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Can Amoxicillin Treat Sinus Infection

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Dont Rush To Antibiotics

Treating sinusitis | Consumer Reports

The sinuses are small, hollow spaces inside the head. They drain into the nose. The sinuses often cause problems after a cold. They can also cause problems if they get blocked up from hay fever and other allergies. The medical name for sinus problems is sinusitis.

Sinus problems can be very uncomfortable. You may feel stuffed up. You may have yellow, green, or gray mucus. And you may feel pain or pressure around your eyes, cheeks, forehead, or teeth.

Each year, millions of people use antibiotic drugs to treat sinus problems. However, they usually do not need antibiotics. Heres why:

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Sinus Infections Not Cured With Antibiotics Study Suggests

Sinus infection sufferers know the stuffy, congested feeling might not go away without a trip to the doctors office. But according to a new study, the antibiotics that doctors often prescribe for sinus infections might be no more effective than a spray or pill on drugstore shelves.

The study raises concerns about drug resistance and whether doctors are too eager to dole out antibiotics for the common infection.

For the study, published in the Feb. 15 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers looked at 166 patients diagnosed with a sinus infection and gave them all a weeks supply of over-the-counter meds to relieve pain, fever, congestion, and coughing. Half of the patients were also given a 10-day course of the antibiotic, amoxicillin the other half got a placebo.

The researchers checked whether symptoms of facial pain, cough, runny nose, and post-nasal drip showed improvement by calling participants at days 3, 7, 10 and 28 of the treatment. How did the sinus infection sufferers fare?

On day 3, there was no difference in improvement between placebo-takers and those prescribed antibiotics. On day 7, the antibiotic group reported a slight improvement that the researchers said was unlikely to represent a noticeable relief in symptoms, but that edge disappeared by day 10, when 80 percent of patients in both groups reported they felt better or cured.

Do I Need Antibiotics For A Sinus Infection

Sinus infections can be extremely frustrating, especially when you have a headache and facial pain that doesnt go away, coupled with the inability to breathe through your nose. You want immediate relief, but unfortunately, it takes at least a few days to start feeling better. You may think you need to go to the doctor and get antibiotics for a sinus infection, but this isnt always the case.

In the winter months, sinus infections, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, the flu, and other respiratory infections are common. Patients think that if they come down with an illness, they will require antibiotics. However, most sinus infections dont require antibiotics.

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Ways To Recognize Serious Signs Of Sinus Infections

#1: Duration

The length of the infection is an important determinant of the seriousness of the infection.

I usually consider most infections less than 3 weeks to be viral or inflammation related to congestion. At this point, the best treatment is usually medications that decrease the congestion and inflammation. This in turn will alleviate the symptoms and ultimately cure the illness.

When the illness continues beyond 3 weeks, bacterial infection can begin to develop. Though antibiotics can be considered at this point, other treatments may still be the best answer if they have not yet been given a try.

#2: Mucous Color

I will dispel a myth right here and now. Yellowish/greenish mucous does not necessarily mean the infection is bacterial.

Viruses can cause the same color mucous. The reason for the mucous is generally not the actual bacteria or virus, but the bodys immune response to the intruder.

So dont worry just because you see a colored mucous when you blow your nose. This will also improve as the infection abates.

#3: Sinus Pain

Sinus pain can occur anytime throughout a sinus infection. This is normal and means there is inflammation in the sinuses, as we discussed previously.

However, severe pain, redness over the skin, hardened skin over the sinuses, or even a severe headache are not generally normal and can indicate a bacterial infection.

#4: Fever

A fever can be caused by both viruses and bacteria. So how do you differentiate between the two?

When Do You Really Need Antibiotics For That Sinus Infection

Amoxicillin 500mg Capsule Dosage For Ear Infection

It was February, and clinic was teeming with respiratory infections of all kinds: mostly the common cold, but also bronchitis, pneumonia, and sinus infections. The patients were coming in usually thinking that they needed antibiotics for their sinus infection, or another respiratory infection.The first patient on my schedule was a healthcare provider with sinus infection written down as her main issue.* Shed had about two weeks of nasal and sinus congestion which she blamed on a viral upper respiratory infection . Her two young kids had been sick with colds all winter, so she wasnt surprised to have these symptoms, along with endless postnasal drip and a cough.

Her congestion had improved a bit at one point, and she thought that she was finally getting better. But then, the day before her appointment, she awoke with throbbing pain between her eyes, completely blocked nasal passages, and, more concerning to her, green pus oozing from her left tear duct. She had body aches, chills, and extreme fatigue. Do I maybe need antibiotics? she asked.

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Do Uti Antibiotics Help Ear Infections

Now, the question can UTI antibiotics help to cure ear infections? Will have a simple yes or no answer depending on your circumstances.

If you have an acute infection and the only thing you are using to treat it is antibiotics then it will most likely require a round of antibiotics to help clear up the infection.

If you suffer from recurring urinary tract infections and your doctor has prescribed an antibiotic to help, then there is a chance that it will help.

The doctor may prescribe either of these drugs, especially if you have a cold, sinus infection, fever, recurrent ear pain, headache, and fever.

These are prescription-strength antibiotics that can be purchased over-the-counter.

If you have UTI, you will find that both Macrobid and Augmentin can work wonders for you.

This is because the antibiotics will help to clear up any of the infections in the ear.

However, you will need to consider how often you are taking these antibiotics and how often you are going to need to take them.

You need to consider the possible side effects and their severity.

Some women are still wondering if the antibiotic will help because a UTI can come back even after treatment with an antibiotic.

The best way to find out is to have the infection evaluated by a doctor.

If it is an acute infection, then antibiotics may just be able to help you get rid of it.

Sometimes you can consider using other alternatives.

These treatments can range from homeopathic remedies to vitamins and herbs.

How To Treat A Sinus Infection At Home

In the first two weeks of a sinus infection, patients may use saline sprays, over-the-counter steroid sprays like Flonase, and over-the-counter decongestants.

After 10 days, if the drainage is still colored, an antibiotic is likely necessary. Theres no homeopathic alternative to antibiotics. However, saline spray, topical steroid sprays, and decongestants work well with antibiotics to clear most infections.

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When Do I Actually Need Antibiotics For A Sinus Infection

There are several guidelines for determining if a patient actually needs antibiotics for a sinus infection. If you have thick, colorful nasal discharge and/or facial pain for at least 10 days, you meet the criteria. This does not mean if you have a slightly yellow or clear nasal discharge for 10 days having discharge from the nose for at least 4 weeks is normal in the case of sinus infections.

The second criterion is if your symptoms have improved but then got worse again, even if its been less than 10 days. This is referred to as double worsening and is a common scenario in bacterial infections. However, even then, you may want to follow what doctors suggest as watchful waiting. Wait 2 weeks and see if symptoms got better. Use over-the-counter medications and supportive care , as they often do the trick.

Should You Treat A Sinus Infection With Antibiotics

Wellness Wednesday: Antibiotics for sinus infections?

Over the past few months Ive seen patient after patient drag themselves to the clinic with coughing, sneezing, headaches and green or yellow nasal discharge, sometimes accompanied by ear and tooth pain. Some people with infection may experience fevers, chills or night sweats signs that the body is fighting a virus or bacteria. These are symptoms I expect as a primary care doctor especially during the spring seasons. They are the telltale signs of sinusitis. But if that sums up symptoms you have, do you need antibiotics? The question may be more complicated than you think.

Each year, more than 30 million Americans endure sinusitis an inflammation of sinus spaces surrounding the nose that makes it difficult to drain fluid that normally flows through the sinuses. Much like a detective weighing clues, us health providers use symptom severity and duration to determine the cause of a patients sickness.

The World Health Organization has called antibiotic resistance one of the biggest threats to global health, saying misuse of antibiotics in humans and animals is accelerating the process.

At a health professionals discretion, antibiotics can be prescribed if a person appears very sick or has any underlying chronic disease that may make them prone to becoming sicker.

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H2o: A Natural Alternative To Sinus Infection Antibiotics

One of the most powerful solvents on earth is nothing more than pure water. Water is used in many applications as a thinner, cleaner, and diluter. When it comes to a sinus infection, water can be used in much the same way to thin mucus, clean the sinuses, and dilute a blockage, which is one of the major sinus infection vs cold benefits. Getting rid of your sinus infection may involve the use of liquid, mist, or vaporized water.

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Sinus Infection Treatment Timeline With Antibiotics

Our sinuses are hard to reach, so it can be two to three days before antibiotic treatment begins to take effect.

It is critical to continue the whole course of antibiotics, even if you start to feel better. If you dont finish the whole course, your body could begin to build a resistance to those antibiotics. This makes future treatment more difficult.

Sometimes, patients experience negative side effects while taking antibiotics. If you experience rash, hives or have difficulty breathing while taking antibiotics, call your doctor immediately. You may be experiencing an allergic reaction. In older adults, some types of antibiotics may cause inflammation in tendons.

In addition to clearing your sinuses of infection, antibiotics also work in other parts of your body, particularly the gut. This could cause diarrhea, so you may want to take a probiotic as well.

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What Causes A Sinus Infection

In most cases, acute sinusitis is caused by a bacterial or viral infection, which means it usually develops after youve had a cold or the flu. Its possible for an acute sinus infection to develop into a chronic infection over time. However, most chronic sinus infections are caused by:

Certain health conditions are also known to accompany chronic sinusitis. These include:

  • Primary immune deficiency disesase

How Is Sinus Infection Diagnosed

Does Amoxicillin Treat Sinus Infection

Diagnosis depends on symptoms and requires an examination of the throat, nose and sinuses. Your allergist will look for:

  • Discolored nasal discharge

If your sinus infection lasts longer than eight weeks, or if standard antibiotic treatment is not working, a sinus CT scan may help your allergist diagnose the problem. Your allergist may examine your nose or sinus openings. The exam uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and a light at one end that is inserted through the nose. It is not painful. Your allergist may give you a light anesthetic nasal spray to make you more comfortable.

Mucus cultures: If your sinus infection is chronic or has not improved after several rounds of antibiotics, a mucus culture may help to determine what is causing the infection. Most mucus samples are taken from the nose. However, it is sometimes necessary to get mucus directly from the sinuses.

Knowing what kind of bacteria is causing the infection can lead to more effective antibiotic therapy. A fungus could also cause your sinus infection. Confirming the presence of fungus is important. Fungal sinus infection needs to be treated with antifungal agents, rather than antibiotics. In addition, some forms of fungal sinus infection allergic fungal sinus infection, for example do not respond to antifungal agents and often require the use of oral steroids.

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What Are The Six Types Of Sinusitis And Sinus Infections

Sinusitis may be classified in several ways, based on its duration and the type of inflammation . The term rhinosinusitis is used to imply that both the nose and sinuses are involved and is becoming the preferred term over sinusitis.

  • Acute sinus infection usually lasts less than 3-5 days.
  • Subacute sinus infection lasts one to three months.
  • Chronic sinus infection is greater than three months. Chronic sinusitis may be further sub-classified into chronic sinusitis with or without nasal polyps, or allergic fungal sinusitis.
  • Recurrent sinusitis has several sinusitis attacks every year.

There is no medical consensus on the above time periods.

  • Infected sinusitis usually is caused by an uncomplicated virus infection. Less frequently, bacterial growth causes sinus infection and fungal sinus infection is very infrequent. Subacute and chronic forms of a sinus infection usually are the result of incomplete treatment of an acute sinus infection.
  • Noninfectious sinusitis is caused by irritants and allergic conditions and follows the same general timeline for acute, subacute, and chronic as infectious sinusitis.

Interactions Of Amoxicillin For Sinusitis

As the Amoxicillin 500 mg Tablet is allopathic medicine, it can easily react with other medicines that you are taking. The other medicines, when combined with Amoxicillin 500 mg tablet, can worsen the side effects of Amoxicillin 500 mg Tablet.

Not only the side effects but any underlying health issue can also aggravate if this medicine is taken without the doctors approval.

Medicines that can interfere with Amoxicillin 500 mg Tablet and can cause moderate or serious side effects are-

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Can Sinus Infections Or Sinusitis Be Prevented

Currently, there are no vaccines designed specifically against infectious sinusitis or sinus infections. However, there are vaccines against viruses and bacteria that may cause some infectious sinusitis. Vaccination against pathogens known to cause infectious sinusitis may indirectly reduce or prevent the chance of getting the disease however, no specific studies support this assumption. Fungal vaccines against sinusitis are not available, currently.

If you are prone to recurrent bouts of a âyearly sinus infectionâ it may be important to consider allergy testing to see if this is the underlying cause of the recurring problem. Treatment of the allergy may prevent secondary bacterial sinus infections. In addition, sinus infections may be due to other problems such as nasal polyps, tumors, or diseases that obstruct normal mucus flow. Treatment of these underlying causes may prevent recurrent sinus infections.

What Decongestants And Nasal Sprays Soothe Or Cure Sinus Infections Or Sinusitis

How to Treat a Sinus Infection Naturally

Taking decongestants and mucolytics orally may be helpful in assisting drainage of sinus infection.

The treatment of chronic forms of sinus infection requires longer courses of medications, such as Augmentin, and may require a sinus drainage procedure. This drainage typically requires a surgical operation to open the blocked sinus under general anesthesia. In general, antihistamines should be avoided unless it is felt that the sinusitis sinus infection is due to allergies, such as from pollens, dander, or other environmental causes.

It is likely that the use of a topical nasal steroid spray will help reduce swelling in the allergic individual without the drying that is caused by using antihistamines although both are occasionally used. Oral steroids may be prescribed to reduce acute inflammation and to help with chronic inflammation in cases with or without polyps and in allergic fungal sinusitis.

In many people, allergic sinusitis develops first, and later, bacterial infection occurs. For these individuals, early treatment of allergic sinusitis may prevent the development of secondary bacterial sinusitis.

In rare instances or in natural disasters, fungal infections may develop in debilitated people. Death rates of 50%-85% have been reported for patients with these sinus infections. Treatment relies on early diagnosis followed by immediate surgical debridement, antifungal drugs, , and stabilizing any underlying health problem such as diabetes.

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Antibiotics And Sinus Infections

When a sinus infection hits, it seems worse than what you remembered from the last time you had one. This may give you the idea that you need antibiotics, but most clear up without them. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses and arent recommended within the first week of developing a cold. About 70% of sinus infections go away within two weeks without antibiotics.

Consider these other forms of treatments instead of antibiotics:

  • These medications are available for over-the-counter purchase. Be careful to only take these medications for a few days at most, as they can cause the return of more severe congestions.
  • Over-the-counter pain relievers Aspirins, acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help relieve temporary pain.
  • Saline nasal spray This is used to spray into your nose several times a day to rinse your nasal passages. It can help to prevent and treat inflammation.

Antibiotics only will be needed if the infection is severe, recurrent or persistent.

The likelihood of bacterial infection increases when:

  • Symptoms last seven days or more, particularly when symptoms initially improve and then worsen.
  • Mucus is thick and yellow or green in color.
  • There is facial or sinus tenderness, particularly if its worse on one side of the face.
  • Pain is present in the upper teeth and is worse on one side of the face.

If the infection becomes severe, recurrent or persistent, contact your provider.

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