Sinus Medicine
Sinus medicine has been created to help individuals who suffer from sinusitis find relief from their symptoms. In order to understand how the sinus medicine can help you find the relief you need, you need to know what sinusitis is. Sinusitis is a medical condition where an infection has occurred in the sinuses. The sinus infection can be a result of many causes including germs, viruses, allergies, smoke, small nasal cavity, and other conditions. To treat sinusitis there are typically three methods. First there are the sinus medicines such as antibiotics, decongestants, and steroids. The last method of treatment is surgery to expand the sinuses.
Antibiotic sinus medicine is designed to eliminate the sinus infection caused by bacteria. Generally this sinus medicine option will be prescribed for three to twelve weeks in the hopes that the chronic sinusitis will be resolved by the antibiotics. Some patients have a reduction in symptoms after seven days. However with sinus medication you have to realize that just because the symptoms are alleviated doesn’t mean the actual infection has been removed. This is why it is important to seek a doctor even if the symptoms have disappeared to make sure the infection is actually gone. If you stop taking the sinus medicine before the infection is actually gone it can take even longer to remove the infection and the same antibiotics may not work again. Antibiotics usually include some type of penicillin like amoxicillin or biaxin.
Decongestants and antihistamines are usually taken orally as sinus medicine. They can be in the form of a spray or a pill. Pseudofed, Benadryl, Musinex, and several over the counter sinus medicines are available when you have a sinus infection. There are also decongestants and antihistamines a doctor must prescribe because of the increase in the actual medication in the pills or spray. Decongestants work at reducing the actual phlegm in the nasal cavity. It will also help to drain the sinuses of the blockage. The decongestants tend to work for four to twelve hours to reduce the symptoms.
The last type of sinus medicine used is a steroid. The corticosteroids used help to reduce the swelling and inflammation of the sinuses. This sinus medication is usually in a spray such as flonase, beonase, or Nasacort. It can also be taken orally, as in prednisone. This sinus medicine is used in extremely cases where other sinus medications have been known not to work.
Surgery is the last resort when sinus medication does not work. Surgery is designed to open up the nasal cavity so that the fluid may drain from the nose properly. This can be done after you have sustained an infection. Most often a doctor will resort to surgery when the sinus medicine has not worked and you continually have sinus infections. Keep in mind that trying the sinus medication first is important to alleviating any infections. For more information regarding sinus medicine or the causes of a sinus headache refer to migraine symptom.
