Antibiotics Don't Work For Sinus Infections, Study Finds

ABC News:

You might have believed that an antibiotic a day can take the sinus infection away, but new research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests it’s just not true. Treating a common type of sinus infection called rhinosinusitus with the antibiotic amoxicillin won’t reduce symptoms any faster than a placebo will, according to research published Tuesday.

Read the whole story: ABC News

Comments

[pavlo darcangelis]

08:09 AM on 02/15/2012

It is because most cases of sinusitis are psychosomatic.
Read Dr John Sarno "The Divided Mind"
Most of what people go to the doctor for is caused by mental stress and pressures that are self imposed, it has always been this way.
Drug companies will not tell you these things, and most medical doctors won't either because they are not discussed in medical school.

[cysocial]

08:25 PM on 02/14/2012

What works is a health care provider willing to find out what is causing it to begin with and then the best way to treat it,. Amoxicillin is OLD and I suspect many people have habuituated to it. This appears however, to be the drug of choice for public clinics or county employees on a county health plan. I fully expect to die on my county heatlh plan for lack of dillegence or willingness to spend money. It may start in the sinuses but it goes to the lungs.

[hellyon3too]

10:27 PM on 02/14/2012

People don't get habituated to antibiotics, although eventually you get resistant strains of bacteria.

Personally, unless you have a really serious infection that needs aggressive and immediate treatment it pays to do a culture and sensitivity rather than muck around with this antibiotic and that until you find the one that works.

[Drewsky3d]

11:07 PM on 02/14/2012

I spent last summer going to the specialist for a bag of Rocephin every day....started as a sinus infection, went to the regular doc and got a z-pac, followed by several other antibiotics...all with no results. So I made an appointment with a specialist, who thankfully took the time and effort to fix me up. I believe the reason is that I have a tolerance to antibiotics and that it will take bigger badder ones to fix me as I age. Makes one wonder if the pharmaceutical industry has a plan.......

[juststeve35]

08:04 PM on 02/14/2012

Another ridiculously deceptive title and pathetically uninformative article from Huff Po...

So, it is discovered in a SINGLE study that one of the weakest antibiotics currently available is ineffective with a specific, particular ailment.

What is NOT said is that this same antibiotic may be very effective on other specific ailment AND that other specific antibiotics may be incredibly effective with sinus infections.

Another non-story, brought to you by the good folks at Huff Po.

[rosemarie2012]

07:19 PM on 02/14/2012

The title to this article is misleading. The research study they are talking about compared one antibiotic (Amoxicillin) with a placebo. You can't generalize and say antibiotics won't work based on that study's findings.

[Thomas Stieglitz]

06:16 PM on 02/14/2012

Amoxocillin won't work but azithromycin (ZPAC) usually does.

[Sprinks678]

11:05 PM on 02/14/2012

Agreed! Bacterial infections don't usually clear up without intervention.

[pavlo darcangelis]

08:11 AM on 02/15/2012

Uh, study just showed that they do. And it is one of many, this one just happens to be publicized.

[Boobuzuela]

06:14 PM on 02/14/2012

No one is going to believe me, but the SOLUTION to recurrent, painful, gross sinus infections is to get rid of your silver/mercury amalgam dental fillings. Have them replaced with composites, etc. Especially any root canals that contain this material.

Your teeth connect / drain right in to your sinuses, and for whatever reason, the silver/mercury upsets your immune system preventing it from curing sinus infections ON ITS OWN.

I'm not one to practice medicine without a license, but it cured my problem, it cured my best buddies problem (He'd had sinus roto rooter surgery 2x), and it has cured two other acquaintences who ALSO had recurrent, painful, gross sinus infections. They had ALL tried everythign else, just like I had.

When you are desperate and want the misery to end you will remember this posting.

[FreaksAmungUs]

08:19 PM on 02/14/2012

Thanks for the input.I might try it.

[wpnwilo2]

07:02 AM on 02/15/2012

I've seen it happen many times. Good advice.