Symbicort user here. I don’t choke on mucus, but I do sometimes wake up coughing a couple of hours before I get up, usually because I need to clear my airways. One puff of albuterol settles things and I can go back to sleep. I use Symbicort after airway clearance and albuterol beforehand. I also take Mucinex 1200 mg twice daily plus Allegra, which has really reduced my sinus headaches and nighttime postnasal drip—and I think some of the chest phlegm as well.

My doctor recently told me Symbicort can be used up to 12 puffs a day, though I typically take 4 (2 in the morning, 2 at night). I was also reminded that asthma plus bronchiectasis can be tricky: asthma treatment suppresses cough, while bronchiectasis needs cough for clearance. For me, that means finding the minimum effective dose.

Did you have these symptoms before starting Symbicort? BTW, symbicort can take a few weeks to start working.