I have a question about sinus infections and antibiotics:?

Question

It seems that each year, I get a sinus infection at least once, usually around the holidays (like right now). I usually go to the doctor, get an antibiotic, take all of it and the infection is cured. A few years ago I was once given amoxicillin by a doctor to get rid of a sinus infection and I think it worked just fine. Now, I have another sinus infection and a different doctor prescribed amoxicillin again. My question is whether or not this is a good idea because of the phenomenon of bacterial resistance. I reminded my doctor that I was once on amoxicillin and raised this concern but she dismissed it. So should I be worried about the amoxicillin not working on my sinus infection this time around? I just took my first dose an hour ago. Any insight would be appreciated.

Answer 1

If you were to take it every month you might have need to worry about it, but taking it so seldom is not going to build a resistance to it. I usually have three to four sinus infections a year. I take the same antibiotic for them and I have had no problems. My doctor recently recommended a new product and it works great. It's called, "NeilMed Sinus Rinse." You can buy in at Walgreen's and CVS.

Answer 2

Sometimes it can take up to three weeks to clear and infection with antibiotics. I am plaqued with sinus infections all the time.

The best medication that has worked was given to me by this Doc and it was 4 or tablets. You begin with one and for the next 3 days you take single doses per day.

Some antibiotics don't even work at all because they are too weak, you need at least 500 in strength. Never mind the 250's in strength.

Go see a different doctor if you have to, carry all your prescribe
antibiotics even the ones that did not work.

I had 2 nasal surgeries and here I am still getting sinus infections.

Answer 3

It all depends on what organism is causing your infection. There are thousans of germs responsible for upper respiratory infections alone. If the one you have is resistant to amoxicillin, then you won't get any benefit from taking it. But it might be one that DOES respond to that drug, and then you'll be fine. The fact that you took it last year has really no bearing on whether it will work this time or not, simply because there are so many different organisms that could be causing your problem. Amoxicillin is cheap and available, and usually well tolerated, so it's often the first line of defense in such cases. But you are right to be concerned about the overuse of antibiotics in general. You should try using a pure saline nasal spray on a daily basis to help PREVENT the infections in the first place. This is a cheap, natural treatment that does no harm to you, and it really will limit the number of head colds and sinus infections that you get.

Answer 4

If you are only taking an antibiotic once a year, then you don't have to worry about it. You won't have bacterial resistance unless you take them when you have a virus instead of when you have a bacterial infection. The amoxicillin should work fine. If it doesn't---don't worry. You may just have a different bacteria this time and you may need a different antibiotic. Just make sure you take the amoxicillin as directed and finish all of it--even if you feel better in a couple of days. Another suggestion----eat a cup of yogurt every day you are on the antibiotics. Even guys can get yeast infections while on antibiotics because they kill the bad AND the good bacteria in the body.

Answer 5

Sinus Info Center, Antibiotics medication information

Treatment Options
Medical Treatment Options
Antibiotics | Antihistamines | Decongestants | Leukotrinenes | Mucolytics
Nasal Saline Irrigation and Steam Inhalation | Reflux Medications | Steroids
Over-the-Counter (OTC) Medication

Antibiotics
There are two groupings of antibiotics. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics are drugs that work against only a few types of bacteria. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are drugs that attack a wide range of bacteria. The broad-spectrum antibiotics are generally more effective, but are more likely to promote antibiotic resistance. For that reason, your otolaryngologist will most likely prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics, which often cost less. He/she may recommend broad-spectrum antibiotics for infections that do not respond to treatment with narrow-spectrum drugs.

To prescribe the best antibiotic to treat your infection, an otolaryngologist must first identify the exact bacteria growing in your sinuses. To do this, he or she may remove a swab of nasal discharge and grow it into a bacterial culture in a laboratory.

NOTE:
It is important that you follow your doctor's instructions when using antibiotics, even if you feel better before your treatment is completed.

To find out more about specific types of antibiotics, follow these links:


Aminoglycosides
Cephalosporins
Macrolides
Penicillins
Quinolones and Fluoroquinolones
Antibiotics May or May Not be Effective Treatment for Sinus Symptoms
The symptoms of bacterial sinusitis and a cold can be identical. But what is an effective treatment for one isn't effective for the other. Antibiotics (anti-bacterial agents) are intended to kill bacteria. If sinus symptoms are caused by bacterial infection, then antibiotics can help. If symptoms are caused by a cold, antibiotics are useless, because a cold is viral.

The widespread use of antibiotics when they are not necessary has contributed to an increase in the number of antibiotic-resistant strains of many dangerous bacteria. Therefore, it is important that you and your doctor do not attempt to treat a viral cold with an antibiotic.

Because of the resistance that many bacteria have developed to commonly prescribed antibiotics, some ENT physicians recommend taking a culture endoscopically. In two or three days, the microbiology laboratory can identify the type of bacteria growing in the culture so that the physician can prescribe an effective antibiotic. About half of all bacterial sinus infections will resolve without antibiotics.

Because the symptoms of bacterial sinusitis and a cold can be identical, it is common to assume that a sinus infection lasting less than 5 to 7 days is a viral infection, and therefore does not require an antibiotic. If sinus symptoms do not improve after 5 to 7 days, it becomes more likely that the infection is caused by bacteria and will respond to an antibiotic.

Generally speaking, you should be able to detect an improvement in your symptoms within one or two days of starting an effective antibiotic. If, on the other hand, you only start to feel well toward the tenth day of the antibiotic, the antibiotic is probably not contributing to improvement and the infection would have resolved on its own.

Answer 6

Hello,
I also gt these and have this antibiotic in my cupboard. If you do not take it all the time it will do you good I bet!
The only time our bodies get used to a antibiotic is when we build a tolerance for it.
Just once a year your body will not build a tolerance for it.
I hate those sinus infections, they hurt!
The doctor dismissing your concerns would rather tick me off as well. I personally hate it when doctors think that you do not even deserve a explanation. We do not work around these drugs all the time like they do. Doctors and others in the medical community who are more then doctors flunkies, need to realize this and treat patients like they are human and not drones....
Anyhoo take the antibiotics, will do you good :0)

Answer 7

Bacterial resistance is always a possibility, with any medicine. I have sinus infections all the time, but I don't go to the doctor, they just heal up with time. I have taken allegra and clairiton and my body is immune to them both, so nothing helps. Just take the meds and if they don't work go back to the doc and get a different prescription.

Answer 8

You aren't taking the medications in exessive amounts so you should be fine. I get sinus infections this time of the year as well. However I get paranoid about not treating my infection. So I make sure to take my meds when needed. I think you will be fine and should take the meds. They will help you. I hope you and your nose feel better. Cheers!

Answer 9

Since you aren't taking the same antibiotic repeatedly in a short time frame I wouldn't worry too much. The reason you are probably getting the infections around the same time is the holidays. Everyone gathers together in small places and shares their germs. I would go with the amoxil as the doc prescribed.

Answer 10

The resistance comes with frequent use not once a year. Amoxicillin is a safe general antibiotic