Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
When to Seek Care
Postnasal drip occurs when mucus in your nose drains down the back of your throat. This may happen because your body produces more mucus than it needs or you are not able to clear it as quickly as usual.In some cases, another condition such as infection requires treatment.
Mucusitself isn’t harmful and actually protects you from illness and provides lubrication. Still, you may seek relief from symptoms of postnasal drip (often called upper airway cough syndrome) that include cough, frequent throat clearing, or hoarseness.
The symptoms of postnasal drip are generally mild and include:
These symptoms can get better or worse throughout the day. For example, you may feel worse after lying down for a while or after talking for a long time.
Postnasal drip generally lasts for a few days or weeks, depending on the cause. If it becomes chronic, you may have it for months.
The cause of postnasal drip can be categorized as short-term conditions, sudden triggers, or longer-lasting (chronic) issues.
Temporary Conditions
Some temporary conditions that can cause postnasal drip include:
Sudden Triggers
Sudden triggers that can cause postnasal drip and cough include:
Chronic Conditions
Chronic causes of postnasal drip include:
Postnasal drip is usually diagnosed based on your symptoms and a physical exam. If your provider is unsure of the diagnosis, they may want you to have allergy testing, imaging, or other tests to look for a cause.These can include:
How to Stop Postnasal Drip
There are several strategies fortreating postnasal drip. If it’s mild and you don’t have it all the time, you can probably manage postnasal drip symptoms at home. If it’s more of a constant or severe problem, you might need medication or surgery to fix the cause of postnasal drip.
Home Remedies
There are severalpostnasal drip home remediesthat can help ease symptoms. These lifestyle tips may make it easier to deal with postnasal drip, no matter what’s causing it:
What About Chicken Soup?Research on classic chicken soup suggests it seemed to help with symptoms. Experts say that any hot liquid (not just soup) can thin mucus and may help with postnasal drip.
What About Chicken Soup?
Research on classic chicken soup suggests it seemed to help with symptoms. Experts say that any hot liquid (not just soup) can thin mucus and may help with postnasal drip.
Over-the-Counter Treatments
If you also have symptoms like congestion, sore throat, and cough along with postnasal drip, you can try some over-the-counter (OTC) treatments including:
Ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist before using any new treatments or medications, even those you get OTC. You should not use decongestants for more than three days in a row.
Prescription Medications
There are also prescription medications that can be used totreat postnasal dripor the underlying cause of it.
GERD needs a treatment strategy that includes medications and lifestyle changes, such as avoiding fatty and spicy foods, taking acid-reducing medications, and sleeping with your head slightly elevated.
Surgery
It’s a big leap from occasional postnasal drip to surgery, but if your symptoms are hard to treat or the cause is anatomical (e.g., the structure of your sinuses), it could be fixed with a procedure.
Surgeries that may be done for various causes of postnasal drip include:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
If you have postnasal drip a few times per year and it gets better on its own, you probably don’t need to worry about it.
However, if you have postnasal drip often or for more than a few weeks, you should talk to your healthcare provider. You should also call your provider if you have postnasal drip in conjunction with:
Summary
Many people have occasional postnasal drip and it’s usually nothing to worry about. Symptoms, like an itchy throat, coughing, hoarseness, and watery eyes, can be irritating but are usually not serious.
Postnasal drip usually goes away on its own. If it doesn’t, or the symptoms get worse, see your provider to find out what’s causing it. In some cases, treating postnasal drip comes down to avoiding triggers, making lifestyle changes, or treating an underlying condition. If you have postnasal drip because of a structural problem, you might need surgery to fix it.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medical University of South Carolina.Post-nasal drip.Indiana University Health.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Baudoin T, Šimunjak T, Bacan N, Jelavić B, Kuna K, Košec A.Redefining Pregnancy-Induced Rhinitis.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2021 May;35(3):315-322. doi:10.1177/1945892420957490Kamimura M, Mouri A, Takayama K, Mizutani T, Hamamoto Y, Iikura M,et al.Cough related to swallowing in asthma patients.Asia Pac Allergy. 2019 Oct 14;9(4):e31. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2019.9.e31Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Smallwood D, Ledford D, Kennedy D, Lockey R.Postnasal Drip.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Jun;12(6):1472-1478. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.030American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Postnasal drip.UpToDate.Patient education: Nonallergic rhinitis (runny or stuff nose). (Beyond the basics).MedlinePlus.Ipratropium.Albarqouni L, Moynihan R, Clark J, Scott AM, Duggan A, Del Mar C.Head of bed elevation to relieve gastroesophageal reflux symptoms: a systematic review.BMC Fam Pract.2021;22(1):24. Published 2021 Jan 19. doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01369-0Johns Hopkins.Endoscopic sinus surgery.NIH News in Health.Marvels of mucus and phlegm.Additional ReadingHong JY, Kim JH, Park S, Hwang YI, Jung KS, Jang SH.Efficacy and predictors of response to inhaled corticosteroid treatment for chronic cough.Korean J Intern Med. 2019 May;34(3):559-568. doi:10.3904/kjim.2017.291
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Medical University of South Carolina.Post-nasal drip.Indiana University Health.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Baudoin T, Šimunjak T, Bacan N, Jelavić B, Kuna K, Košec A.Redefining Pregnancy-Induced Rhinitis.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2021 May;35(3):315-322. doi:10.1177/1945892420957490Kamimura M, Mouri A, Takayama K, Mizutani T, Hamamoto Y, Iikura M,et al.Cough related to swallowing in asthma patients.Asia Pac Allergy. 2019 Oct 14;9(4):e31. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2019.9.e31Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Smallwood D, Ledford D, Kennedy D, Lockey R.Postnasal Drip.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Jun;12(6):1472-1478. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.030American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Postnasal drip.UpToDate.Patient education: Nonallergic rhinitis (runny or stuff nose). (Beyond the basics).MedlinePlus.Ipratropium.Albarqouni L, Moynihan R, Clark J, Scott AM, Duggan A, Del Mar C.Head of bed elevation to relieve gastroesophageal reflux symptoms: a systematic review.BMC Fam Pract.2021;22(1):24. Published 2021 Jan 19. doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01369-0Johns Hopkins.Endoscopic sinus surgery.NIH News in Health.Marvels of mucus and phlegm.Additional ReadingHong JY, Kim JH, Park S, Hwang YI, Jung KS, Jang SH.Efficacy and predictors of response to inhaled corticosteroid treatment for chronic cough.Korean J Intern Med. 2019 May;34(3):559-568. doi:10.3904/kjim.2017.291
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Medical University of South Carolina.Post-nasal drip.Indiana University Health.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.Postnasal drip.Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226Baudoin T, Šimunjak T, Bacan N, Jelavić B, Kuna K, Košec A.Redefining Pregnancy-Induced Rhinitis.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2021 May;35(3):315-322. doi:10.1177/1945892420957490Kamimura M, Mouri A, Takayama K, Mizutani T, Hamamoto Y, Iikura M,et al.Cough related to swallowing in asthma patients.Asia Pac Allergy. 2019 Oct 14;9(4):e31. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2019.9.e31Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.Smallwood D, Ledford D, Kennedy D, Lockey R.Postnasal Drip.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Jun;12(6):1472-1478. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.030American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Postnasal drip.UpToDate.Patient education: Nonallergic rhinitis (runny or stuff nose). (Beyond the basics).MedlinePlus.Ipratropium.Albarqouni L, Moynihan R, Clark J, Scott AM, Duggan A, Del Mar C.Head of bed elevation to relieve gastroesophageal reflux symptoms: a systematic review.BMC Fam Pract.2021;22(1):24. Published 2021 Jan 19. doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01369-0Johns Hopkins.Endoscopic sinus surgery.NIH News in Health.Marvels of mucus and phlegm.
Medical University of South Carolina.Post-nasal drip.
Indiana University Health.Postnasal drip.
Yu JL, Becker SS.Postnasal drip and postnasal drip-related cough.Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016;24(1):15-19. doi:10.1097/MOO.0000000000000226
Scleroderma & Raynaud’s UK.Postnasal drip.
Baudoin T, Šimunjak T, Bacan N, Jelavić B, Kuna K, Košec A.Redefining Pregnancy-Induced Rhinitis.Am J Rhinol Allergy. 2021 May;35(3):315-322. doi:10.1177/1945892420957490
Kamimura M, Mouri A, Takayama K, Mizutani T, Hamamoto Y, Iikura M,et al.Cough related to swallowing in asthma patients.Asia Pac Allergy. 2019 Oct 14;9(4):e31. doi: 10.5415/apallergy.2019.9.e31
Harvard Health Publishing.Treatments for post-nasal drip.
Smallwood D, Ledford D, Kennedy D, Lockey R.Postnasal Drip.J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2024 Jun;12(6):1472-1478. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2024.04.030
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.Postnasal drip.
UpToDate.Patient education: Nonallergic rhinitis (runny or stuff nose). (Beyond the basics).
MedlinePlus.Ipratropium.
Albarqouni L, Moynihan R, Clark J, Scott AM, Duggan A, Del Mar C.Head of bed elevation to relieve gastroesophageal reflux symptoms: a systematic review.BMC Fam Pract.2021;22(1):24. Published 2021 Jan 19. doi:10.1186/s12875-021-01369-0
Johns Hopkins.Endoscopic sinus surgery.
NIH News in Health.Marvels of mucus and phlegm.
Hong JY, Kim JH, Park S, Hwang YI, Jung KS, Jang SH.Efficacy and predictors of response to inhaled corticosteroid treatment for chronic cough.Korean J Intern Med. 2019 May;34(3):559-568. doi:10.3904/kjim.2017.291
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