Do you have to take antibiotics for a sinus infection?

The infection can be bacterial, viral or fungal, or due to allergies. Most sinus infections are caused by viruses, Joseph said, and do not require antibiotics. ... Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. read more

Most sinus infections don’t require antibiotics. Ah, sinus infections. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a clinical practice review of acute sinus infections in adults, that is, sinus infections of up to four weeks. read more

About 60% to 70% of people with sinus infections recover without antibiotics, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. In one study of symptom relief, patients given antibiotics generally did no better than patients not given antibiotics. read more

As a result, many health experts, including Zara Patel, M.D., a sinus infection expert and assistant professor of otolaryngology at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., are urging doctors to think twice before prescribing antibiotics for sinus and other respiratory infections. read more