Medical Questions » Mouth and Throat Questions » Question No. 692
| Question: | I have foul phlegm in the back of my mouth that I find very difficult to remove. It started after a bad bout of the flu a year ago. Telfast tablets from my doctor do not help. What can I do? |
| Answer: | Cattarh is a very common and most annoying problem, and one that is difficult to treat. It may be due to a bacterial or viral infection, allergies and sometimes strange things such as stress and temperature changes can cause the excess production of phlegm.
The mainstay in treatment are the drugs in the antihistamine class. These are divided into broad spectrum antihistamines that have a side effect of sedation, and specific anti-allergy antihistamines that do not usually cause sedation. The non-sedating antihistamines are very specific for allergy reactions, and will not dry phlegm produced because of viral infections or other non-allergy causes.
There is a lot of variation in the way an individual reacts to an antihistamine. The drug that helps one person may not help another. If one does not work, then others should be tried.
All antihistamines are available over the counter from chemists without a prescription. Broad spectrum (sedating) antihistamines include Polaramine, Periactin, Zyrtec and Zadine; while specific anti-allergy antihistamines include Telfast and Claratyne.
Pseudoephedrine tablets or capsules (eg. Sudafed, Drixora) and a medication called Bisolvon, are also very useful in liquefying phlegm so that it clears away more rapidly.
A course of antibiotics will remove any bacterial infection, and if your phlegm is particularly foul, this may be appropriate. Otherwise gargles, inhalations and various nasal sprays may also be tried.
To dry up your persistent phlegm problem I would suggest using a course of Zyrtec tablets, which are the least sedating and most effecrive of the broad spectrum antihistamines.
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