The Pros and Cons of Antibiotics for Sinus Infection

One of the drumbeats you hear frequently in these pages is that antibiotics are being grossly overprescribed. Study after study bear this out, supporting the notion that we are creating a significant and irreversible health crisis by doing so.

Consumer Reports recently weighed in, offering a clean and succinct set of reasons why overprescription is such a bad idea:

Not only will taking antibiotics not help you feel better, but also they come with some unpleasant side effects that might leave you feeling worse. Studies suggest that nearly 25 percent of people who take antibiotics experience side effects, such as a rash or, more commonly, diarrhea and stomach problems. The drugs also contribute to the spread of resistant superbugs, which sicken at least 2 million people in the U.S. every year.

But there is another side to this story, generally reserved for the most serious of cases. Antibiotics can indeed be life-saving medications when sinus infection has advanced too far:

“Some patients with acute sinusitis do need antibiotics, and if they continue with a worsening infection without treatment they can suffer dramatic complications such as loss of vision, meningitis, or brain abscess,” says Patel.

In fact, these good reasons represent the entire justification for preserving antibiotics’ potency in the first place.

If your condition has stayed severe for a week or more, with high fever, then it’s time to see a sinus infection specialist in LA.