I too have the same problem. It has been going on for about 4 years now. My wife is ready to divorce me over this. I've been to a couple of doctors and all I came away with is try Mucenix or Flonase. I still take Mucenix and sometimes it does give some relief. I do know that dairy foods make it worse and choclate doesn't help either. I am at work now and I know I am annoying my co-workers with this problem. I have to leave the room th clear my throat both at work and at home so I don't get the look from people.
My throat gets so sore from the constant clearing. I can't stand it. My doctor just ignors me when I tell him about it. I have sleep apnea and use a machine to help breathe at night when I sleep. If I don't use it I snore and my throat is killing me when I wake up in the morning and then I start with the throat clearing about 1 hour later.
I would give anything to find what is causing this and how to correct it. Maybe there is some place that can do a study on this problem. There sure seems to be a lot of people that have it.
My throat gets so sore from the constant clearing. I can't stand it. My doctor just ignors me when I tell him about it. I have sleep apnea and use a machine to help breathe at night when I sleep. If I don't use it I snore and my throat is killing me when I wake up in the morning and then I start with the throat clearing about 1 hour later.
I would give anything to find what is causing this and how to correct it. Maybe there is some place that can do a study on this problem. There sure seems to be a lot of people that have it.
On the historic island of Crete, with its olive trees, orange groves, and vineyards; its old stone farmhouses, monasteries and villages; and its long-forgotten castles and chapels, sits a modern university – the site of a fascinating study found in the April 10, 2003 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Might throat-clearing be an overlooked symptom of asthma? The authors surveyed the parents of over 2500 three-to-five-year-old children attending daycare on Crete. Among other things they asked "does your child have a habit of clearing his or her throat often?" More than one hundred parents said yes. Many of those children already had been diagnosed with asthma, but most had not. When pulmonary function testing was performed on the children believed not to have asthma, the results were enlightening: these children all had mild asthma that had not yet been suspected. And their lung function and throat clearing improved with asthma medicines. The study suggests that throat clearing may be the first sign of asthma in some children. Children with asthma fare better with early diagnosis and early treatment. It might be wise for doctors thinking about asthma to ask parents about throat clearing, and for parents whose children often clear the throat to ask their doctors about asthma testing. This new idea from an historic place might give new insight into 21st century children.
Alan Greene MD FAAP
April 28, 2003
Alan Greene MD FAAP
April 28, 2003
What Your Symptom Is Telling You
Ahem. Clearing your throat is a time-honored way to draw polite attention. Just ask Miss Manners. But you may be clearing your throat so often that it's drawing negative attention. Perhaps a family member is wondering if you have some kind of throat problem. It's even starting to annoy you.
Chances are, it's just a habit that got started when you had an upper respiratory or throat infection a while back. Even though the original secretions that produced the tickle were over, you continued to clear your throat. That repeated throat clearing has been banging your vocal cords together, and when they meet so forcefully, they swell and create the sensation that something is still there in your throat. Your response? Ahem-and-ahem—more swelling, more sensation, and the cycle goes on.
Another common cause of throat clearing is acid reflux—excess stomach acid that creeps up the esophagus and irritates your throat, usually while you sleep. You may have reflux even without experiencing heartburn, doctors say.
Inadequate fluid intake and smoking can also dry and irritate the throat, prompting you to clear it. A good case of stage fright can do the same thing.
Aging can also have a drying effect on mucous membranes and prompt throat clearing. And if you've undergone radiation therapy, that may have dried your throat as well.
Symptom Relief
There's a lot you can do to clear up a throat-clearing problem.
Raise your fluid level. You need a crutch if you want to quit the throat-clearing habit, says David Alessi, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Los Angeles. And that crutch is water. "Feel like clearing? Stop and think—drink instead. Always carry a bottle of water with you," he says. "In three weeks, your habit will be broken."
Hydrate for stage fright. "Warm liquids are good if you're fighting stage fright," says Howard Levine, M.D., director of the Mount Sinai Nasal Sinus Center in Cleveland. "Your mouth and throat are drier when you're scared," he points out. Try this concoction when you need to use your voice in front of a group: Warm water with lemon juice and honey. "It creates humidity, coats the throat and gives soothing relief," says Dr. Levine.
Humidify the air. In winter, when there's dry forced hot air inside and cold dry air outside, use room humidifiers, suggests Steven Zeitels, M.D., an otolaryngologist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. The vapor will ease irritated throat membranes.
Swallow the problem. "Instead of clearing your throat, do a hard swallow—an extended swallow as though you had something in your throat," suggests Glenn Bunting, a senior speech pathologist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. "It may alleviate the sensation that something is there."
Try the hard stuff. Bunting recommends sucking on hard candy to increase saliva and moisturize the throat. But don't use menthol lozenges, he says. They may be drying.
Be gentle. Your vocal cords are very small, about the size of a nickel, says Bonnie Raphael, Ph.D., a vocal coach for the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Imagine blowing into a tiny musical instrument, she suggests. "How hard would you blow? You need to avoid overpowering the vocal mechanism and think instead of providing just a steady, gentle breeze." Here is her prescription for reducing your ahem-ing.
"The safest way to clear the throat is to sharply sniff and then swallow. If you feel you must clear the throat, then do so silently without any voice at all. The more you avoid abusing your throat, the less damage you'll do to your vocal cords," she says.
Dry up the drips. If postnasal drip from an allergy or sinusitis is the culprit, treat these underlying conditions first, suggests Dr. Levine.
Relieve reflux. "If throat clearing is occurring after meals or when you're asleep, it may be the result of reflux," says Dr. Zeitels. Try taking antacids.
Ahem. Clearing your throat is a time-honored way to draw polite attention. Just ask Miss Manners. But you may be clearing your throat so often that it's drawing negative attention. Perhaps a family member is wondering if you have some kind of throat problem. It's even starting to annoy you.
Chances are, it's just a habit that got started when you had an upper respiratory or throat infection a while back. Even though the original secretions that produced the tickle were over, you continued to clear your throat. That repeated throat clearing has been banging your vocal cords together, and when they meet so forcefully, they swell and create the sensation that something is still there in your throat. Your response? Ahem-and-ahem—more swelling, more sensation, and the cycle goes on.
Another common cause of throat clearing is acid reflux—excess stomach acid that creeps up the esophagus and irritates your throat, usually while you sleep. You may have reflux even without experiencing heartburn, doctors say.
Inadequate fluid intake and smoking can also dry and irritate the throat, prompting you to clear it. A good case of stage fright can do the same thing.
Aging can also have a drying effect on mucous membranes and prompt throat clearing. And if you've undergone radiation therapy, that may have dried your throat as well.
Symptom Relief
There's a lot you can do to clear up a throat-clearing problem.
Raise your fluid level. You need a crutch if you want to quit the throat-clearing habit, says David Alessi, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Los Angeles. And that crutch is water. "Feel like clearing? Stop and think—drink instead. Always carry a bottle of water with you," he says. "In three weeks, your habit will be broken."
Hydrate for stage fright. "Warm liquids are good if you're fighting stage fright," says Howard Levine, M.D., director of the Mount Sinai Nasal Sinus Center in Cleveland. "Your mouth and throat are drier when you're scared," he points out. Try this concoction when you need to use your voice in front of a group: Warm water with lemon juice and honey. "It creates humidity, coats the throat and gives soothing relief," says Dr. Levine.
Humidify the air. In winter, when there's dry forced hot air inside and cold dry air outside, use room humidifiers, suggests Steven Zeitels, M.D., an otolaryngologist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. The vapor will ease irritated throat membranes.
Swallow the problem. "Instead of clearing your throat, do a hard swallow—an extended swallow as though you had something in your throat," suggests Glenn Bunting, a senior speech pathologist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. "It may alleviate the sensation that something is there."
Try the hard stuff. Bunting recommends sucking on hard candy to increase saliva and moisturize the throat. But don't use menthol lozenges, he says. They may be drying.
Be gentle. Your vocal cords are very small, about the size of a nickel, says Bonnie Raphael, Ph.D., a vocal coach for the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Imagine blowing into a tiny musical instrument, she suggests. "How hard would you blow? You need to avoid overpowering the vocal mechanism and think instead of providing just a steady, gentle breeze." Here is her prescription for reducing your ahem-ing.
"The safest way to clear the throat is to sharply sniff and then swallow. If you feel you must clear the throat, then do so silently without any voice at all. The more you avoid abusing your throat, the less damage you'll do to your vocal cords," she says.
Dry up the drips. If postnasal drip from an allergy or sinusitis is the culprit, treat these underlying conditions first, suggests Dr. Levine.
Relieve reflux. "If throat clearing is occurring after meals or when you're asleep, it may be the result of reflux," says Dr. Zeitels. Try taking antacids.
Isn't it odd for such a high percenage of a given population to have those combined symptoms? Is it possible that they were all suffering with the same bug? The Throat Clearing Disease is like having a string partialy inhaled and stuck on the eppiglotis causing an asthma like sensation, it can't be swallowed down, it can't be coughed up, which is caused by the frequent mis-swallowing irritating the trachea and then giving the need to clear the throat. The eppiglotis is what is sick. It also affects the soft pallate so that it doesn't seem to close properly. I'm not a doctor this is how it is for me, and those I've given it to. Please keep posting. Thank you for your input. I drink 3 to 4 quarts of water a day, use a humidifier, take Prevacid, have tried all the inhalers known, salagen, use biotene gel, saline nasal spray, suck on sugar free candies all of the things I can think of. I have been treated for and taken seriously GERD. None of this works, (i.e. nothing to eat or drink 3hrs. before bed, no caffine, no chocolate. I'll do my best to avoid using my voice while clearing.[/enc]
I have had problems with throat clearing for as long as I can remember, and so has my mother. I've been treated for GERD, with all the meds, unsucessfully. Take Flonase, that doesn't work. Xanax. You name it. I want to pass on a remedy that I found that has worked for me, but also some caveats. There are some warnings that I know comes with this remedy. It's apple cider vinegar. I take an apple cider vinegar pill before I eat and I have not had that sensation in my throat like I need to cleat it anymore, and I don't have the mucus in my throat anymore. Please go to the websites on the internet that discuss apple cider vinegar remedies and look for yourself at what they do and the potential problems--it is acetic acid, which I think is why it works, but it can burn if you don't use it properly. I'm just passing it on, because having to clear your throat all day long is just horrible and I'm free of it now, and want others to be as well.
My mom had a problem with clearing her throat for years and she finally went to the Doc. and it was a goiter, they gave her medication and she has not had a problem.
I've had the same problem for about 2 years now, im 22. The first 3 weeks, i remember being very paranoid like something was there, but it seems to be getting alot better now, since i started smoking marijuanna regulary last summer, which in fact gets rid of the clearing completely when high! I believe this is what caused me to become dependant on the drug, i am more likely to have a big conversation now.
I am 55 and have been bothered with clearing my throat almost all my life. I had tonsils out when I was 5. It is there when I wake up and worse after eating any meals. Tried the anti histamines, Protonix, GI Dr., asthma DR., nothing helps. It is always there, though some days worse than others. I not only annoy others but myself as well. Would love to find the source and a cure. Do not believe it is a habit. It is like restless leg syndrome...you can tell yourself your not going to do it but you reach a point your body has to and takes over your mind.
This message is for asanz: I am going to try the apple cider vinegar and see if it will work for me too. How many pills do you take each day? Where can I find them? Thanks for keeping us posted on what has worked for you![size=18]
I have also had this problem for about 7 years now and have been through all the same medication as you. I have even had a 24 hour acid test (twice) to see if it is GERD (all the doctors and specialists I have seen think it is GERD). The Nexium I used for over 2 years, twice a day for the last year and this made no difference at all. None of the medication has made the slightest difference. I have sinus surgery as well to open up the air passages. PWnK4IIt seems to get much worse when I am very stressed and especially after I have eaten. Once I did not eat for 48 hours and it went away completely. As soon as I ate again it came back immediately, so this seems to point to acid reflux, I must admit. I get very desparate about it, but just have to live with it. By the way I had my tonsils removed when I was a child.
Did the 24 hour acid tests confirm that it was acid reflux? I think if it was acid reflux, it seems that if you didn't eat for 48 hours, all that would be in your stomach would be acid and it would make it worse. It actually could be too little acid in your stomach. When you don't have enough acid in your stomach to break down your food, the food just sits there and ferments, and that could come up into your esophagus which gives you the same symptoms as acid reflux. You can try taking pills that will actually increase the acid in your stomach to help break down the food. I think it might help.
I have also had this problem for about 6 years now.I know its not in my head. It is so embarrasing, i have to leave the room to clear my throat. I have found no cure, but 1 thing that helps me is to brush the roof of my mouth with toothpaste. Alot of mucas is traped by the toothpaste and easily removed. This is just temporary relief, but hey. I really hope someone can find a solution. I thought Iwas the only one with this, but with all these people, a doctor should really find a cure. HELP!!!!!!!!
Wow...I stumbled across this thread and feel like I found my long, lost family. I can completely relate with all the things that most everyone here is saying. I have had this throat clearing issue for like 8-10 years now. I have been to multiple doctors and they prescribed various things for asthma, GERD, acid reflux, etc. As with everyone else, none of these have helped at all.
I occasionally find a little relief by sucking on a cough drop, but that is of course only very temporary.
I too would give just about anything to fix this as I drive myself and everyone around me nuts.
Misery loves company though.
I occasionally find a little relief by sucking on a cough drop, but that is of course only very temporary.
I too would give just about anything to fix this as I drive myself and everyone around me nuts.
Misery loves company though.
I have had the same problem for about 6 months. It all started after I had my first scope to see if I had reflux. Turns out I have Barretts and ever since then, I have had this lump in my throat feeling. Can't get it to go away. I did a Barium swallow test and it showed that some of the barium fluid was getting caught up my upper esophogus. I have a motility test this Thursday to see if there is a problem with the muscles in my eophogus. I will keep you posted as to what they find.
It is strange, initially it felt like I had popcorn or something else stuck in my thraot and I could almost feel an itching from it in my ears. That symptom has gone away and now I feel like I have a lump behind my adams apple.
It is strange, initially it felt like I had popcorn or something else stuck in my thraot and I could almost feel an itching from it in my ears. That symptom has gone away and now I feel like I have a lump behind my adams apple.
Hi All,
I have had throat clearing for about 2 - 3 years. It's been so long that I can't remember when it started.
It just feels like there is something constantly sticking to the back of my throat and no matter how much I clear or swallow it won't go away.
I have only questioned the doc twice about it and he now has me on nasonex spray for post nasal drip which helped for a a couple of weeks but is now not working any more.
I don't think it is in my head as I am fine at night but it usually gets worse after eating or drinking and sometimes I don't clear at all for hours and then it gets bad and I,'ll be clearing for hours every 10secs or less.
Sometimes I can eat and I,ll be fine for 1/2 and hour after and then it will start.
Tonight it was real bad so I pumped my sinus with FESS, (saline solution) and that seamed to help quite a bit. right now I am only having a little clear maybe once a minute.
But as with the rest of us it drives your partners crazy.
I would like to thank you all for the information provided on this forum and I was going to start to cut things out of my diet one at a time to see if that makes any difference.
If it is a food allergy it will be something that I have every day as I throat clear every day.
So i was going to start to cut out 1 thing at a time for a couple of weeks that i eat every day and see if this helps.
EG: - Bread, Milk, coffee, beer, margarine.
I really hope it is not preservatives as this would be a real hard one to avoid.
Anyway I will keep you all posted with any long term positive results.
Kind of glad to see that I am not the only one.
Funkym
I have had throat clearing for about 2 - 3 years. It's been so long that I can't remember when it started.
It just feels like there is something constantly sticking to the back of my throat and no matter how much I clear or swallow it won't go away.
I have only questioned the doc twice about it and he now has me on nasonex spray for post nasal drip which helped for a a couple of weeks but is now not working any more.
I don't think it is in my head as I am fine at night but it usually gets worse after eating or drinking and sometimes I don't clear at all for hours and then it gets bad and I,'ll be clearing for hours every 10secs or less.
Sometimes I can eat and I,ll be fine for 1/2 and hour after and then it will start.
Tonight it was real bad so I pumped my sinus with FESS, (saline solution) and that seamed to help quite a bit. right now I am only having a little clear maybe once a minute.
But as with the rest of us it drives your partners crazy.
I would like to thank you all for the information provided on this forum and I was going to start to cut things out of my diet one at a time to see if that makes any difference.
If it is a food allergy it will be something that I have every day as I throat clear every day.
So i was going to start to cut out 1 thing at a time for a couple of weeks that i eat every day and see if this helps.
EG: - Bread, Milk, coffee, beer, margarine.
I really hope it is not preservatives as this would be a real hard one to avoid.
Anyway I will keep you all posted with any long term positive results.
Kind of glad to see that I am not the only one.
Funkym