I've had a sinus infection for like 3 months now :( It started out with watery itchy eyes, an itchy nose and a stuffy nose. Now I have such horrible sinus pressure, the stuffy nose that I've had for months, and the post nasal drip makes me nauseous. I think it might be untreated allergies.. but I dunno. I've done antiobiotics.. Allegra-D, Benadryl, Drixoral, nose sparys, and Sudafed. NOTHING helps. My nose is permanently stuffed. I dunno what else they can do :( I'm starting to feel like I just have to live with it :(

I've had a permanitely stuffed nose for close to 15 years now. I have allergies but my allergies do not make me sneeze and get watery eyes like most instead I just get stuffy. It's horrible. I was tested for allergies and was allergic to 20 out of 20 things beleive it or not. I'm allergic to to many things to get allergy shots. I woudl recommend seeing an alergist and seeing if you can be tested for allergies. Most likely you are only allergic to a small # of things and may be able to get shots to help it or learn better ways to maintain your home etc. to help.
Do you have any other signs of migranes? Many people misunderstand migranes for sinus pressure. A sign of migranes can also be a stuffy nose. You can also get what is known as rebound headaches. Rebound headaches can be just as bad as migranes and can cause pressure in the sinus area and stuffiness. They are triggered from taking to many pain meds/cold meds to try to fix the problem. My doctor recommended not taking any cold medicine that is less than 12 hour dosages. Only use OTC nose spray when absolutely needed.

best wishes,
Amanda

I would definitely go see an ear, nose and throat doctor. They can do a ct scan to see what the problem is as well as go up there with a scope. They also do allergy testing.

I've had a permanitely stuffed nose for close to 15 years now. I have allergies but my allergies do not make me sneeze and get watery eyes like most instead I just get stuffy. It's horrible. I was tested for allergies and was allergic to 20 out of 20 things beleive it or not. I'm allergic to to many things to get allergy shots. I woudl recommend seeing an alergist and seeing if you can be tested for allergies. Most likely you are only allergic to a small # of things and may be able to get shots to help it or learn better ways to maintain your home etc. to help.
Do you have any other signs of migranes? Many people misunderstand migranes for sinus pressure. A sign of migranes can also be a stuffy nose. You can also get what is known as rebound headaches. Rebound headaches can be just as bad as migranes and can cause pressure in the sinus area and stuffiness. They are triggered from taking to many pain meds/cold meds to try to fix the problem. My doctor recommended not taking any cold medicine that is less than 12 hour dosages. Only use OTC nose spray when absolutely needed.

best wishes,
Amanda

Thank you. But nope, not migraines. I went to the doctor this morning and it's untreated allergies that led to an infection. My head is all congested. I don't have insurance.. so I just go to my regular doc. I'm on antiobitotics and a decongestant right now, and when the infection's gone, I think I have to go back to deal with the allergies. I'd love to go to an allergist.. just that like I said, no insurance. :(

antibiotics don't work against sinus infections. Doctors are beginning to understand this. I had a wicked infection a few weeks ago, and went to the ENT. He didn't give me antibiotics, and agreed with me that they don't do anything. Instead, I was given Rhinocort, Allegra-D, and a very low dose of Prednisone (which I never took).

You need to see an ENT and have an endoscopy done -but I know this is expensive without insurance. The ENT will be able to tell you if you have a blockage, deviated septum, etc. If you don't, that's good news. You can simply get onto an irrigation routine, get the allergies under control, and clear the sinuses.

Note. Some antibiotics are very dangerous, and these are the ones commonly prescribed for sinus issues. Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Tequin. They are toxic to the central and peripheral nervous system, and tens of thousands of people have had ruptured tendons, torn rotator cuffs, peripheral neuropathy, vasculitis, and worse, from these drugs. These drugs can kill you. There's no point in replacing one problem with another that is much, much, worse.

If your doctor gave you one of these, go back and tell him you want something safe.

Anti-biotics don't do any good against sinus infections? Why not?

If it is a bacterial sinus infection then antibiotics do work. Antibiotics do not work against viral infections.

Anti-biotics don't do any good against sinus infections? Why not?

antibiotics don't work against sinus infections. Doctors are beginning to understand this. I had a wicked infection a few weeks ago, and went to the ENT. He didn't give me antibiotics, and agreed with me that they don't do anything. Instead, I was given Rhinocort, Allegra-D, and a very low dose of Prednisone (which I never took).

You need to see an ENT and have an endoscopy done -but I know this is expensive without insurance. The ENT will be able to tell you if you have a blockage, deviated septum, etc. If you don't, that's good news. You can simply get onto an irrigation routine, get the allergies under control, and clear the sinuses.

Note. Some antibiotics are very dangerous, and these are the ones commonly prescribed for sinus issues. Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Tequin. They are toxic to the central and peripheral nervous system, and tens of thousands of people have had ruptured tendons, torn rotator cuffs, peripheral neuropathy, vasculitis, and worse, from these drugs. These drugs can kill you. There's no point in replacing one problem with another that is much, much, worse.

If your doctor gave you one of these, go back and tell him you want something safe.


I totally disagree. Antibiotics do work for sinus infections. I had a primary doctor who refused to give me antibiotics once. The infection worsened and when I was finally given Augmentin, I had to take it for 3 weeks. The Augmentin started working in less than 48 hours.

I do agree that sometimes sinus infections can resolve on their own with the help of irrigation and steroids. But that is different than saying antibiotics don't work on infections.

And your right about Levaquin etc.. They are very powerful drugs that were never meant to be taken for more than 7 days. But many times doctors prescribe them for much longer periods of time than they should.

If it is a bacterial sinus infection then antibiotics do work. Antibiotics do not work against viral infections.

Right...antibiotics wouldn't work for a viral infection. I was just curious, because it seems that every sinus infection I've gotten, anti-biotics had me feeling better within a few days. :)

the reason why antibiotics have a difficult time with sinus infections, is that there is little blood flow in the sinus cavities. People get relief from the antibiotic because it has an anti-inflammatory effect on the sinus tissue, allowing the infection to drain.

So I can't say that they never work, it's just that they are the weakest gun in your arsenal.

One method is nebulized antibiotics, which go right to the source of the infection. I haven't tried it, but I hear good things.

Another thing doctors try is IV antibiotics, but this can be VERY dangerous when used with something like Avelox or Cipro. I have all my nerve damage to remind me of that.

the reason why antibiotics have a difficult time with sinus infections, is that there is little blood flow in the sinus cavities. People get relief from the antibiotic because it has an anti-inflammatory effect on the sinus tissue, allowing the infection to drain.

So I can't say that they never work, it's just that they are the weakest gun in your arsenal.

One method is nebulized antibiotics, which go right to the source of the infection. I haven't tried it, but I hear good things.

Another thing doctors try is IV antibiotics, but this can be VERY dangerous when used with something like Avelox or Cipro. I have all my nerve damage to remind me of that.

Sorry to say that i have to disagree as well. I have had sinus troubles for a very long time now (i mean years). And i used to believe what you did, and i lived with my yellow chunky green pnd into lungs and coughing it up everyday! (sorry to sound so graphic).

A couple of weeks ago i went out on a bit of a bender over the weekend and i caught a cold and all my sinuses flaired up the most ive ever experienced! It actually felt like someone had hit me in the face with a hammer where my sinuses were and i couldnt eat anything because of the pain around my teeth. So i decided that enough was enough and i finally went got some antibiotics and it cleared up in 5 days! Amazing.

Im not totally well though, but thats just from allergies to dust etc, but i gota live with that, but the antibiotics definately cleared up the sinus infection.

Your problem may have been viral.

I've found that deep sinus infections are characterized by dizziness and even vision issues. I remember when I had a bad infection before surgery. It felt totally different than anything I ever had before or since. It was like being in an airplane descending at maximum speed all the time! Debilitating.

remember that antibiotics serve as anti-inflammatories. If you did have an infection, it may have cleared once the inflammation went down.