Antibiotics
for Sinus Infections
When NOT to Take Them Advantages, Disadvantages
Antibiotics can be great
treatment for bacterial sinus infections, but are
of little effect against viruses, which represents
the majority of cases. The Center for Disease Control & Prevention
strongly suggests NOT taking antibiotics for a viral sinus infection.
Only a bacterial infection of the sinus cavities should be treated
with antibiotics.
However, if the bacteria attracts
and begins to grow fungus, antibiotics
could exacerbate the problem and cause more health issues. Doctors
should take swabs or do other tests to get the correct indication.
Common Antibiotic Prescriptions
for Sinus Infections:
Amoxicillin, penicillin or azithromycin-type antibiotics.
Advantage:
The right antibiotic, taken as prescribed, can alleviate the symptoms
of a bacterial sinus infection to make us feel better very quickly.
Disadvantages:
- Because antibiotics make us feel better so
fast, a couple of problems arise:
- People too often run to their doctors for
a “quick-fix” antibiotic.
- A differentiating diagnosis between virus,
bacteria and fungus is not made before the prescription is
given.
- We stop taking the prescription before
using it all, which creates more problems, discussed below
in this presentation.
(Doctors should not feel pressured to give their patients antibiotics
just because they’re hurting, and should do proper swab
testing to see if the sinus infection is bacterial or viral if
there is doubt.)
- Although we feel better fast, the antibiotics
are often just a relief of the symptoms and
may not get to the root problem which started the infection;
it hasn’t really gone away, especially if it started from
a virus and not bacteria. Therefore, many people experience
a repeat infection within two to three months and begin a tedious
and harmful cycle of repeat-course antibiotics. This can lead
to, not prevent, chronic
sinusitis.
Sometimes, an antibiotic will simply dry up the sinus mucus
so it doesn’t have a chance to thin down and run out (either
through the nose or spit out from the back of the throat).
Picture dried up, cracked desert clay or earth dirt. Should
a little water be added back into the equation, the clay or
dirt will get pasty and become muddy. It can stick to shoes
and make a cake-like coating on your clothes. Until the mud
is thinned out by enough water to make it run off, it will stay
there.
That’s what happens with sinus mucus. It must be moistened
enough to get thin and run out. More often than not, antibiotics
will simply dry it up and leave it where it is or make the mucus
even thicker. Then, when the situation is right for it to get
just a little moisture again or the yeast is encouraged to flourish,
the mucus gets muddy again, new bacteria and fungus gets trapped,
and the sinus infection is re-activated.
IMPORTANT: If an antibiotic
is prescribed – The entire prescription MUST be taken, even
if one finds out mid-stream that their sinus infection was not bacterial.
And it must be taken in its properly timed doses. It’s vital
not to stop as soon as feeling better. Taking the whole prescribed
amount as advised will likely reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance
to that antibiotic for future needs (see our Side
Effects of Antibiotics for Sinus Infections page.
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