I salivate excessively and experience severe phlegm from GERD. As a result, my throat is always clogged, and it's tough to swallow at times. I was prescribed Allegra-D and have avoided dairy foods to no avail. What can I do? Is there any other medicine I can take to help alleviate these unpleasant symptoms?

Chris

The excess saliva that you are experiencing may be produced as an automatic response to the reflux of stomach acid into your esophagus. This symptom, called waterbrash, is occasionally seen in patients with reflux.

If you are certain that you have GERD, this symptom can often be stopped by a prescription medicine that will reduce the amount of acid reflux and stop the production of saliva and phlegm. There are several classes of drugs that might help you: drugs that improve the clearance of acid (prokinetic drugs) and drugs that stop production of acid (H2-receptor blockers and proton-pump inhibitors). Your doctor can determine the best drug for you. The proton-pump inhibitors are usually taken only once a day and the others usually twice a day.

If GERD is causing your excess salivation and phlegm, you may be able to discontinue your Allegra-D; this may not be a useful approach to your problem.