Antibiotics may not aid sinus infections — or, more specifically, amoxicillin may not aid in most sinus infections:
Researchers randomly assigned 240 adults to receive one of four treatments: 500 milligrams of amoxicillin three times daily for seven days and 400 units of steroid spray for 10 days; only amoxicillin; only steroid spray; or fake medicine.Patients on the drugs didn’t get better quicker than those using the placebo.
Sinus infections are diagnosed in about 31 million Americans each year and are among the most common reasons for doctor visits. In the United Kingdom, primary care doctors see 50 or more cases a year, the study authors said.
The infections affect air spaces called sinuses around the nose and in the lower forehead. Inflammation and excess mucous can cause nose congestion, headaches and eye and face pain. Causes include bacteria, viruses, fungal infections and allergies.
Despite a long-held notion, recent studies have found that yellowish or greenish mucous doesn’t always mean the infections are bacterial, said Dr. Vincenza Snow, a Philadelphia internist and director of clinical programs and quality of care at the American College of Physicians.
Moreover, while antibiotics are designed to treat bacteria, these drugs aren’t always very effective at treating bacterial sinus infections because the medicine has a tough time reaching the sinuses, she said.
The U.S. physicians’ group issued guidelines in 2001 advising against using antibiotics for most sinus infections in otherwise healthy people, blaming overuse for contributing to the growing problem of bacteria resistant to drugs.