Sinusitis Treatment

As outlined in some of the other articles here there are two main types of sinusitis infection, namely Acute Sinusitis and Chronic Sinusitis. These can range from mild to severe infections. When the sinusitis infection is not too severe then it may resemble a common cold infection. Here you will find that sinusitis has different treatmens depending on whether it is chronic sinusitis or acute sinusitis.

Sinus Headache, Pains and Fever

Since one of the main symptoms with sinusitis is pain and tenderness over the sinuses, which are located under the bones of the cheek and forehead, known as sinus headache,, then painkillers can give some relief from the symptoms. These should usually be started at the milder end of the spectrum, with paracetamol or ibuprofen (a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory painkiller). If these don't give enough pain relief then slightly stronger medications can be purchased from a pharmacist which contain a small dose of codeine, which should give additional relief. These painkillers will generally lower your temperature too, which also gives benefit overall for how you feel when suffering with sinusitis.

Blocked and Runny Nose

These are caused by inflammatioin in the lining of the nose and sinuses, which results in them producing more mucus than usual. This congests and blocks the nose and also drips out which is troublesome and can be embarassing. Decongestants are medications that reduce the amount of mucus produced in the nose and sinuses and therefore help to relieve these symptoms. Nasal decongestants are available from pharmacies and can be taken orally as tablets or liquids, or as nasal decongestant sprays. Decongestants can have side effects and can also interact with some other medications and should not be used in certain medical conditions, such as with high blood pressure. Nasal decongestants should not be used for longer than 7 days as they can have a rebound effect and make the symptoms worse on stopping them, if used for longer than 7 days. Other methods to reduce these symptoms include steam inhalations and nasal irrigation using irrigation pots, usually with saline or other liquids. These can be of benefit in some people. When there is an element of allergy present, or the symptoms persist for longer than about 2 weeks, then anti-inflammatory steroid or antihistamine nasal sprays can be tried and these again will benefit some people.

Nasal Discharge and Persistent Symptoms

If there is a yellow or green discharge from the nose that lasts longer than a few days then an infection is likely to be present in the sinuses. This is when antibiotics can be of benefit in sinusitis. To see if antibiotics are indicated in your case then you should consult a doctor, who will examine you and exclude any other more serious cause for your symptoms and prescribe antibiotics if indicated. In Chronic Sinusitis your physician will refer you to an otolaryngologist if your symptoms do not respond to treatment for further tests and possibly you may require sinus surgery to resolve your symptoms..

The other type of Sinusitis treatmens that you can look to use is that of home remedies and natural cures. Please have a look at our article on natural remedies for sinusitis to learn more about these treatments.