I have textbook symptoms of cricopharyngeal spasm: a lump or tightness in the throat which is relieved by eating and drinking. Sometimes it just feels like a lump in the throat, which is bearable, but sometimes it s more like being strangled, which is very painful and distressing. I have had this condition before, but it went away after a week or so and wasn t too painful. This time it has lasted about six weeks and is growing steadily worse. I have tried all the home remedies that I could find: warm liquids, warm compresses, relaxation, gargling, and supplementing with magnesium, rhodiola, and valerian. The only thing that seemed to help was the magnesium, which gave me a couple of weeks of relief, but now the symptoms are back. I finally went to an ENT and he said there was nothing wrong and I should just take Mucinex and make sure not to clear my throat. I don t think he d ever even heard of cricopharyngeal spasm and he certainly wasn t interested in doing anything to treat it. Help! What else can I do? There is no other treatment I can find that doesn t require a prescription, and the doctor refuses to give me one!