8 year old constant throat clearing

[WanderYonder]

Not sure how much traffic this will get but really really hoping someone has a suggestion.

DS has been clearing his throat (like, 'hrm') every few seconds for I don't know how long (a week perhaps? I've noticed it far more because it's the weekend and we're together all the time) - it seems to be gaining in regularity. Doesn't appear to be affected by what he eats. He is unaware he's doing it but when questioned said he can't explain it other than it feels like there's something stuck in his throat. In desperation last night because the noise is driving me MAD I gave him a Rennie (I know they're not recommended for under 12s but couldn't find a medical reason as to why, and only gave him one), just in case it was indigestion / reflux. It made no difference. Googling did suggest it could be a 'tic' of some kind which I really hope it's not because it's insanely irritating, and must annoy the kids he sits with at school!

Anyone any ideas? I hope I don't sound unsympathetic but I want to sort it asap both to make DS feel better and because the noise is SO ANNOYING

Hi OP

My 7yo daughter is doing something similar at the moment - with her it's a repetitive single dry cough every few seconds. She's been doing it a few weeks. No sign of a cold or a 'proper' cough. No congestion. No history of asthma. She says her throat feels tickly/irritated. She tends to be anxious, and my feeling is that it's a nervous thing or a habit.

It's driving me mad too :(

My daughter did this for a while. I took her to the GP who diagnosed a "post nasal drip" and prescribed a steroid nasal spray for a few weeks. She stopped doing it after that.

This definitely sounds like a tic - age 8 is a very common age for tics to appear. All the advice on tics is to completely ignore them as drawing attention to them can make them worse and make the child self-conscious. Most tics do pass after a few months though so fingers crossed it won't stick around too long.

Thank you for replies!

for you BlackInk. I've started hearing it even when we're not in the same room!

Thank you AdorableMisfit, I'm going to make a gp appointment tomorrow. That nasal thing appeared on one of my billion Google searches. Fingers crossed!

Mumofmyboy Oh God I hope not 😩

My dd does this too or coughs as though to clear the back of her throat. She was given a steroid nasal spray and we were advised to give an antihistamine twice daily also to see if it helped. She used the spray only for a few weeks and it did make a difference but it’s not something that is great to use in the long term. I also have this and it gets worse when I eat dairy products, my brother and father are the same too. Definitely not a tic, more of an allergy type post nasal drip.

DS did this as a tic when he was a little older - it was incredibly irritating. However, if your DS says it feels like something is stuck in his throat, it is worth investigating whether there is a physical cause.

One thing that occurred to me is tonsil stones, which can feel like you have something stuck in your throat but are not necessarily dislodged by coughing. Does he have any history of tonsillitis/throat infections? Have you tried looking at the back of his throat with a torch? If you can see any little white flecks or lumps on his tonsils, it could be that. I think GP visit is a good idea to rule that and other things out.

Agree, likely to be nasal drip caused by allergies. My DD had spray and anti histamines for a couple of summers but then grew out of it. Poor DD was diagnosed by nurse after I went back in desperation after initial consultation with doctor who dismissed it as a habit! She was about 6.

My daughter did this, at a similar age - it irritated all of us, but she didn’t seem to realise she was doing it. She grew out of it after about 6 months I think - reading your post made me realise she doesn’t do it anymore! I think it was a nervous tic. She has nosebleeds now instead 😊 Hope it improves soon.

I'd say an allergy too because I get the same issue for the following two reasons.

Could be hayfever, there are lots of plants still producing high levels of pollen at the end of the summer.

Or lots of people get more mucus when they eat dairy.

Dd’s was a tic, but best to check everything too.

All three of mine had tics of various kinds when they were younger - constant throat clearing was a long-standing one for the eldest and youngest. They all stopped doing them at around the onset of puberty. It can be incredibly irritating however the best way to deal with tics is not to draw any attention to them at all. I was always worried that other children would get annoyed but no one ever said anything and their teachers said it didn’t cause problems in school. Tics are very common - they’re unlikely to be the only child in a class of 30...

Hi, OP.

My DS (also 8) did this constantly for a couple of months last year, drove me mad too. GP investigated and decided it was a tic and then it disappeared. Until last month...

Seems it's fairly common, but there's no harm in having your doctor have a look if you're worried.

This sounds like one of quite a few tics my ds has at a similar age (head rolling, throat clearing and tutting - not all at once!) . It was bloody annoying but once you excluded any medical issues, best ignored. We realised that ds's would appear when he was stressed or worried (star of school year very typical) but he grew out of them and is now a very chilled 14 year old.

Thanks for all the ideas. Interesting that a tic could be provoked by stress. DS has just started at a new school and is feeling painfully aware of how behind his classmates he is (I moved him because I didn't trust that he was recieving a decent education, which has been very much confirmed within just the first week of his new school. He's new, anxious, and feeling academically inadequate, and I want to cry for him all the time ) I've been trying to make an appointment with the GP since Monday morning and the closest I've got before having to hang up to deal with work is 18th in the queue! If I ever get him there I'll update with the verdict for any future Google-searchers being driven mad by their hrm-ing children!

Dd is 10. She had a throat clearing tic from just after receiving her preschool boosters until about a year ago. It has gone away on its own but been replaced with nose twitching and eye rolling.

Hi OP,

I came on here today to research this as my DS (8) is doing it and driving me mad. He has gone through phases of doing it in the past and then stopped, but seems to come and go. I can't identify specific patterns but wonder of the back to school stress related explanation might be valid. I note the advice to 'not make a thing of it', which is probably right - but feel terrible because I keep asking him to srink some water and stop it!! Oh dear. I too can hear it in my head when he is not even there because it's got under my skin. I feel your pain. I'll update with developments - please do the same, interested to hear. Sorry you are having such a tough time getting GP appointment - probably worth persuing that. I think I will if it doesn;t settle down just in case there in an alergy link. He does have mild asthma and I believe there is a correlation there too, from what I have read.

My ds (6) has a tic, he makes a sharp exhalation. It is worth gently talking about it as ds has told me he has a horrible feeling before he does it which the tic relieves briefly. It is definitely anxiety linked as it has lessened over the summer holidays. Our GP referred us the paediatric unit as it's been going on for 18 months and it is bothering him. I'm hoping there will be some techniques for him to feel less anxious as I know there is little to be done about the tic itself.

Please reread my post and be reassured that for most children (especially but not exclusively boys) this is a phase - a coping mechanism until they are mature enough to verbalise their feelings. I remember so clearly thinking my ds was on a path of anxiety & self-harm but within 18months/2 years the tics has stopped and he is now very a very self assured and confident teenager.