Antibiotics Effective for Treating Sinus Infections?

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. (WJBK) -- A sinus infection can make your head feel like a boulder sitting on your shoulders. Now a new study says antibiotics might not do any good, but a Beaumont doctor disagrees.

"It's a drain and just a difficult, uncomfortable, helium head, floaty feeling," said Michelle Ferraro.

She has felt the pain and pressure of a sinus infection, and often doctors treat one with antibiotics like amoxicillin.

"It's among the most widely prescribed antibiotics for a variety of infections," said Dr. Jay Piccirillo with the W.U. School of Medicine.

But how effective is it? A study just out in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at about 150 patients with sinus infections. About half were given antibiotics, but in the end, doctors said they made no difference.

"At day three, the patients with antibiotics had no better resolution of their symptoms than the patients who didn't have antibiotics," Piccirillo explained.

We went to Beaumont Doctor Daniel Rontal for more answers, and he said it's not that simple.

"There's two different types of infections that we're going to see mostly in the nose. These are viral infections and bacterial infections. Viral infections are far more common and can have just as severe symptoms as bacterial infections," he told us.

Dr. Rontal pointed out this study didn't differentiate between a bacterial versus a viral sinus infection.

"Many of these infections which are viral the body will clear on it's own. Unfortunately, bacterial infections are not as well cleared as viral infections, and those bacterial infections often times need an antibiotic," he explained.

As for Ferraro, she's avoiding antibiotics and sticking to over the counter painkillers with a little homemade remedy.

"Hot showers, steam with a little eucalyptus oil. It lessens the symptoms enough that I can kind of get over the hump," she said.

Click here for some ideas on how to tackle sinus trouble before you need to see a doctor.