Antibiotics For Sinus Infection
Antibiotics For Sinus Infection
Antibiotics For Sinus Infection: For upon |When is nasal congestion more than just a stuffy nose? A sinus infection, also referred to as sinusitis, is more than just having trouble breathing through your nose. It’s infection and inflammation of your sinus cavities.
You have several sinus cavities located on either side of your nose and above and below your eyes, so there may be pain in various places throughout your face or an overall sinus headache. What do you need to know about this miserable malady? Here’s a brief rundown about sinus infections.
Sinus infection causes
Sinus infections are typically a side effect of allergies or a viral infection like a cold or the flu. They may also be caused by irritants like nasal sprays, cigarette smoke, or cocaine. They are also occasionally caused by bacteria.
Sinus infection symptoms
1Sinus infections share some symptoms with the problems that trigger them, but they also have some unique symptoms. Sinus infection symptoms include:
- Cough
- Facial pain, tenderness, or swelling
- Fever
- Nasal congestion
- Nasal discharge
- Pain around the eyes, ears, or teeth
- Postnasal drip
- Sinus headache
- Sore throat
Are sinus infections contagious?
If a sinus infection is caused by a virus like the flu or a cold, then that illness may be contagious. However, sinus infections themselves are generally not contagious. Still, you should always practice good hygiene like frequent hand-washing to avoid spreading any contagious diseases.
How to relieve sinus pressure
There are many ways to relieve sinus pressure, sinus headaches, and other symptoms or sinus infections, including:
- Oral decongestants (pseudoephedrine) and mucolytics (guaifenesin) can help drain a sinus infection.
- Over the counter pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil) can help relieve the pain of a sinus headache.
- Saline nasal rinses can help remove mucus.
- Inhaling steam, such as during a hot shower, can help loosen mucus.
- Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and healthy.
- Spicy foods can help clear your sinuses.
- Use a humidifier during dry months, since moist air is gentler on your sinuses.
Antibiotics for sinus infection
Since most sinus infections are caused by viruses or allergies, antibiotics are not typically prescribed. When a sinus infection lingers for more than a week, however, a bacterial infection becomes a suspect and antibiotics may be prescribed. Commonly prescribed antibiotics for sinus infection include:
- Amoxicillin (Amoxil)
- Amoxicillin-clavulanate (Augmentin)
- Cefaclor (Ceclor)
- Loracarbef (Lorabid)
- Clarithromycin (Biaxin)
- Azithromycin (Zithromax)
- Sulfamethoxazole (Gantanol)
- Trimethoprim (Bactrim, Septra)
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
Always remember to take the full course of antibiotics prescribed by your doctor. Stopping early because you feel better can result in the return of the infection or the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The article was originally published here.
Comments are closed.