Having a constant tickle in throat can be very annoying. It is from inflammation occurring in the throat, which is enough to cause a tickle but not enough to result in pain. You usually can get a dry cough at the same time as the tickle in your throat, because your system is trying to get rid of it by coughing. Unless you actually have something in the back of your throat, the cough will be useless and you will still feel the tickling sensation. Thus, the trick to get rid of the constant tickle is to solve the underlying problem that causes it.

Causes and Treatment for Constant Tickle in Throat

1.   Cold or Flu

You can have a constant tickle feeling in throat because of having the flu or a cold. Your throat will feel ticklish and you will want to try and clear your throat often. If this is the cause of your ticklish throat, the only thing you can really do is to wait to get better.

Treatment: It usually takes about three weeks to resolve itself and there is no particular treatment other than using throat lozenges to clear out the sensation in your throat. Sucking on hard candy will lessen the tickle in the throat, at least while you are sucking on the hard candy.

2.   Allergies

Nasal allergies can trigger a type of postnasal drip from the back of your nose, which can cause irritation in the throat and a sensation of tickle in throat. The allergy can be due to mold, dust, animal dander, or outdoor allergens, like ragweed, trees or grass.

Treatment: The best way to treat tickle in this condition is to take allergy medication. There are several over the counter allergy medicines, such as Claritin, Zyrtec, and diphenhydramine. Steroid nose drops can relieve the postnasal drip so that the tickle can go away. Talk to your doctor if you want a prescription for your allergies.

3.   Acid Reflux

If you have acid reflux, you may experience irritation or a constant tickle in throat from acid coming up from the esophagus onto the throat structures. This is usually worse when lying down because gravity isn't available to keep the acid down where it belongs.

Treatment: If you believe that acid reflux is causing your symptoms or if you have symptom such as nausea or heart burn, you can take a proton pump inhibitor such as Prilosec or Nexium. You can also take antacids which dilute out the acid to relieve the tickle feeling in your throat.

4.   Other Causes

If you are experiencing a constant tickle in your throat, it may be from asthma, in which the bronchial tree is irritated and there is excess mucus in the airways. A dry, ticklish throat can be due to lung cancer as well.

Treatment: The treatment of a tickle in throat from asthma is to take medications to control asthma, such as steroid inhalers or albuterol. If you believe you might have lung cancer because of other symptoms, such as lung pain or coughing up red blood, you should see the doctor and have your symptoms evaluated and treated accordingly.

Home Remedies to Relieve Constant Tickle in Throat

There are several home remedies you can use to relieve a ticklish throat so that you won't cough and the irritation will have a chance to heal. These home remedies include the following.

• Drink tea with honey and lemon. Take a teaspoonful of honey and the entire juice of one large lemon and mix it with a cup of tea or water. This can help soothe your ticklish throat and can relieve the cough.
• Gargle with salt water. It is best to use sea salt (has antiseptic properties) for this. Mix one tsp. of sea salt into a large glass of warm water. Use this to gargle with to ease the itching and dryness of the throat. Pain and inflammation are relieved after you have completed the gargling process.
• Drink apple cider vinegar. Take a glass of warm water and add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. It has antiseptic properties and can treat various types of throat infections. Your throat will be less dry and the tickle will go away. You can also gargle with this concoction or add cayenne pepper for added relief of a constant tickle in throat. Adding honey will make the mixture sweeter and more palatable.
• Try warm water. You can usually have a tickle in your throat from dryness of the mucus membranes of the throat. Just drinking some warm water can make the throat be better hydrated. The more water you drink, the better will your throat heal from inflammation.
• Try aloe vera juice. Mix warm water with some aloe vera juice. Gargle or drink this concoction to reduce airway inflammation. Your scratchy, ticklish throat will be soothed. It also helps the cough due to having bronchitis.
• Try ginger tea. Warm ginger tea right before bedtime is a good way to get rid of a constant tickle in your throat, especially during the night. You can relieve your cough associated with pharyngeal inflammation. Other teas can also help the problem, including chamomile tea, lemongrass tea, sweet basil tea, and peppermint tea. Drink a good herbal tea about three times daily for the best effect.
• Try milk. Milk can stick to the lining of the pharynx at the back of the throat because it is viscous. It can then rehydrate a dry throat and can stop your constant tickle. Warm milk and honey are especially helpful at nighttime before you retire for the night.