Nasal Backdrip: How To Get Better

Do you know that many people in Singapore often suffer from a persistent runny nose or nasal 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 people find annoying. The backdrip carries viruses and bacteria from your nose, leading to higher risk of infections spreading to your throat. The postnasal drip is basically a runny nose at the back of your nose!

If the backdrip from your nose is not treated, 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, there certainly is something stuck in your throat: Your nasal mucus backflow! Recurrent throat-clearing movements often worsen the symptoms and may in turn lead to voicebox inflammation and laryngitis.

So what is causing your nose to be producing so much mucus? Sinus infections, nasal polyps and allergic rhinitis conditions are the likely causes of your persistent backdrip. Sometimes, if the nasal discharge is usually watery and clear, then this is probably caused 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.

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 such as Nasonex, can also help reduce inflammation and soft tissue swelling inside your nose. Nasonex may be bought 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 also help open up your inflamed nasal passages and reduce the irritating thick mucus secretions. Decongestants help to open up the congested sinus drainage pathways to help the sinuses drain freely. Telfast-D or Zyrtec-D are some examples of strong decongestants but they should only be used daily for no 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).

If the above measures don’t help you much, then it is definitely time to seek help from your friendly ENT specialist in Singapore because you will now need your nose checked out properly with a special camera (nasoendoscopy): Don’t worry, this is done quickly and safely in clinic after spraying the nose with a numbing spray, so any discomfort is minimal. You may sometimes need a CT scan of your sinuses too if there is persistent sinus infection.

Often, surgery plays an important role to clear the congested pathways in your nose, such as correcting any crooked deviated septums, trimming swollen soft tissue and “freezing” ablation of the mucus-producing nerve endings with Clarifix (see picture below).

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