I am curious to hear whether some of you have relief with NyQuil, short lived as it might be. I have tried a lot of different options vs. surgery, to include Benadryl, CBD, etc., but NyQuil diminishes the throat pressure and pain for a few hours.
Please let me know if you have any advice on this.
Thank you!!
Sadly, as you have noticed, some things help a little bit but usually for short duration. Some of our members have gotten decent symptoms relief from taking a nerve pain medication such as Gabapentin, Amitriptyline, or Carbamazepine. Nerve pain meds can take a few weeks to start helping as the dose is usually started low & gradually increased to help prevent side effects. The medication has to build up to a certain level in your body before it’s helpful.
Others have found that getting an ultrasound guided injection of lidocaine & cortisone in the tonsillar fossa (back of the throat) has given symptoms relief from several hours to several months (depends on how your body responds), but some members have also found the injections made their symptoms worse so that one’s a gamble. It’s also sometimes used to diagnose ES i.e. if it makes the pain go away (which, as I noted, it doesn’t always thus it’t not a perfect test).
Thank you for taking time to respond. I will continue to try some of the non-surgical options out there and have an appointment in Chicago with a specialist at Northwestern who is an expert in the injections.
JPB
I hope it helps you foe the long term @JPB! Surgery was the cure for me. It was a worthwhile risk I took, but I put myself in the hands of a very experienced ES surgeon & that made all the difference, I think. 
That is great to hear!!!
I’ve never tried NyQuil but for me alcohol diminishes throat pressure. Seems like things that act as a sedative (or alcohol as a depressant) might have an effect.
I’m currently on the nerve pain medication path as Isaiah mentioned with Gabapentin. 300mg seems to have helped with some of my swallowing pain, but did nothing for my throat pressure/pain which is bothering me a lot. I’ll let you know how increasing the dosage goes. And also if getting an intraoral nerve block works for me in the future.
I’ve looked up at NyQuil and saw that it is containing a combination of Acetaminophen and DXM. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) should be known as NSAR and might work a bit against ES pain here too.
DXM is used against cough but it is also known as drug in recreational use that is comparable to sth between marijuana and ecstasy or in higher doses to ketamine or pcp . It is also known for some nerve pain releaving and antidepressant properties. So it sounds possible that there might be some relief for ES pain from NyQuil. The question is what’s the price one will pay taking that long term…
In my opinion before I’d try DXM in off lable use I would better try the common painmeds for ES first like Carbamazepin, Gabapentin or Pregabalin, that I actually still try to avoid because of all the possible side effects. So I’d also prefer to avoid DXM if possible.
Thank you!
I will have the nerve block done later this month (3rd time in the past year).
Has Benadryl worked for you too?
I appreciate the feedback. Have you ever tried Benadryl and did that work well?
Thank you!!
No, I didn’t try so much from those chemicals. In hospital I had Valium and Midazolam few times. That relaxes too but also makes one very tired and dependency is my concern.
Some years ago I had terrible cramps in my lower back while sitting in a car of my dad, who wanted to drive me to a therapist. Unfortunately it became so worse and painful that I wasn’t able to move and passed out few times. The called ambulance gave me ketamine and midazolam then to free me out of that car. Man, that was a spectacular trip! But i was completely painfree (and giggling like a schoolgirl when we arrived at hospital). I was so fine that I discharged myself from the hospital an hour later. Later I got a prescription of slow releasing Oxycodon for that repeating backpain. That time nobody knew about my already existing ES.
So ketamine has worked so good here that this might be another option. I have heard that a nasal spray is prescribed for some conditions. Nevertheless it belongs to the heavy hitting anaestetics respectively narcotics, that if at all might also be the only pain releasing if one has constantly ongoing cranial nerve irritations. The side effects especially on long term use are also concerning here though.
I’m pretty sure that in my case there wouldn’t have been a satisfying solution with medication and maybe physical therapy only. Hopefully recent surgery was…
I want to emphasize that ketamine can cause pretty severe hallucinations as one of its side effects. I was given ketamine earlier this year as a paralytic prior to a major surgery & had a serious hallucination prior to being put under anesthesia. The memory of that still sticks with me. It was AWFUL!! I knew nothing about ketamine prior to that incident but now have certainly learned its not for me!
Very interesting. I resorted to NyQuil the other evening after a long day & feeling a cold coming on. I did wake up with less pain. But…since I cannot take Gabapentin or NSAIDs due to experiencing kidney damage…I have to be super cautious with even over the counter medications. I’m allergic to many pharmaceuticals too so my options are very limited. My problem is that I talk over the phone for a living and my jaw is really starting to act up lately. I’ve been doing some oil pulling and sometimes just stretching my tongue relieves some pressure. After having a hysterectomy in March and getting acute kidney damage from the ibuprofen bag they administered during the surgery & suffering memory loss afterwards from the pain medication they gave me (all put me back in the hospital), I’m no longer considering surgery unless it is life threatening. But…I did locate a surgeon in my area DFW, TX that I may go see just to get images done again…scared.
What a horrible experience you had w/ the hysterectomy. I am SO SORRY! @shel! I’ve had trouble w/ anesthesia causing memory loss even some months after surgery. Pain meds only seem to make me loopy when I’m taking them. ES is usually not life threatening unless it’s causing compression of the internal carotid artery (ICA). Based on your post in my Meniere’s Disease thread, I do have concerns that you may have some sort of vascular compression being caused by your styloids. If/when you see the local ENT, ask for a dynamic CT scan w/ contrast to look at your ICAs & IJVs (internal jugular vein) w/ your head in various positions. The results may help you decide whether or not surgery for ES is worthwhile.
Thank you! The injections worked miracles for me!!! I have ES surgery in 16 days - I can’t believe it is fast approaching!
I understand the hesitancy in proceeding with a surgery. Truth be told, the injections are helping amazing well now and I worry about having the bilateral ES surgery. But, I also know what we feel good about proceeding and want to move forward after a long road of pain and discomfort.
I’m so glad the injections have been very helpful, @JPB. Surgery will help resolve those symptoms permanently once you get through the recovery period. Just know it will take some months post op for that resolution to occur. Try not to be discouraged when you don’t see immediate results.
Best of luck!!! I have my surgery next Friday the 28th with Dr Hackman. I am an absolute terrified mess but I can’t live like this anymore. It’s truly ruining my life. Here’s to a better quality life ahead for us soon!
Thanks for that reminder Isaiah I know it wasn’t directed at me but it was the reminder that I needed to hear as well. Not to get discouraged. Baby steps and could take up to a year for recovery. Note to self !
I understand that hesitation and always consider the following:
Dr. Hackman is considered one of the best in the US and being a part of this forum affords you opportunity to a lot of testimonials about the process and recovery. It might not help relieve all the stress, but I hope you find peace with your decision. I prayed, meditated, and did a lot to feel good about this decision. For those with faith, that might be a consideration.
I certainly hope it goes really well on 0ct. 28th!!
@Ddmarie & @JPB - You’re both being operated on by a very accomplished & compassionate surgeon. I feel confident you will be better off after surgery than you are now. The first week after surgery will be the most uncomfy. By the end of the second week & going forward you’ll begin noticing positive changes. I’m really excited for both of you that your “day” is coming soon. If you need some moral support as your surgery dates draw closer, we’re here. Please just ask. 
P.S. I love your list JPB!