The best treatment for a sinus infection depends on your age, health, the severity of the infection and other factors. If you suffer from a lingering or particularly severe bacterial sinus infection, your doctor will likely prescribe antibiotics. She will take into consideration your health plan's formulary, your medical history, any allergies you might have and treatment cost in order to identify the best antibiotic for your sinus infection.
First-line Antibiotics
Physicians generally consider a 2-week course of amoxicillin, a type of penicillin, the standard initial antibiotic treatment for a sinus infection. If you a have chronic sinus infection, you might need to stay on it for 4 to 6 weeks. If for some reason you can't take amoxicillin, your clinician may prescribe trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Both qualify as first-line therapies, according to guidelines published by the University of Michigan Health System.
As the term suggests, "first-line" antibiotics refers to those your doctor prescribes initially. If you don't show improvement, he might then prescribe "second-line" antibiotics.
Alternative First-line Antibiotics
If you are allergic to, or intolerant of, first-line antibiotics, your doctor may opt for one of several others, including doxycycline hyclate and azithromycin.
Second-line Antibiotics
If your infection lasts longer than a month or if you smoke, your doctor might prescribe amoxicillin-clavulanate or cephalosporin. Other second-line options include cefuroxime, cefpodoxime, clarithromycin, azithromycin and levofloxacin.
Pediatric Antibiotics
Doctors treat sinus infections in children younger than age 2 with different antibiotics, such as amoxicillin-clavulanate, cephalosporin or a macrolide. Your doctor will identify the most appropriate one for your child.
No Antibiotics
Sometimes, the best antibiotic is none at all. Most sinus infections don't require antibiotic therapy. Using antibiotics when you don't need them helps promote the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has become a serious public health problem. Almost every type of bacteria has grown more resilient and become less responsive to antibiotic treatment. As a result, physicians often hesitate to prescribe antibiotics for sinus infections.
