Constantly coughing up Mucus

gcsjr

It's really tough to give you a good answer because coughing up mucus can actually be caused by a couple of completely different things.

It could be a chronic sinusitis (which would also give you congestion, facial pressure, possibly a low-grade fever and a sore throat) which is simply inflammation of your sinuses that can cause discolored mucus to drain down the back of your throat. Antibiotics may help briefly but it often takes a combination of a steroid nasal spray and sinus irrigation to help bring down the inflammation in your sinuses.

The other possibility is that it is acid reflux (specifically a form of acid reflux called Laryngopharyngeal reflux) that causes irritation and pain in your throat. Your body produces excess mucus to protect those irritated areas and that may be what you're coughing up.

You could try a couple of things to see if they help:

1. Get a SinusRinse bottle and try irrigation to see if the mucus is coming from your sinuses (you can get a starter kit that comes with the bottle, pre-mixed packets of salt, and the directions at CVS or Walgreens). It will feel weird at first but you'll get used to it. If it does seem to be sinus-related you probably need to see an ENT or allergist to help figure out what's causing it.

2. If your parents are cool with it, try taking PrilosecOTC (a treatment for acid reflux) for two weeks - you can get it at any drug or discount store without a prescription. You should notice some improvement in a week or so if what you're experiencing is reflux-related.

You might try them one at a time so that you know which one really helps.

dolysods

you say you've tried zyrtec and claritin... have you tried any decongestants? Mucionex D helps me. It has the decongestant sudafed (have to sign for it now) and guafenisin to thin the mucous. Your parents might have to buy it for you, not sure

heartbeat3

are you a smoker?