Postnasal Drip: Discover How To Get Better

WHAT IS A POSTNASAL DRIP?

Do you know that many people in Singapore often suffer from a persistent runny nose ? The runny nose may occur from the back in the form of a backdrip. A postnasal drip is the flow of mucus secretions from your nose backwards into your throat. It is one of the most common nose conditions in Singapore, which annoys people. The backdrip carries viruses and bacteria from your nose, leading to higher risk of infections to your throat. The postnasal drip is basically a runny nose at the back of your nose, a potential source of sore throat.

IS THE POSTNASAL DRIP THE CAUSE OF MY SORE THROAT?

If the backdrip from your nose continues, it will cause sore throat, making you repeatedly clear your throat. There may be a persistent sensation of something irritating your throat, as if there is something stuck in your throat. Well, that persistent lump in throat sensation is due to your nasal mucus backflow! Recurrent throat-clearing movements just worsen the symptoms and may in turn lead to voicebox inflammation called laryngitis.

So what is causing your nose to be producing so much mucus? Sinus infections, nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis may cause your persistent backdrip. If the nasal discharge is usually watery and clear, then this is probably due to nasal allergies. However, if the nasal discharge is yellow and thick, then there is most likely a sinus infection brewing. Some people may also suffer from nasal congestion, facial pressure discomfort and headaches.

HOW CAN I TREAT MY RUNNY NOSE AND BACKDRIP?

The simplest way to help alleviate your runny nose and backdrip is to consider doing the following things:

1.Rinse out your nose daily with a hypertonic sea salt solution which is alkaline.

Popular brands include Neilmed Sinus rinse and Flo-sinus. For those who don’t like to douche out their nose like this, then using Sterimar, a very gentle sea salt spray, can be a helpful alternative indeed. If you come down with the flu, common cold or Covid infection, then it is important to irrigate your nose 2-3 times daily to reduce the backdrip so that you don’t keep on coughing nonstop.

2.Using a nasal steroid spray can help reduce inflammation and soft tissue swelling inside your nose.

You can buy Nasonex may over the counter in many pharmacies. Many people use nasal steroid sprays longterm to control their nasal allergies or allergic rhinitis to prevent flare-ups.

3.Taking a strong decongestant or antihistamine can help open up your inflamed nasal passages and reduce thick mucus.

Decongestants help to open up the congested sinus drainage pathways to help the sinuses drain freely. Telfast-D is a strong decongestant but you should use it daily for longer than 7 days. It is not a good idea to rely for too long on these decongestant medications to breathe clearly because they cause rebound blood vessel dilation and abnormal capillary growth, dry up the nasal mucus glands excessively and have a stimulant effect which may elevate your blood pressure and also cause heartbeat to speed up with risk of irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).

BUT WHAT IF THE ABOVE MEASURES DON’T HELP MY NOSE?

If the above measures don’t help you, then you should see your friendly ENT specialist. Have your nose checked out properly with a special camera. We do this safely in clinic after spraying the nose with a numbing spray. So any discomfort is minimal. You may need a CT scan of your sinuses too if there is persistent infection.

In some cases, you may need surgery to clear the congestion in your nose. This includes correcting any crooked septum and trimming swollen soft tissue. Runny noses and backdrip can improve with “freezing” of the mucus-producing nerve endings with Clarifix (see picture below). Clarifix is a safe and easy procedure which helps many patients with their runny noses.

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