A key indicator if you have cricopharyngeal spasms is if the feeling of a lump in your throat is alleviated when eating / drinking. Also if you get spasms in your throat area that is also a key indicator. My doctor recommended me a muscle relaxer and I feel good as new.
How long did you suffer and what where your symptoms? Did your doctor tell you when it would go away? I'm going on 4 months and it's starting to wear me down.Originally Posted by Happyman168
Doctor didn't say when it would go away as she just prescribed me a small dosage of a benzodiazepine to test to see if it was a muscle contraction issue. This all started for me back in November of last year. It wasnt until this February that the sensation has been alleviated.
My symptoms were:
Lump in throat
Lump is only alleviated when eating or drinking
Constant swallowing makes the lump feeling worse
EDIT: After seeing your earlier post on page one I hope that you find some relief knowing it is a muscle contraction / tightening issue and that it is harmless. Considering you took a xanax and it helps shows that it's nothing more than just a tight muscle. My doctor did say that there is nothing wrong being on a benzo as long as you follow you recommended dosage. Seeing as I could barely function and was at my wits end for four months because of this huge lump feeling in my throat and that it can suddenly disappear by taking a muscle relaxer is reassuring.
Last edited by Happyman168; 20-02-17 at 00:18.
I take a benzo for sleep, and also notice things improve when I take it. I certainly don't want to take it during the day. How long does your doc want you taking the medication for? I've also had this since November.
This would be something you should speak to your doc about. However, before I was prescribed a benzo I was very wary seeing as there are people that heavily abuse it so that they can get a "high." My doctor reassured me that there is nothing wrong with benzos as long as you follow their instructions. She even told me that some people with muscle spasms or muscle tightening can take these lifelong with no problem. She gave me a months worth of a .25mg benzo and wants me taking it once a night before I sleep. Benzos are known for being sedative but with such a small dose I was prescribed it doesn't make me sleepy at all. Considering Xanax is fast acting and short lasting you could possibly ask your doc to switch to a longer acting benzo.
Thanks, thats a good idea. Did your issue start after an illness or stressful event, or just random?
It all started in october when I had a really bad allergic throat reaction which made me very stressed, but it wasnt until November when I had a bad food poisoning and threw up three times in one night until I felt like I pulled a muscle in my throat from that. Since that November I've been getting spasms in my throat (Under the adams apple) and was miserable. It was very hard to focus considering the constricted lump feeling in my throat made my life horrible. My doctor has tried me for GERD meds, Vocal Cord Dysfunction, and Depression Meds and none of those seemed to work. Then in February after those tests I went back to her and spoke to her about cricopharyngeal spasms and she gave me a benzo as a test to see if its a muscle contraction issue. And on my first pill at an extremely small dose the lump feeling just left. The only time the lump feeling appears is when I excessively swallow my saliva which just goes to show it is infact a muscle tightening issue, which of course is harmless.
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Thanks for the reassurance, my spasms are more in the back of my throat or under my jawline. It's there evenough when I don't swallow, and somewhat releaved by eating. The xanax does make it disappear so it must be muscle, stress related. My throat also frequently swells, has a burning sensation at times and is horse and dry.
No problem and best of luck to you. There is a cure for everyone. I was at my lowest when it felt like the lump in my throat felt huge and I had to shy away from social activities because I felt so uncomfortable with this lump.
If possible it would be best to rule out bigger problems. My doctor told me just to be safe to
Try medicines for GERD and see if it improves
Modified Barium Swallow
CT Scan
If those are all clear and a muscle relaxer diminishes a lump in throat feeling then we have nothing to worry about and can just continue taking a muscle relaxer
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