etc. resounds loudly through my head, just to make it all more difficult.

Any tips would be much appreciated.

Maureen

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • mandy95
    mandy95 maureen05275

    Posted

    Hi Maureen,

    I use Xylimelts for mine and I have found them to be really effective.  Can be purchased from the mouth ulcer shop.

    Regards,

    Mandy

    • maureen05275
      maureen05275 mandy95

      Posted

      Thank you Mandy for responding.  It seems not all chemists in my city stock the Xylimelts but I have found a chemist in Central Melbourne that I go to for other dry mouth products and he does stock them so I will get some the next time I am there.  I am not sure if they will suit me as I have difficulty with lozenges in general (very dry) but they are certainly worth a try.

      Regards, Maureen

    • mandy95
      mandy95 maureen05275

      Posted

      They work a differently that normal lozenges.  At night they last around 4-6 hours.  I use them during the day if out shopping and they work a treat for me, so worth a try. Let us know how you get on with them.

      Good luck,

      Mandy

    • aitarg35939
      aitarg35939 maureen05275

      Posted

      You might want to try Slippery Elm Bark lozenges.  No, they're not slippery, It's part of the plant name.

      These are a Native American remedy for dry mouth, taken up by professional stage actors, singers, and book narrators.  Where I live in Texas, they're easier to come by than xylimelts, which must be purchased online.  Sounds like both are hard to access in Australia, sorry.

    • amkoffee
      amkoffee maureen05275

      Posted

      Maureen they sell them on Amazon also but the only flavor they have is mint. I can't do mint flavor because it burns my tongue. So I found a local store that sells them in plain flavor. It's got a taste but it's not strong and it's not mint. My personal experience was really very so so. In fact after trying a few times I gave the rest of the box to my son to try. He has not reported back to me whether it helped him or not.

  • aitarg35939
    aitarg35939 maureen05275

    Posted

    I use roxalia tabs to soften dried post-nasal drip, which in me causes a sore throat.  Throat Coat tea helps also.

    Ultimately tho the drip stems from your reaction to something in your environment, outdoors, indoors or both.  Even off-gases from mam-made items can cause the drip.

    • maureen05275
      maureen05275 aitarg35939

      Posted

      Thank you Aitarg, I will look into the roxalia tabs and also the Throat Coat tea.  I have had intolerances for many years but they have always been food related and I thought that the post-nasal 'drag' was due to the Sjogren's causing nasal secretions to be less moist and therefore thicker.  A slow but sure progression in this symptom, like all the other Sjogren's symptoms I have, has reinforced my thinking this way but I could very, very easily be wrong.  You do not think this to be likely?  I appreciate your thoughts on this as you are very knowledgeable.

  • amkoffee
    amkoffee maureen05275

    Posted

    A child when this happened to me my mom had me drink orange juice and for some reason it seems to cut through the mucous and solve my throat problem. So now at the age of 56 that's still what I do and it still works. However another option would be something like a throat spray. I don't know what it's called in the UK here we have it and it's called Chloraseptic. Its active ingredient is benzocaine. It basically numbs the throat. It's typically used when you have a cold that involves a sore throat. It doesn't last very long but it does resolve a sore throat. Good luck to you.

    • maureen05275
      maureen05275 amkoffee

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply amkoffee and sorry for the very long delay in answering - life gets very tough.  Unfortunately I can't drink orange juice - reaction to salicylates + fructose malabsorption +++  I looked up the throat spray but Chloraseptic with benzocaine is not available in Australia and shipping for this one is very expensive.  I may still order it if I get desperate.  Again - thank you.

  • maggie98748
    maggie98748 maureen05275

    Posted

    Hello Maureen. I have found that when I eat eggs I get post nasal drip so your idea about it being caused by a food allergy could be right. I ease the symptom by using Neilmed nasal gel which you squirt up your nose. It really does work for me having suffered from post nasal drip for years. I use it first thing in the morning because that is when the symptom is most obvious to me but sometimes I need to use it again later on in the day as well. It is a non drip gel which also stops me getting sores in my nose due to dryness which used to be a huge and painful problem.
    • maureen05275
      maureen05275 maggie98748

      Posted

      Hello Maggie.  Sorry to you also for the long delay.  My food allergies have always resulted in an itchy rash, nothing else.  I went to a chemist who was supposed to stock the Neilmed nasal gel but he did not have it and he said the Internet reference would just have been to Neilmed products in general.  We seem, in Australia, to have only the nasal sprays such as Fess and Narium which don't do anything much for me.  The only Neilmed product I could find was the sinus rinse.  I have bought the latter product and will give it a try when I am feeling a bit better.  Thank you for taking the time to help me.

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