If you’ve got a sinus infection – you might want to SKIP the anti-biotics...

Sinus infections are miserable – but antibiotics aren’t always the answer...

According to Dr. Stephen R. Smith, of the National Physicians Alliance, patients often ask doctors for antibiotics to clear up postnasal drip, congestion or other sinus symptoms. The problem with this is about 98% of sinus infections are caused by viruses – and antibiotics do nothing for them. Even if the infection is caused by bacteria, it will usually clear up without antibiotics.

Dr. Smith says antibiotics should only be considered for a sinus infection if the symptoms are severe, such as high fever and severe pain and tenderness over the sinuses. Antibiotics also should be considered when the symptoms last for one week, improve briefly and then get worse—this may indicate that a bacterial infection has developed on top of the initial viral infection.