Posted by Sarah T. on April 2, 2006, at 3:46:19
In reply to Sinus infections and zithromax, posted by gardenergirl on February 28, 2006, at 17:42:06
Hi GG,
My response to your post is long overdue. I've been having lots of computer problems, and I've been sick with a sinus infection, among other things. That 5-day Z-pack for Zithromax is so appealing at first. Taking a full course of antibiotics for only 5 days as opposed to two or three weeks seems too good to be true -- and for particularly deep sinus infections, it is. The sinuses are so difficult to penetrate. I'm allergic to Penicillin, so my options are limited. I'm now on my second course of antibiotics after the Z-pack failed to treat my horrid maxillary sinus infection, which ended up causing a a tooth infection in my maxilla as well.There might be some people who benefit from Zithromax for sinuses. There are many advantages to either Zithromax/azithromycin or Biaxin (clarithromycin, I think). Zithromax, as I said, is only five days (it has a long half life, so it stays in your body for another 5-7 days). Also, if you're allergic to Penicillin, drugs like Zithromax and Biaxin are good alternatives. Another benefit of Zithromax is that it is relatively safe. It's not as safe as the advertisements led us to believe when it was first marketed. It does interact with some classes of drugs, although early reports claimed it had no significant interactions. Still, if you have a sinus infection or other upper respiratory infection, and it isn't too bad, I think it's worth giving Zithromax a try. The first few times I took Zithromax several years ago, it did help, so it's possible my bacteria have developed a resistance to it.
It seems that the antibiotics that are best at treating stubborn sinus infections are also more dangerous. My otolaryngologist said that if you are prone to sinus infections, the best way to treat them is to have a culture taken so the doctor can see exactly what is causing the infection. Many sinus infections are caused by fungi or a combination of fungi and bacteria. Once the culprit is identified, the appropriate medicine can be chosen.
I hope you're fully recovered by now. Did you have any side effects, immediate or long-term, from the Ketek?
S.
poster:Sarah T.
thread:610839
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20060330/msgs/627691.html