Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Sinusitis - Medications
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
- Topic Overview
-
Health Tools
- Cause
- Symptoms
- What Happens
- What Increases Your Risk
- When To Call a Doctor
- Exams and Tests
- Treatment Overview
- Prevention
- Home Treatment
- Medications
- Surgery
- Other Treatment
- Other Places To Get Help
- Related Information
- References
- Credits
Medicines may be needed when symptoms of sinusitis are severe or do not improve. The goals of treatment with medicine are to:
- Treat the infection, which is usually caused by bacteria if your symptoms have lasted more than 7 to 10 days.
- Relieve pressure and pain caused by poor sinus drainage.
- Reduce inflammation of the nose and sinuses.
Medication Choices
Medicines are used and sometimes combined to treat sinusitis.
- Antibiotics kill bacteria. Examples of antibiotics used are amoxicillin and cefdinir (Omnicef).
- Decongestants reduce the swelling of the mucous membranes in the nose. Some examples may include oxymetazoline (for example, Afrin) and phenylephrine (for example, Neo-Synephrine).
- Analgesics relieve pain. Some examples include acetaminophen (for example, Tylenol) and ibuprofen (for example, Advil).
- Corticosteroids reduce inflammation in the nasal passages. Some examples include beclomethasone (Beconase) or mometasone (Nasonex).
- Mucolytics thin mucus. Some examples include guaifenesin (for example, Robitussin).
What to Think About
If you are taking antibiotics for a sinus infection, do not stop taking the antibiotics early just because you feel better. Take the entire course of antibiotics. The infection may not go away if you do not take all of the antibiotics prescribed by your doctor.
Antibiotic treatment is successful in most cases of short-term (acute) sinusitis when it is caused by bacteria. You should notice improvement within 3 to 4 days after you begin taking an antibiotic.
Chronic sinusitis may last 8 weeks or longer and usually requires 3 to 4 weeks of antibiotic treatment. Symptoms may persist or return despite adequate antibiotic treatment. A different antibiotic may be needed to treat the infection. Referral to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist (also called an otolaryngologist) may be needed if symptoms of sinusitis do not go away despite long-term antibiotic treatment.
For more information, see:
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: August 3, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Donald R. Mintz, MD - Otolaryngology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
